National award for Combined Traffic Services

A Saskatchewan traffic safety initiative has been recognized with a national award.

Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan was awarded the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators’ Road Safety Award, which recognizes strategies aimed at reducing injury and death on Canada's roads. 

The award was presented June 18.

The award is bestowed annually to initiatives thatdemonstrate unique or creative attempts to advance road safety, according to a government of Saskatchewan press release.

CTSS is a province-wide traffic enforcement unit consisting of members from the RCMP and municipal police services. CTSS was established in 2014 in response to recommendations made by the Special Committee on Traffic Safety. It is funded by the Government of Saskatchewan and SGI. 

“We have greatly reduced the number of lives lost and people seriously injured on Saskatchewan roads each year, and the efforts of CTSS are a huge part of that,” said Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Christine Tell in a statement.

Over the past decade, Saskatchewan has made significant progress in reducing traffic fatalities and injuries, in large part through increased traffic enforcement, according to the government.

“The establishment of CTSS helps prevent impaired driving, speeding, distracted driving and other dangerous driving behaviours,” said Minister Responsible for SGI Don Morgan said. 

In the five years before the establishment of the CTSS, the average number of traffic fatalities per year was 158. In 2019, Saskatchewan saw the lowest number of traffic deaths in the province’s recorded history (71 fatalities), and in 2020 it was again much lower than the historical average (87 fatalities).