The roads are getting slicker and the weather is getting colder in the North.
As a result, ICBC’s Shift Into Winter campaign was in full force this morning on Highway 16 west of Prince George, speaking with drivers passing by on how to be prepared for sudden changes in road conditions.
On the night of Wednesday, November 14th, a 23-year-old man died after a two-vehicle crash near Norman Lake.
While no further information has been released from RCMP, YRB Fort George Operations Manager Ben Scott says there is one concern above all when responding to related incidents.
“It seems like speed is the causal thing; I mean there’s no doubt about that. The conditions are challenging, but it seems like, these days, everyone’s in a hurry to get to places and it’s often that we kind of take it for granted that you might need to slow down every once in a while.”
Drivers are being stopped near Upper Mud River Road & are being handed materials to prep for winter driving conditions. Items include antifreeze, scrapers, & a goodie bag with info on “shifting into winter” | #CityOfPG #NorthernBC @mypgnow pic.twitter.com/POz6kk461V
— Kyle Balzer (@KyleBalzer) November 19, 2018
Scott, along with representatives from ICBC, BC’s Transportation Ministry, and YRB, handed out materials that could come in handy this time of year when out on Northern BC roads.
These included windshield washer fluid, ice scrapers, and hand-warmers, adding 2018 appears to be promising a different kind of challenge for drivers.
“We’re seeing a lot more challenging winter conditions with freeze-thaws. You know, when snow comes through, it comes through and it’s really about making sure that we make appropriate decisions, whether we need to be on the road a certain day, and that you have a full tank of fuel in case the worst case scenario happens.”
BC’s winter tire laws have been in effect on most highways since October 1st, but according to ICBC Northern Road Safety Coordinator Doug MacDonald, some commuters still haven’t gone to the trouble of making getting their tires switched.
“We’re also getting into the time where it’s freezing and thawing, so it’s that icy type of temperature that we really got to be worried about,” MacDonald explained.
“We see people still with there all-season tires on; we need to make sure the fact that we’re driving carefully when we’re out on the roads to make sure that we’re prepared and by having good winter tires because not summer anymore.”
ICBC states an average of 34 casualty crashes every December in the North Central region and 246 in the last five years.
The corporation, YRB, and Transportation Ministry are encouraging everyone once again to slow down, drive to the conditions, be prepared with the proper materials, and to get those tires changed as soon as possible.
Winter tire laws have been in effect since October 1st for most B.C. highways; most drivers this AM on #BCHwy16 have been following that rule as you hear the studs | #CityOfPG #NorthernBC @mypgnow pic.twitter.com/CnDNOFbN8c
— Kyle Balzer (@KyleBalzer) November 19, 2018
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