Harsher penalties coming for Sask. speeders, those responsible for crashes

SGI’s Safe Driver Recognition program is changing in just over a month.

Starting Oct. 12, a speeding conviction will now come with a harsher penalty. Drivers will lose points for all speeding convictions — except photo radar convictions — and in some cases the number of points a driver loses for a speeding fraction is increasing.

Also, drivers responsible for collisions will lose points based on the severity of the crash — four points for claim payouts under $700 and six points for claim payouts of $700 or more.

According to a news release from SGI, 30 people were killed and 872 injured in 1,954 speed-related crashes in Saskatchewan in 2014.