The Nova Scotia RCMP responded to 77 fatal vehicle collisions and crashes in 2024.
"2024 saw a significant increase in fatal collisions and crashes on our roadways, with multiple drivers and passengers losing their lives on roads across the province," says Sgt. John White, who led the Nova Scotia RCMP's Collision and Reconstruction Section. "RCMP officers also responded to 180 serious injury collisions in our jurisdiction."
These numbers don't include medical events experienced by people behind the wheel, nor do they include off-highway vehicle incidents that occurred off provincial roadways.
There are four primary causal factors for fatal and serious injury collisions, including impaired driving, distracted driving, aggressive driving (primarily speeding), and failure to use a seatbelt.
"A significant number of the fatal collisions I've attended wouldn't have been fatal if the occupants of the vehicles had been wearing their seatbelts," says Sgt. White. "The physics involved in a motor vehicle collision are extreme; when people don't have a seatbelt on, they're often ejected from their vehicles and don't survive."
The Nova Scotia RCMP is asking motorists to do their part to protect themselves and others by buckling up every time they get into a vehicle.
"Making sure you and your passengers wear seatbelts properly is the simplest and most effective way to protect everyone in the event of a collision," says Sgt. White. "These collisions happen in the blink of an eye, and having your seatbelt on can literally mean the difference between life and death."
Between 2020 and 2023, there were, on average, 52 fatal incidents on roads policed by the Nova Scotia RCMP.