For the second year in a row, Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) has provided 25 highly visible speed display boards in 13 communities, including Steinbach, thanks to a road safety partnership between the public auto insurer and various municipalities.
Confirmed participating communities are, Brandon, Steinbach, Winkler, Portage la Prairie, Thompson, Morden, The Pas, RM of Springfield, RM of West St. Paul, Altona, Ste. Anne, Rivers and Winnipeg.
The speed display boards are electronic signs that use radar to detect the speed of an approaching vehicle and display the speed on an LED variable message display. The speed display is typically combined with a static (non-electronic) display that includes the text “Your Speed” or similar wording.
“The intent of the speed display board is to encourage compliance with the posted speed limit by making motorists aware of their actual speed,” said Satvir Jatana, MPI’s Chief Customer Officer. “Exceeding the speed limit or driving too fast for road conditions can prove fatal. Last year in Manitoba, at least 21 per cent (about one in five) fatalities had speed as a contributing factor. The goal is to reduce this statistic. These high visibility signs are intended to be used as reinforcements to the maximum posted speed signs to encourage compliance when transitioning to a lower posted speed, such as school zones and communities located along highways.”
On average, 20 people are killed in a speed-related collision every year. Additionally, on average, nearly 900 people are injured in a speed-related collision every year.
Criteria used to determine appropriate locations for the boards consisted of roadways which have a high frequency of collisions; roadways known to have frequent issues with driving abiding by the posted speed limit rural highways which pass through a residential area that require drivers to be aware they need to decrease their speed (i.e.: 100 km/h down to 70 km/h).
