The Victoria Day long weekend marks the unofficial start of the camping season.
With that in mind, there will be much more traffic on our roads and highways heading out on their first road trip of the year with family and friends.
ICBC Spokesperson Greg Harper reminds drivers to remember the basics: plan your route, pack an emergency kit and travel at safe speeds so everyone gets to their destination safely.
“This is definitely the time of year where you may have a vehicle in front of you, maybe it’s a truck towing a trailer and might be going a little bit slower, give that vehicle some space, pass it when it’s safe to do and take it easy behind the wheel.”
ICBC said speed is a top contributing factor in crashes over the Victoria Day long weekend, with an average of four people killed and 575 people injured in crashes in BC.
“We know that speed, distracted driving, and impairment, they are the top 3 factors in crashes,” Harper said, “we encourage everyone to manage their speed. Remember that speed limits are set for ideal conditions, and when we say manage your speed, we also mean manage your distance. You want to travel at a safe following distance. If you’re too close to the vehicle in front of you, you don’t have enough time to react.”
When it comes to distracted driving, Harper said it’s not uncommon for a lot of people to have that desire to look at their phone.
“Take care of the business you need to regarding your phone before you head out. When you do head out, put your phone away. Stick it in the glove box, stick it in the middle console, that way you’re not tempted to look at it because once you look at your phone you are distracted. When you are distracted that’s dangerous for you and everyone else.”
Over the Victoria Day long weekend, ICBC said on average 20 people are injured in 134 crashes in northern BC.
Harper reminds motorists with the nicer days you will see an increase in motorcyclists on the roads so expect to see that as well this weekend.
“Motorcycles are harder to see than a passenger vehicle, keep that in mind. Really use your mirrors, shoulder check when you’re changing lanes, be extra cautious at intersections. Roughly 4% of insured vehicles in our province are motorcycles yet riders account for 14% of deaths on our roads.”
Harper noted if a motorcyclist is involved in a crash, the chances of injury or even death, are much greater than someone in a passenger vehicle so that’s something to keep in mind for drivers and motorcyclists as well.
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