Busy weekend on the roads means high crash rate: ICBC
Posted October 11, 2014 8:00 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – With so many people visiting family for Thanksgiving, it means a busy long weekend on the roads. An average of three people will be killed and 520 people will be injured in car crashes around the province according to ICBC stats.
The main contributor in the 1,800 crashes that will happen this long weekend is people driving too fast for the weather.
ICBC’s Leslie Dickson says the fact that so many people don’t have family that live nearby means it’s busy.
“It can be hectic, you’re packing, you’re trying to get there at a certain time but we really want people to make sure they’re well rested before they get on the road and that they’ve taken time to look at road conditions and weather conditions for their route so they know how long it will realistically take.”
She says snow, sleet, rain and fog can catch people by surprise.
“In the Lower Mainland we often have mild weather year round but you can be driving to go visit family in the Okanagan or in the interior. That’s when you’re going to see road conditions that might be quite different from what you’re used to and you want to make sure that you have appropriate tires and you’re also aware of what the road conditions are where you’re heading before you go.”
By law you now need winter tires if you’re planning to take the Coquihalla.
