More than ever, road safety should be on the minds of Manitoba drivers in the coming months as nearly 50 per cent of all collision-related, severe brain injuries occur between May to September, according to Manitoba Public Insurance.
Over this same five-month span, 42 per cent of less severe brain injuries (concussions) are suffered by people in collisions.
“Brain injuries can be catastrophic and will impact both the injured person as well as their family and friends,” said Satvir Jatana, Vice President, Employee and Community Engagement, Manitoba Public Insurance. “The data is very concerning due to the fact many of these collisions are totally preventable.
“A catastrophic brain injury can range from total immobility to loss of smell and/or taste to altered cognitive ability and even personality disorders. MPI encourages drivers to stop high-risk driving behaviours which can result in these devastating outcomes.”
Collision data shows that contributing factors such as exceeding the speed limit, non-seatbelt use, impaired driving, driver distraction, changing lanes improperly, and extreme fatigue all have higher prevalence during the summer and early fall. The data also shows that crash severity is increased by higher speeds.
Over the last five years, 167 Manitobans suffered a serious brain injury as the result of road crash and a total of 600 Manitobans sustained a road-crash related concussion over the last five years (2015-2019).
Road Safety Data
- An unbelted occupant in a vehicle is 40 times more likely to be killed in a collision.
- Nearly 40 per cent of fatal/injury collisions are alcohol related.
- Nearly 30 per cent of fatal/injury collision are speed related.
- About 70 per cent of fatal collisions occur in rural Manitoba.
- The majority of fatal collisions take place on weekends.
