Story by Erica Fisher
The Labour Day long weekend saw a steep jump in fatal collisions over last year, but overall, injuries were down. Between September 2-5, 2016, two people died and 49 people were hurt on Alberta highways. That jumped to eight deaths from September 1-4, 2017 with only 18 injuries reported.
There were six motorcyclists hurt in crashes in 2016 and four in 2017, but one crash killed a biker this year. Four people were injured in off-road collisions both years, and one person died in 2016.
RCMP say 46 people have been charged with impaired driving stemming from the long weekend, with 27 investigations still open. Last year’s holiday led to 90 impaired driving charges.