Highway Safety

No fatal crashes but plenty of speeders on BC highways

May 19, 2020 | 2:28 PM

KAMLOOPS – The good news is that no lives were lost on B.C. highways over the Victoria Day long weekend. The bad news is that concerns about excessive speeds across the province are real.

In a news release Friday, the BC RCMP Traffic Services division warned drivers they would be watching for speeders over the holiday weekend. It said a noticeable spike in speeding led to police returning to pre-COVID-19 enforcement levels for the weekend.

By the time the three-day weekend was over, B.C. RCMP impounded nearly 150 vehicles for excessive speeding across the province.

RCMP based out of Merritt stopped a vehicle along the Coquihalla. One of the four occupants wasn’t buckled up as the vehicle was clocked in excess of 75 km/h over the speed limit.

An individual stopped for speeding by Lower Mainland RCMP, was clocked at 130 km/h in a residential zone. Four hours later, the same person was stopped by an officer with RCMP Fraser Valley Traffic Services in Chilliwack, for driving over 160 km/h on Highway 1. That driver is now facing the possibility of a lengthy driving prohibition.

“Last week I stated that this spike in excessive speed violations is concerning and unacceptable,” said RCMP Supt. Turton. “That sentiment has not changed,” he added. “This is not a game. There is no excuse, including COVID-19, for this kind of high-risk driving behaviour anywhere in our province.”

May is High Risk Driving month in B.C. RCMP are committed to conducting enhanced enforcement to educate the public and target high risk driving behaviours. On average in B.C., 114 people die every year in crashes involving high-risk driving.