A lot of accidents on the road happened because drivers are in a hurry, distracted or simply intentionally do not follow the rules and regulations. Every year, about 421,000 people are injured in crashes that have involved a driver who was distracted in some way.
Unfortunately, a lot of those drivers are teenagers, who are not just irresponsible to their own vehicles and lives, but to other people’s health and lives as well. Some drivers just really don’t care about the rules and driving regulations, they do not care for their own safety and their passengers, friends and family members.
According to MPI’s statistics, 71 people were killed in crashes last year, and 30 of those deaths are attributed to impaired driving – impairment caused by either alcohol or drugs.
“Everyone needs to do their part. High-risk driving behaviors are dangerous to everyone on the roads,” said MPI’s Satvir Jatana.
Jatana said MPI’s stats will differ slightly from police numbers on traffic fatalities, as MPI only considers deaths on public roadways, not in crashes involving off-road, all-terrain vehicles.
Methamphetamine is a real problem in Winnipeg, the majority of people involved are youth and older teenagers. There is a study conducted by Winnipeg Police department about how people on meth are no longer productive, so they have to find other ways to get money to fuel their addiction and get more drugs. They become dangerous for everyone once they get behind the wheel.
But the even bigger problem is opioid overdoses, like fentanyl, in most cases, it leads to death. Many young Canadians, teenagers are affected by this problem. Unfortunately, many young people and teens are irresponsible and become an easy target for drug dealers, who offer first just to try for free and to “have fun”, but later teens get hooked and become dependent, without even realizing it.
So fellow Winnipeggers please don’t drink and drive, do not get behind the wheel using legal marijuana, it is still illegal to drive under the influence and dangerous for your own life, your passengers and others around you. Please keep our roads safe and easy to drive. Let’s all be responsible drivers and care for each other, so at the end of the day, we can all come back home to our loved ones.