SGI is reporting that, for the third year in a row, the number of driving fatalities in the province has reached a historic low.

In a media release yesterday, they said there had been 87 deaths reported in 2021, which continued the ongoing trend of lowering driving deaths.

There were also 87 fatalities in 2020, and though that number is below the lowest ever-number recorded in 2019 at 71.

That could be due to a number of factors, including awareness efforts, stronger legislation, increased enforcement, and improved technology.

SGI spokesperson Tyler McMurchy says he hopes drivers make the right decisions so that number gets even lower.

"In most cases, automobile crashes, particularly fatal ones, could have been prevented. We want people to think about that when they get behind the wheel and think about the reasons they have for making those good decisions," said McMurchy, "We want to continue to see Saskatchewan's traffic fatality numbers decrease as they have done over the last decade."

Those good decisions are the majority deciding factors in fatal vehicle collisions, according to McMurchy.

"The vast majority of the traffic fatalities involve at least one or sometimes more of the following: someone driving impaired, someone driving distracted, someone driving too fast," said McMurchy, "Or someone not wearing their seatbelt."

He says that if those few causes were stopped or at least curbed, Saskatchewan would see the number of fatalities drop greatly.

"While we have seen a lot of improvement when it comes to traffic safety statistics in Saskatchewan over the past decade," said McMurchy, "There's still significant room for improvement and we want everybody to think about the choices they make when they get behind the wheel."