Winnipeg winter driving: Manitoba Public Insurance prepared for influx of claims

Winter driving conditions are here to stay in Manitoba.

Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) says in the last three days more than 700 claims have been reported, including several collisions on Winnipeg’s streets and roadways.

“There’s been a lot of collisions as people are starting to try to adjust,” said Tara Seel, the media and public relations lead with MPI.

“We do tend to see higher collision counts during the winter months.”

Of the total 733 claim reports recorded in the last three days, more than 66 per cent happened in the capital city.

Seel says MPI is asking for people’s patience as the snow settles in.

“It’s been three days,” she said. “While you may have your winter tires on, and you might be prepared to do that full stop at the stop sign, some people aren’t. And some people have never driven in these conditions before, so we’re just asking people to really have some compassion.”

The winter weather hasn’t kept Winnipeggers at home, according to CAA, which did not record a significant jump in service calls. There were 594 calls Wednesday and 150 since midnight, which it says is normal this time of year

CityNews spoke to a few Winnipeggers about the tricky driving conditions.

“It’s pretty slippery out here,” one person said. “It feels kind of tough to drive on the road. Feeling a little unsteady, but hopefully it will ease up soon.”

“Right now, it’s a good thing to drive, there’s not that much snow yet,” said another. “But once there’s snow, I’m scared to drive.”

Winnipeg police did not respond to a request for comment on collisions in the city, but MPI says drivers should call 911 if they are involved in a serious incident.

Seel says the public insurer is ready for the influx, as it’s expected once the snow flies, with winter 2024-25 seeing more than 43,000 collision claims recorded, many of which were avoidable.

“Over 6,000 of those were because of careless driving in general,” Seel said.

MPI is now advising drivers to take extra caution while on the road by leaving plenty of space between vehicles, paying close attention to the road and most importantly, slowing down, as observing winter road conditions is critical to everyone’s safety.

“Ultimately, what we’re concerned about is not the claim counts. We’re concerned about people’s safety,” Seel said.