More than 500 intersection-related tickets issued by Saskatchewan law enforcement in January: SGI

A total of 504 motorists in Saskatchewan received tickets for driving offences made at intersections during January’s traffic safety spotlight on intersection safety, Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) reported on Tuesday.

SGI, the province’s Regina-based self-sustaining auto insurance fund, said that provincial police issued: 319 tickets for failing to stop/proceeding from a stop sign before safe; 109 tickets for disobeying traffic lights; 73 tickets for failing to yield the right of way; and three tickets for failing to yield to a pedestrian.

In addition, there were 1,306 offences for speeding/aggressive driving, 131 impaired driving-related offences, 173 offences for distracted driving (97 of those for cellphone use) and 163 occupant restraint violations (for people not using a seatbelt or the appropriate child seat), SGI noted in a press release. These statistics include all traffic safety focus results for January submitted by police as of Feb. 18.

In 2014, SGI said in the release, there were more than 11,000 collisions at intersections in Saskatchewan, resulting in 28 deaths and injuries to more than 3,200 people.

The traffic safety spotlight for the month of February is distracted driving. Police across the province will be watching for people using cellphones to talk, text, email or surf the Internet while driving. Police will also be on the lookout for people driving without due care and attention, due to distractions such as eating, putting on makeup, or programming a GPS. Not only will drivers receive a ticket, their vehicle will be seized if they are a repeat offender, SGI said at the beginning of the month.