SGI recently released their 2023 Traffic Collision Statistical Report, outlining information about collisions in Saskatchewan recorded in the Traffic Accident Information System (TAIS).
Total collisions noted in the report are down 5.8 per cent compared to 2022, with 28,238 recorded in the province in 2023.
There were 92 deaths associated with collisions in the province in 2023, down 11.5 per cent over the previous year, and injuries were also down 6.1 per cent, with 5,392 logged in 2023.
Top contributing factors in fatal collisions in Saskatchewan last year include alcohol-related factors, road conditions, and drivers taking evasive action such as swerving around objects or animals.
A total of 596 collisions were recorded that involved a drinking or drugged driver, with 367 victims being either injured or killed. There was a 14.2 per cent decrease in collisions involving alcohol or drugs in 2023 from the previous year.
Using safety restraints continues to be a factor in avoiding severe and fatal injuries, with the report outlining that those not using safety restraints were injured severely or fatally 48 per cent of the time, while those who used restraints were severely or fatally injured only 7 per cent of the time.
Injuries and deaths associated with improper use of safety equipment increased in 2023 compared to 2022, with 137 injuries in 2023 compared to 130 in 2022, and 20 deaths in 2023 compared to 15 in 2022.
There were 263 pedestrian injuries, and 16 pedestrian deaths recorded in the TAIS in 2023, with five of the pedestrians who were killed reportedly having been drinking.
In 45.9 per cent of the 279 recorded pedestrian injuries or deaths, the pedestrian was trying to cross at an intersection where they had the right of way.
There was a decrease in the number of collisions recorded in Moose Jaw of 12.2 per cent compared to 2022, and a decrease of 19.7 per cent in the number of injuries.
Moose Jaw saw a total of 618 collisions that involved property damage (520 instances) and personal injury (98 instances, with 143 people injured). No deaths were recorded within the city in 2023. There were six collisions involving a pedestrian injury, and two people injured in bicycle collisions.
In Moose Jaw in 2023, collisions involving alcohol resulted in five people injured, and 13 instances of property damage.