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The Saskatchewan Highway Hotline was used more than 60 million times over the past year, setting a new record for the provincial service.
Between April of 2024 and March of this year, the hotline’s website was visited more than 40 million times, along with 20 million visits to the mobile app. The provincial government said the number of storms that blew through the province during the past winter was a big factor in the record number of people checking road conditions around Saskatchewan.
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The previous winter was milder, and the provincial government said that was reflected in the numbers. The hotline logged more than 10 million page views and three million visits to the app between April of 2023 and March of 2024.
“Thank you to all drivers who take the time to check the Highway Hotline to make an informed decision before heading out on the road,” Highways Minister David Marit said in a statement.
“Understanding what may be on the road ahead can help you plan safer and more efficient trips, which supports our quality of life and export-based economy.”
MLA Brad Crassweller said he believes more people were attracted to the website due to its new features that tracks plows.
“I think 60 million hits is incredible,” he said.
“It just speaks of that we’ve got so many people concerned about taking safety seriously,” he said.
MLA Brad Crassweller said the Highway Hotline’s increased traffic is a good sign that drivers are taking safety seriously. (Gillian Massie/980 CJME)
RCMP staff sergeant Jason Sauve said he frequently uses the website, both for his job and in his personal life.
“It’s very important to the public,” he said. “If the public knows the road is closed or travel’s not recommended, obviously we wouldn’t want people travelling in those conditions. It’s not safe.”
Sauve encouraged drivers to always be careful on the highways, especially with the May Long Weekend approaching. He said crashes frequently increase over long weekends.
“With more people on the road, the propensity for the probability of a crash is higher,” he said.
RCMP staff sergeant Jason Sauve said the Mounties responded to 830 collisions in Saskatchewan due to winter conditions during the last fiscal year. (Gillian Massie/ 980 CJME)
The Saskatchewan Highway Hotline was launched more than 50 years ago as a telephone service. The phone service is still running – at 1-888-335-7623 or 511 – and receives about 33,000 calls each year, but the hotline has also evolved over time to include an interactive map and a mobile app. The hotline also features a network of 50 road cameras that can give drivers a good sense of conditions before they hit the road.
The service also offers information on construction zones, collisions, ferry crossings and incidents including forest fires.
–with files from 980 CJME’s Gillian Massie
