Fatalities due to automobile collisions in Saskatchewan remained low in 2021.

Preliminary statistics from SGI show 87 fatalities last year, matching the total from 2020.

The provincial insurance company noted the 2021 numbers are preliminary based on available data from police forces, and may be adjusted.

The 87 vehicle-related fatalities was the second lowest recorded number since the 1950s, according to SGI. The lowest number of deaths due to collisions was 73 in 2019.

Minister Responsible of SGI Don Morgan was pleased with the numbers.

“We’re pleased that its going down,” Morgan said, adding 2012 saw the highest number of fatalities with 183. “It’s a step in the right direction, but still lots of work left to do.”

Morgan says there are several steps being taken to bring the number down even further.

“More enforcement, check-stops, photo radar, higher fines, we’ve done public campaigns with people who’ve lost loved ones due to impaired driving.” he listed.

Morgan adds that one vehicle-related fatality is too many in Saskatchewan.

SGI also mentioned “while not all collision investigations are complete, the preliminary data available for 2021 concludes that impairment, speeding, distraction and not wearing a seatbelt remain Saskatchewan’s Big Four traffic safety concerns.”

According to the Crown Corporation, more than one third of the occupants’ deaths were due to victims not wearing a seatbelt, driver impairment remains the leading cause of vehicle fatalities, and excessive speed and distracted driving was responsible for one out of every five deaths.