Drowsy drivers warned against becoming another holiday statistic
Posted August 4, 2018 7:38 am.
Last Updated August 4, 2018 8:16 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The BC Day long weekend is often the most deadly of the year — according to numbers provided by the Insurance Corporation of BC.
Many crashes are linked to drivers being sleep-deprived.
ICBC’s Joanna Linsangan says that combined with hot summer weather is troublesome.
“A lot of people tend to underestimate the effects of a bad night’s sleep. We just don’t realize how tired we are until we’re on the road and we’re starting to veer out of our lane, so by then it’s too late. Getting a good night’s sleep the night before your road trip is the best defence.”
She adds fatigue-related crashes are often under-reported.
“Drowsy driving is problematic –specifically in the summer season. There’s a number of variables at play here. Folks are on their holidays, they try to cram in as much as possible over the long weekend, so they over-extend themselves. They don’t take rest breaks. They try and rush through and try to drive for five hours in one stretch.”
Linsangan says more crashes are usually recorded over Easter which is often a four-day weekend, but during the three-day BC Day holiday, as many as 2,200 collisions kill — on average — three people and hurt 600.
Mounties urge drivers to take extra care
RCMP officers are urging people to take the necessary steps as thousands hit the road this weekend.
Constable Mike Halskov with RCMP Traffic Services says it’s important to be prepared.
“Make sure before you head out that your vehicle, including any trailers you may be towing, etcetera, are in good mechanical condition. Make sure that you’re in good shape by being well rested and if you’re going to be taking a long trip, make sure you take breaks along the way.”
This time of year can be especially busy, he adds.
“It’s the middle of the summer and you have people that are returning from holidays that they’ve taken in July and then you have people that are leaving on holidays for holidays that they’ve planned in August. So you have probably a lot more volume of vehicles on the road, just around this particular weekend because of that sort of transition.”
Mounties say you should always be aware of your surroundings. Be cautious on the roads regardless of whether you’re driving a car, truck, motorcycle, or are a pedestrian or cyclist.
-With files from Simon Druker
