EAST HANTS: Eight of the 77 fatal vehicle collision Nova Scotia RCMP officers responded to in 2024 happened in the East Hants district.
That’s according to data released for the province-wide detachments of the RCMP on Jan. 14. In 2020 there were just three fatal collisions in East Hants.
“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,” said 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.”
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In East Hants, the number of serious injuries also rose substantially – from four in 2023 to 13 in 2024.
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.”
Here is the data in an image as provided by N.S. RCMP:
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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,” said 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.
