March 16-22 is National Impaired Driving Prevention Week, and Manitoba Public Insurance’s (MPI) message to drive sober remains extremely important as people continue to needlessly lose their lives in impaired driving collisions on Manitoba roadways.
In 2024, 15 people died, and 118 were injured – some sustaining life-altering injuries – in impaired driving collisions in Manitoba. In the previous five years, 91 people died and more than 350 sustained injuries. These are lives that are forever altered because of a bad decision.
“The message to drive sober has been out there for years, but people are still ignoring it and choosing to drive impaired,” said Maria Campos, MPI’s Chief Customer and Product Officer. “We need to be firm that we will not tolerate impaired driving of any kind so that we stop losing people to completely preventable tragedies.”
MPI continues to work with police agencies across the province to tackle the problem of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs through education and enforcement. In a 2022 roadside study completed by MPI, 8% of drivers tested positive for at least one drug, and 3.6% of drivers tested positive for alcohol, a significant increase from .6% in 2016. As of mid-December 2024, 2,164 drivers had committed an impaired driving offence in the province last year.
Manitoba continues to have among the toughest penalties in Canada for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Consequences include possible vehicle impoundment, licence suspension, mandatory ignition interlock, large fines, criminal charges, increased premiums, and denial of third-party liability coverage, meaning drivers are individually responsible for all damages incurred in a collision.
“As we recognize National Impaired Driving Prevention Week, let’s all make a renewed commitment to drive sober and ensuring those around us drive sober,” said Campos. “It will help save lives and make sure Manitobans get home safely.”
