Slow down, exercise patience around workers, road-safety committee urges drivers

A Manitoba committee focused on roadway worker safety is calling on drivers to slow down and stay alert following a recent surge in collisions involving workers.

SAFE Roads says transportation-related injuries in Manitoba’s construction sector rose to 62 in 2025, up from 40 the year before, as the group continues to promote safe and respectful driving near roadside workers.

“We’re begging the public to be patient and respectful,” said Chris Lorenc, president and CEO of the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association and chair of the SAFE Roads committee.

“An important message from the safe roads committee effort is that the people that we’re speaking for… that happen to be in a public right of way or adjacent to a public right of way, which we approach in our cars, are not in our way — they’re at work.”

The organization says the risk to road workers is expected to rise this summer as construction ramps up across Manitoba, including nearly $157 million in road work in Winnipeg and a major resurfacing project in Brandon beginning May 30, putting more crews on busy roads and relying on drivers to stay alert and slow down.

Lorenc said construction workers not only deal with dangerous near-misses from passing vehicles, but also verbal abuse from frustrated drivers.

“Construction work is difficult,” he said. “It requires precision and focus, just like every other job. You don’t need the additional stress of wondering if you’re going to be hit by a moving vehicle.”

Ahead of Canada Road Safety Week, which kicks off Wednesday, Manitoba Public Insurance launched its new Road Safety Strategy 2030 on Tuesday, aimed at reducing serious crashes and deaths on Manitoba roads.

The Crown corporation says its new road safety plan, shaped through public feedback, focuses on making roads safer by encouraging better driving habits, working more closely with partners and Indigenous communities, and promoting shared responsibility among all road users.

More than 65 organizations and nearly 3,000 Manitobans contributed their insights and experiences to help shape the strategy, making it one of MPI’s largest public-engagement efforts in its 55-year history.

“We believe that the people and organizations who work in, interact with, and are affected by the road system every day are our essential partners in shaping a credible and effective road safety strategy,” MPI president and CEO Satvir Jatana said in a release.

“Because of their input, each pillar of our plan represents an area where MPI can influence meaningful change alongside its partners across the province.”

MPI says Manitobans repeatedly raised concerns about speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving and people not wearing seatbelts. Many also said driver education needs to better reflect the different ways people travel — whether they drive, bike or walk — and called for updated driver training and more safety programs for cyclists and pedestrians.

Since 2021, 412 people have been killed on Manitoba roads, including 202 drivers, 107 passengers, 82 pedestrians, 15 motorcyclists, five cyclists and one person listed under “other,” according to MPI data.

Of the 324,230 collisions during that same span, more than a quarter (84,587) have been attributed to distracted/careless driving.

The report says that each year, 90 people, on average, are killed in motor vehicle collisions across the province.

Distracted and careless driving is the top factor in deadly crashes, contributing to 38 per cent of fatalities. That compares with 29 per cent linked to impaired driving and 25 per cent involving speed. In another 25 per cent of fatal crashes, at least one person was not wearing a seatbelt.

Meantime, Manitoba RCMP is also urging drivers to think twice before getting behind the wheel impaired, warning that the decision to drive drunk or high can have deadly consequences, after 26 fatal crashes (confirmed and suspected) have already been attributed to impaired driving this year.

Police say impaired driving — whether involving alcohol, drugs, cannabis, prescription medication or even some over-the-counter drugs — remains one of the leading criminal causes of death and injury in Canada, affecting a driver’s judgment, co-ordination, and reaction time.

“Individuals who choose to drive while impaired are taking a needless risk that could have life-altering, if not life-ending, ramifications for themselves and others,” said Insp. Robert Wuskynyk, of RCMP D Division Traffic Services, in a release.

“We are asking motorists to make the smart decision, plan ahead and ensure they have a designated driver or a safe ride home.”

Last year, Manitoba RCMP apprehended more than 2,000 impaired drivers, including 1,400 who received immediate roadside suspensions related to alcohol or drugs. Both figures marked a slight increase over 2024.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca