REGINA — Impaired driving cases are on the rise across Saskatchewan this year, but the long-term trend suggests the province’s roads are safer than they were a half-decade ago.
According to new police-reported crime statistics released by Statistics Canada, officers across the province recorded 5,433 actual impaired driving incidents in 2025. This represents an increase from the 4,879 incidents reported in 2024. Despite the recent upward swing, the overall numbers remain significantly lower than in 2021, when Saskatchewan recorded 6,479 incidents.
These statistics reflect police-reported incidents of criminal impaired driving, encompassing cases involving all forms of impairment, whether by alcohol or by drug.
A breakdown of the data reveals a stark divide between the province's urban centres and its vast rural network. Rural police detachments handle a significantly larger portion of the province's impaired driving caseload. In 2025, rural detachments responded to 3,986 incidents. By contrast, municipal police forces recorded a combined total of 1,447 incidents during the same time frame.
Among municipal forces, Regina led the province with 387 recorded incidents in 2025. Saskatoon followed with 294 incidents, and the North Battleford municipal detachment recorded 164.
Outside of the major cities, northern and central rural detachments saw the highest volumes. The La Ronge rural detachment recorded the highest number of incidents among non-municipal forces with 177. The Prince Albert rural detachment followed closely with 164 incidents, while Buffalo Narrows recorded 158. The North Battleford rural detachment also saw a high volume, logging 147 cases last year.
While the total number of actual incidents illustrates the frequency of cases police respond to, the data also tracks the number of individuals who face criminal consequences. Across Saskatchewan, a total of 2,514 people were formally charged with impaired driving offences in 2025. This marks a slight increase from the 2,341 individuals charged in 2024, but remains substantially below the 3,251 people charged five years ago in 2021.
