(Files by Dione Wearmouth – My Prince George Now)
Police and ICBC are launching a month-long campaign focusing on speed and urging drivers to slow down.
All throughout May, police will be targetting speeding and other high-risk driving behaviors to help decrease the substantial amount of speed-related crashes that occur on BC roads.
“The campaign is really a reminder to people that weather is starting to change, we’re starting to see motorcycles, cyclists and pedestrians out and we really need to look at our speed as the weather warms up,” explained Doug Macdonald, Northern BC’s ICBC spokesperson.
Speed Watch volunteers will also be set up in BC communities to remind drivers of the speed they’re traveling.
On average, 15 people are killed every year in North Central BC from speed-related crashes.
Across BC, 81 people are killed in speed-related crashes every year, making speed the number one cause of car crash fatalities in the province.
Macdonald says that Northern BC drivers tend to spend lots of time on highways, and there are some things that highway drivers need to extra cautious of this time of year.
“We’re going to start to see a few more animals out on the roads and sometimes we get the feeling that out on the highway speed doesn’t matter, but when that animal comes out or another driver makes an invasive move, you still need to stop your vehicle,” added Macdonald.
He adds that even if a driver has an extremely fast reaction time, they still need to stop a three to four thousand pound vehicle.
“That need to stop a large vehicle immediately doesn’t change if you’re a 16-year-old or 75-year-old-driver,” he noted.
The campaign launched on May 1st and includes digital advertising and social media, as well as radio ads enforcing the campaign.