Rise in collision fatalities in the Maritimes causes concerns

In recent weeks, the Maritimes have seen an increase in fatal collisions.

“According to the data and recent reporting, we’re seeing a bit of an uptick in serious collisions and fatalities in across the province,” said Cpl. Gary McLaughlin, Northeast Traffic Services with the Nova Scotia RCMP.

In just the last two weeks, there have been 12 fatal collisions in the Maritimes, with six in Nova Scotia, five in New Brunswick, and one in P.E.I.

As summer vacationers hit the road, both locals and tourists are contributing to increased traffic volume across the Maritimes.

“There are more Atlantic Canadians on the road and more tourists on road trips for summer vacation, so inevitable there is unfortunately going to be more collisions and more activity on the roads,” said Julia Kent, spokesperson for CAA.

Dalhousie University’s transportation professor Ahsan Habib said there are many reasons for accidents in Nova Scotia, including road designs.

“When it comes to road lights [and] street lights, if we compare to other provinces we have those issues. At the same time, our province has the highest per capita highways compared to any other provinces, so maintenance and making them safe becomes much more difficult for a resource constrained province,” he said.

Habib said his data shows collisions are increasing while fatalities are decreasing.

However, the RCMP said this year has been one of the worst for vehicle-related deaths and life-threatening injuries. Cpl. McLaughlin said there have been 96 fatal collisions.

“Every year is unique. Comparing them this year to last year doesn’t really capture the true reality of what is going on, on roadways,” he said.

He said aggressive driving, speeding, and distractions are contributing to the fatalities.

The Nova Scotia Department of Public Works told CTV News 2023 was the lowest year of collisions in five years.

“Nothing immediately changed from December 2023 to January 2024 from a road safety perspective, yet fatal collisions started to rise in January this year,” the department said.

McLaughlin said people who see reckless driving should alert RCMP immediately.