A Tesla Model S being impounded by BC RCMP. (Image Credit: BC Highway Patrol)

By Victor Kaisar

Long Weekend Stats

For the first time in six years, May long weekend saw no fatalities on BC highways: police

Jun 5, 2025 | 9:48 AM

KAMLOOPS — The BC Highway Patrol says for the first time in at least six years, there were no deaths reported on provincial highways on the Victoria Day long weekend.

According to the BC Highway Patrol, there were three deaths reported over the Victoria Day long weekend in 2024, and an average of four deaths per year between 2019 and 2023.

However, a spokesperson said there is still work to be done as police handed out nearly 2,000 speeding tickets across the province over the long weekend, adding 79 vehicles were also impounded for excessive speeding.

According to police, an impaired driver on Highway 3/95 in the East Kootenays was caught going 166 km/h in a 100 zone on May 17. This driver was given a 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition, an excessive speed ticket and had their vehicle impounded for seven days.

The next day, police say, a driver blew a ‘warn’ on Highway 21 near Creston and was given a three-day driving suspension.

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“Her husband came to pick her up but he did not pass the [Approved Screening Device] ASD and received a 24-hour suspension. Both were picked up by their parents,” RCMP said.

Police also say on May 12, a Tesla Model S was stopped doing 191 km/hr in a 100 zone on Highway 1 near Golden.

“This was the 24-year-old Alberta driver’s third excessive speed ticket in two years and he received a five-month driving prohibition, an excessive speeding ticket ($483), a 7-day minimum impound and a notice to the Government of Alberta for a licence suspension there,” RCMP said.

The BC Highway Patrol says over the course of the month-long High Risk Driving and Motorcycle Awareness Campaigns in May, officers wrote over 9,600 speeding tickets across the province.

Over 2,200 of those tickets were written in the Central/Okanagan region, where 94 vehicles were impounded for excessive speed.

“We had a lot of positive public feedback about the impact of BC Highway Patrol’s high-visibility enforcement, and we’re very happy to do our part to reduce deaths on our roads,” Supt. Mike Coyle of the BC Highway Patrol said.

“We still find too many examples of irresponsible driving.”

Breakdown of Tickets Issued:

• Central/Okanagan Region: More than 2,200 tickets (94 excessive speed with a vehicle impound);
• Vancouver Island: More than 1,500 tickets (53 excessive speed with a vehicle impound);
• Kootenay Region: More than 1,200 tickets (66 excessive speed with a vehicle impound);
• Northern Region: More than 1,900 tickets (68 excessive speed with a vehicle impound);
• South Coast/Lower Mainland: More than 2,500 tickets (122 excessive speed with a vehicle impound).