CANADA, July 8 - Released on July 8, 2024

Operation Safe Driver Week is July 7-13, 2024, and the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol (SHP) is asking everyone to follow safe driving habits to help improve the safety of our roadways. 

Acknowledged annually by law enforcement agencies across North America, Operation Safe Driver Week is co-ordinated by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). The week is designed to encourage and improve safe driving behaviours of private vehicle operators and commercial vehicle drivers through education, traffic enforcement and interactions with police officers.

"It is imperative that every driver follows safe driving habits in Saskatchewan," Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Paul Merriman said. "Every day the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol, RCMP and municipal police services across the province work to ensure the safety of our roadways. We are grateful for their dedication and for reminding motorists to take safe driving habits seriously."

During Operation Safe Driver Week, SHP personnel will employ heightened traffic enforcement strategies across the province - such as traffic stops - focusing on risky behaviors like speeding, distracted or aggressive driving and failure to wear seat belts. Officers will also be watching for drivers impaired by alcohol and drugs, aiming to reduce the devastating impact of impaired driving.

Statistics underscore the effectiveness of traffic stops and interactions with law enforcement in reducing unsafe driving practices. By engaging with drivers during Operation Safe Driver Week, authorities look to make roadways safer by addressing high-risk behaviors.

These efforts are crucial in light of the prevalence of speeding, distracted driving and impaired driving as leading factors in traffic fatalities in Canada. Operation Safe Driver Week plays a pivotal role in educating drivers and enforcing safe driving practices to mitigate these risks and promote overall road safety.

Operation Safe Driver Week was launched by CVSA in 2007 in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, law enforcement and industry partners to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by crashes involving large trucks, motorcoaches and passenger vehicles.

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