2023 has been a much deadlier year on Manitoba roadways than 2022.
Manitoba RCMP released some stats for the first half of the year which show the number of fatalities on provincial highways has increased. Media relations officer Tara Seel says the numbers are shocking.
"We're at 62 deaths in 42 fatal collisions as of June 25th, 2023. At this time last year, we were at 34 deaths," says Seel. "Obviously, the recent collision at Carberry accounts for a significant number of those, but regardless, we're still above average and we were above last year."
Seel notes they continue to try and educate drivers to be cautious when heading out onto the roadways, but it is clear some people are not getting the message, and some Manitobans are not coming home after getting behind the wheel.
"We continue to see the high-risk driving behaviours that we've identified previously, so that is impaired driving -- driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol," says Seel. "We're seeing speeding, not wearing seatbelts, and distracted driving. So, those are the high-risk behaviours that we're seeing continuously on our roadways and those high-risk driving behaviors lead to people dying."
Seel says you would be hard-pressed to find a fatal crash this year where a high-risk driving behaviour was not involved. She is very clear that this does not include the Carberry crash as the investigation is still underway.