Public Safety Minister failing to keep New Brunswickers safe on highways

 

July 16, 2024

FREDERICTON - In response to a recent report revealing New Brunswick had the highest highway death rate in the country last year, Green Party leader David Coon is calling on Public Safety Minister Kris Austin to initiate an in-depth investigation into the causes of these tragic accidents and what steps can be taken to prevent them.

“It is unacceptable that so many people are dying in car accidents on our highways,” exclaimed David Coon. “We see news reports multiple times a week, in all corners of the province, of another collision that has tragically claimed the lives of New Brunswickers. We need to be asking, how can we prevent this?”

The report, which was commissioned by the personal injury law firm Preszler using data from Stats Canada, the RCMP, and local police forces, did not investigate what factors have led to so many accidents in New Brunswick.

“It is the job of the Public Safety Minister to keep New Brunswickers safe,” added Coon. “We need this study to get to the root causes and, in the meantime, RCMP need resources to increase patrols of our highways. This is a crisis that is claiming the lives of New Brunswickers, so we need to start treating it like one.”

 

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