The Victoria Day long weekend is the unofficial start to the summer driving season, and the province is reminding motorists to be courteous to those working on Saskatchewan highways this season.

“We just want people to be very mindful of everybody,” Minister of Highways David Marit said at an event Thursday. “Please drive safely out there. [Workers] have caring loved ones with them and be safe and really be cautious of the work zone and know what’s going on.”

Construction is present across the province with dozens of workers on site and hundreds more first responders on the highway.

One worker who may be on a construction site this weekend is sign truck operator Alex Pierrard.

“On the edge of the open highway, we could [be working on roads] with speeds up to 110km/hr,” he said. “When we’re there working, we ask all drivers to please slow to 60 [km/hr].”

Pierrard outlined some of the experiences he’s had over the multiple years of working in the construction industry.

“All too often we’ll see drivers fly by at full speed, sometimes far too close,” he recalled. “I’ve had scenarios where I’ve literally had to pull a colleague back because they were about to get very close with traffic.”

“Those drivers weren’t doing what we asked them to do, which is to slow down and move over to give us space,” Pierrard added.

According to provincial data, more than 180 collisions happen each year in Saskatchewan construction zones, resulting in an average of 36 injuries and one death every 12 months.

Regina Police believe many of those are preventable, adding it’s important to slow down around emergency personnel and first responders as well.

“Every time [officers] step out of that police vehicle in traffic, they’re potentially putting themselves in danger,” Acting RPS Chief Lorilee Davies told reporters. “Our officers have had close calls where motorists have not slowed down, not pulled over.”

SGI also says the possibility of collisions increases on long weekends, as there are more cars on the road.

Davies added police will be increasing patrol to watch for speeders, distracted and impaired drivers.

“We reinforce that message,” she said. “Typically, we tend to have a few more fatalities. And so just really encouraging people to follow all the safety rules.”

Pierrard just hopes he – and all others working on provincial highways – get home safe.

“Everybody that’s out on that roadway is there for a reason,” he reiterated. “Whether it’s a police officer, highway worker or tow truck operator, everybody is there to do something. And they’re just asking the people to help them get home safe.”

The ministry added speeding in active construction zones may come with hefty fines, up to triple the amount of a regular ticket.