Image Credit: Contributed / Scott Montagliani
Crashes into Buildings

Do drivers hit buildings in Kamloops more than elsewhere? ICBC says yes

Apr 20, 2023 | 11:34 AM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops may not be the B.C. capital of vehicles crashing into buildings — but it’s close.

A Volkswagen careened into a North Shore restaurant Monday afternoon (April 17), causing extensive damage.

That led to a revival of online commentary premised on the perception that vehicle-into-building collisions are more common in Kamloops than elsewhere.

Statistics provided by the Insurance Corporation of B.C. (ICBC) support that perception.

According to ICBC, between 2017 and 2021, there were 46 vehicle-into-building/wall collisions reported in Kamloops. Using a 2021 census population of 92,442, that means there was one such collision for every 2,010 residents during the five-year period.

Only one large B.C. city analyzed by CFJC Today had a higher rate of vehicle-into-building crashes — Delta at 1-per-1,838.

Image Credit: CFJC Today

Among similar-sized cities, Chilliwack (1-per-2,814), Kelowna (1-per-3,182), Nanaimo (1-per-3,929), White Rock (1-per-12,129) and Prince George (1-per-16,834) all saw lower rates of collisions into buildings and walls.

Meantime, Kamloops RCMP say the cause of Monday’s crash is still under investigation.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story identified North Vancouver as having a lower ratio of population-per-collision than Kamloops. However, that calculation only considered the District of North Vancouver’s population. When added with the population of the neighbouring City of North Vancouver, the population-per-collision ratio increases significantly.

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