SGI's traffic spotlight is in, and driver safety was once again at the forefront.

The spotlight focused on occupant safety, and resulted in nearly 400 people ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt:

  • 348 tickets for a driver failing to wear a seatbelt
  • 29 tickets for a passenger failing to wear a seatbelt
  • Eight tickets for a passenger under 16 failing to wear a seatbelt (ticket issued to the driver)
  • 13 tickets for improper use or installation of a child restraint

RCMP from around the province, along with SGI, are asking motorists and passengers alike to remember to use their seatbelt, as in 2015 alone, improper or non-seatbelt use contributed to a total of 17 deaths and 194 injuries in the province, with 73 of those injuries being children under the age of seven.

As well, SGI is asking parents and caregivers to ensure a child’s booster seat is the right size, and is adjusted and installed properly.

Other province-wide statistics in February include nearly 4200 motorists who were ticketed for speeding or aggressive driving:

  • 4,168 speeding/aggressive driving offences
  • 281 impaired driving-related offences
  • 348 distracted driving offences (including 266 for cellphone use)

SGI and RCMP across the province are in the process of wrapping up March's spotlight on drivers committing a variety of distracted driving infractions, most noteably cellphone use while behind the wheel.