RCMP ask motorists to slow down

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This article was published 16/10/2017 (3044 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba RCMP officers are experiencing close calls and personal danger when conducting traffic stops and emergency responses on Manitoba highways.

“We hear stories of speeding vehicles,” said officer in charge of traffic services for the Manitoba RCMP, Insp. Ed Moreland. He mentioned Nova Scotia RCMP Cst. Francis Deschenes, who was killed when helping a motorist change a tire on a New Brunswick highway on Sept. 12.

Under Manitoba law, motorists passing emergency vehicles with their lights flashing on the side of the highway are required to slow down to 60 kilometres per hour if the speed limit is 80 km/h or over, and to 40 km/h if the speed limit is under 80. On a highway with two or more lanes in the same direction, motorists are supposed to move into the far lane. On a two-lane highway, they must wait and pass the emergency vehicle when it is safe to do so.

Moreland said RCMP recently monitored traffic on Highway 59 near Birds Hill. Out of 192 vehicles, only 13 slowed down to the correct speed and moved to the far lane.

“That’s only seven per cent of the drivers who obeyed the law,” he said.

The Slow Down, Move Over law came into effect in 2011. Motorists can receive a $299 fine and two driver safety points for failing to comply with the regulations. So far this year, RCMP have charged over 400 people.