MOOSE JAW — Saskatchewan RCMP are urging motorists to make safer choices behind the wheel after traffic deaths across the province have more than doubled compared to the same period last year.
Between June 1 and July 22, RCMP officers responded to 23 fatal collisions that claimed 27 lives across the province. Since July 10 alone, 11 fatal collisions have resulted in 16 deaths.
Compared to the same period in 2025, fatal collisions have increased by 77 per cent, while the number of people killed has risen by 108 per cent.
“We’d like to share our concerns with the public,” RCMP Traffic Services Inspector Lee Knelsen said during a virtual media briefing on July 22. “These are not just numbers; they represent lives lost, and these numbers are increasing.”
RCMP say impairment caused by alcohol and drugs continues to be among the leading contributors to serious and fatal crashes. During the first six months of 2026, 52 per cent of fatal collisions investigated by Saskatchewan RCMP involved alcohol or drugs as a contributing factor, up from 35 per cent during the same period last year.
Knelsen said the same four factors continue to contribute to many of the province’s most serious collisions.
“It’s seatbelt use, speed, distracted driving, and impairment — they pop up and they are very prevalent in a lot of these collisions and fatalities,” he said. “Really, it is something that is under the complete control of those operators.”
He said impaired driving is no longer confined primarily to evening and overnight hours.
“We used to think that it was … late at night or during the evenings. Really, what we’re seeing is that’s not the case. It is throughout the day; it is any hour of the day.”
The warning comes during one of Saskatchewan’s busiest travel periods, when many residents are taking summer holidays, attending community events and travelling throughout the province.
While some motorists may become less vigilant during favourable driving conditions, Knelsen said distractions such as cell phone use remain a significant concern.
“That device that you put in your hand is extremely, extremely distracting — and illegal,” he said. “We expect you to put that down and drive and make sure that those roadways are safe.”
RCMP say enforcement efforts remain active across Saskatchewan through Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan, which includes approximately 100 RCMP Traffic Services officers supported by an additional 34 officers from municipal police services in Moose Jaw, Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Estevan, and Weyburn.
Knelsen said officers conduct both stationary check stops and roving patrols on highways and rural roads across Saskatchewan, focusing enforcement on high-traffic corridors and collision-prone areas. Despite those efforts, he said the recent string of fatal crashes has not been isolated to one part of the province, with collisions occurring in communities stretching from Battleford and Prince Albert to Swift Current, Maple Creek, and Lumsden.
Knelsen also spoke about the emotional impact fatal collisions have on emergency responders and others involved.
“Fatal accidents are tough on everybody. When we have a July like we’ve had already, this is certainly compounding that,” he said. “We’ve got EMS, we’ve got fire, we’ve got tow truck drivers, we’ve got our own members, [and] we’ve got members of the public that are maybe held on scene to have to witness not only the incident but then the aftereffect of that.”
RCMP continue to remind motorists that wearing a seatbelt, obeying speed limits, avoiding distractions, and never driving after consuming alcohol or drugs remain the four most effective ways to prevent serious and fatal collisions.
If motorists suspect someone is driving impaired, RCMP are urging them to pull over safely and call 911, providing the vehicle’s licence plate, direction of travel, and description if possible. Dispatchers will forward the information to the nearest responding officers.
