In a recent study released, New Brunswick (8.2) and Manitoba (7.1) had the highest rate of motor vehicle deaths per 100,000 population. A situation that the leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick, David Coon, considers horrible. He criticizes the government’s silence on this subject and calls on the Minister of Public Safety, Kris Austin, to undertake a thorough investigation into the causes of these tragic accidents and the measures that can be taken to prevent them.
“It seems like every week more and more New Brunswickers are dying in fatal car crashes and it’s horrible and yet we haven’t heard anything from the government on this. This is why I want the Minister responsible for Public Safety to launch an investigation into the causes of our accidents, determine what the problems are, diagnose them and implement solutions to reduce deaths on our roads and highways,” did he declare.

Police say they were called to Highway 126 just before 5 p.m. today after a report of a head-on collision involving a pick-up truck and a sedan. (COURTESY WADE PERRY)
For the Green Party, this increase in the road fatality rate in New Brunswick is seen as a sign that the Minister of Public Safety is failing to ensure the safety of New Brunswickers on the roads.
“It is unacceptable that so many people die in car accidents on our roads,” exclaims David Coon. “We see news reports several times a week, from every corner of the province, of another collision that has tragically claimed the lives of New Brunswickers. We need to ask ourselves how we can avoid this.”
For his part, New Brunswick Public Safety Minister Kris Austin said that while he has not yet had the opportunity to review the Preszler Injury Lawyers report, a number of measures have been already taken across the province to improve safety on roads and highways.
Austin points out that new legislation has been passed to increase fines and penalties for speeding or stunt driving. Police can now issue traffic suspensions for people arrested for drunk driving, allowing officers to get back on the road to patrol more quickly.
It should be remembered that this report was commissioned by the Preszler law firm, specializing in personal injuries, using data from Statistics Canada, the RCMP and local police forces. The report did not attempt to determine the factors responsible for so many accidents in New Brunswick.