PLEA gratefully acknowledges our primary core funder the Law Foundation of Saskatchewan for their continuing and generous support of our organization.
To keep the roads safe, there are many rules that need to be followed. Breaking these rules can result in a variety of penalties. Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) oversees safety on the roads.
In Saskatchewan, The Traffic Safety Act sets out the rules that all drivers must follow.
Drivers must yield to pedestrians, obey traffic signals and signs, and speed limits. This includes lowered speed limits for school zones and construction zones. It is against traffic safety laws to:
Traffic safety laws also state that the driver to the right has the right-of-way at uncontrolled intersections.
Each municipality will also have their own rules about parking, as well as things like speeding and disobeying traffic signs. To find out the rules in your community go to your municipality’s website or contact your municipality.
If you do not follow the rules you can be charged with a traffic offence and given a ticket. You may also lose points under the Safe Driver Recognition Program.
Drivers are required to drive with due care and attention. Common causes of distracted driving include things like:
Driving without due care and attention, whatever the cause, is a traffic safety offence. Some types of distractions such as using a cellphone are specifically forbidden.
Drivers cannot hold, view, use or manipulate a cellphone. New drivers cannot use any cellphone, including hands-free cellphones. Experienced drivers can use a hands-free cellphone as long as it is activated with one-touch or voice commands. It must also be in a holder of some kind.
A study from Virginia Tech Transportation Institute about cellphone distraction while driving reported that drivers who are texting are 23 times more likely to be in a collision than those who don’t. Talking on a cellphone makes the driver 3 to 6 times more likely to be in a collision.
— SGI
You can receive a ticket for things like speeding or going through a red light based on photos taken by a traffic camera. These cameras are set up to take a picture if a vehicle is speeding or going through a red light. This picture shows the licence plate of the vehicle. It is an offence to obscure your licence plate from traffic cameras.
In almost every case, the registered owner is responsible for paying the ticket, even if they were not driving. Because of this, however, the registered owner will not lose points under the Safe Driver Recognition Program for these types of offences.
If you are in a collision that is your fault, you will have to pay the deductible. SGI will decide who was at fault for the accident. SGI considers a number of factors when making this decision. These include whether any driver involved was not following the rules of the road as well as what the police and any other witnesses report. If you disagree with the decision, you can ask to talk to your adjustor’s supervisor. If you still are not satisfied you can take the other driver to Small Claims Court.
There are a number of things you should do if you are involved in a collision...
Call the police if:
Report the accident by phone or online to SGI as soon as possible. Have your driver’s licence and car registration ready when you do so.
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