Increase in Collisions on Manitoba Roads During Thanksgiving Triggers Warning from MPI – Winnipeg | The Canadian News

According to the province’s auto insurance agency, Thanksgiving weekend is known in Manitoba as the worst long weekend in terms of collisions and fatalities.

While long weekends in general often see an increase in road collisions, Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) says Thanksgiving has proven to be the most troublesome.

“There are approximately 900 collisions during that four-day long weekend,” MPI spokesman Brian Smiley told Global News.

“Forty-eight percent of those collisions happen on Friday. That compares with just 11 percent on Monday, ”he continued.

A Canadian-wide campaign to educate drivers about road safety during long weekends was launched earlier this week, with more enforcement efforts.

“We know that all 220 police forces in our country will be participating in this campaign, so you can expect to see an additional application this weekend,” Chief Robert Martin said.

Martin serves as Co-Chair of the Road Safety Committee of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.

Martin says that most long weekend collisions can be easily avoided.

“It is usually caused by the driver’s condition or the driver’s negligence: not wearing a seat belt, using his cell phone, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”

Aside from Thanksgiving, the longest weekend with the most collisions in Manitoba is Louis Riel Day in February.

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