Wow, that’s not good. Its that time of the year when cold patches of air can condense on the pavement anywhere or freeze any moisture there already. This sounds like something like that might have happened. a normally just wet, stretch of road can freeze in seconds, making black ice.

Its been really foggy through that section this year compared to other years. So foggy that you need your wipers on to clear the condensing fog off your window as well over a month ago the fog was icing up my arials.

“Police say icy conditions on the highway caused the mishap”

And here stupid me thought it was caused by professional drivers who should have known better. Instead they were not driving according to road conditions – undue care and attention.

The mission of the Trucking Safety Council of BC is to:
1.Enhance safety
2.Promote competitiveness
3.Support industry
4.Develop a culture of safety
5.Be industry-led
6.Further safety awareness
7.Provide training, education & certification
8.Foster recognition of the importance of occupational health & safety
9.Reduce workplace injuries & fatalities
10.Show best practices

http://www.safetydriven.ca

Thanks for that info there Constable Gus. As usual there’s always a comment from one who was not there, but seems to know all about it. There are many variables that come into play during transition periods with road conditions,weather and vehicle weights and load types. Even the best practices can’t account for things going sideways in a moments notice. Try not to judge until you know all the details.

Highway driving is a risky venture, traveling 100 km/hr on a rig and cargo weighing in at over a 100,000 lbs. Lots of energy in motion, not going to stop on a dime.

That is one thing that always surprise me, a pickup truck cutting of a semi. Seriously, do you think the semi driver is going to risk his life and load over your dumb moves, your going to be a cross on the highway ditch.

If you’re going to quote the Motor Vehicle Act, get it right. It’s driving WITHOUT due care and attention.

“undue care and attention”

undue = unwarranted or inappropriate because excessive or disproportionate.

I could also have said inappropriate care and attention.

How about insufficient care and attention?

Seems to me it is the same meaning as “driving without due care and intention”

Do you speak the English language?

Finally, I was not quoting anything. I was writing about a safe mindset of a professional driver.

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Comment about someone who was not there? It is not as if I do not drive the highways in BC.

A multi vehicle collision with 3 rigs involved. There may have been others involved, but the article does not speak of any.

There are many ways this could have happened, but one thing is for sure, there was human error involved. Not all three of the vehicles could have had mechanical or other equipment failures.

So, what is the human error? Driving too fast for the conditions? Driving too close behind so that one cannot see the conditions of the road ahead … nor stop on time if the conditions of the road ahead change from the conditions travelled so far?

What conditions ahead that the middle trucker and the and the last trucker cannot see – black ice? animal on the road? turning vehicle ahead? gobbling on the road? …. who knows? …. who sees?

He spoke brings up another one …. is he a constable also.

I have driven over 30,000km on BC and Washington highways over the last year.

That is not as much as most professional drivers, but it has given me a good taste of how many commercial trucks are on the highway by the actual count as well as by the ruts in the roads which make roads unsafe in wet and icy conditions for all drivers.

Based on that, and based on my work in the safety industry, which includes reading many forensic incident reports on highway collisions, I feel I am qualified to comment.

And even those who are not as qualified are free to make a comment. It is an open site, after all.

BTW, even though I was not there, I hear from reliable sources that the highway is now open and has been since just after 7am this morning …..

But then again, who knows how reliable those public sources are ….. eh?

Wow Gus, I don’t normally agree with you as you must be 100 years old but this time I do, to an extent. I travel a lot and talk to truckers on the radio lots. most of their driving is in the dark in order to get the goods to destination over night which is most dangerous in the north.
glad there was no serious injuires.
everyone should slow down this time of year period.
just saying

Alternating traffic, about a half hour delay as of 1:45pm just fyi

I agree with Constable Gus.

The first freeze of the year catches everyone off guard. We are so used to summer driving, speeds and stopping distances that it’s hard to make that quick change to winter driving.

The roads may have been icy, but only 3 of the hundreds of vehicles that pass that way every day hit the ditch?

Sounds like driver error.

Accidents don’t exist just impatience, stupidity or whatever else you want to call it.

“I’m sorry I went in the ditch! It was an accident”
No it wasn’t an accident, you were driving too fast on purpose.

Ha ha. Let’s just call it insufficient attention to road conditions, or it may have been the elusive two point crossing the highway, LOL

Rain all day mixed with cold temps overnight is a bad mix. The sander trucks going yet or are they waiting for snow?

Your bang on the money gus , those ruts are deadly and probably the cause of many accidents.

Your bang on the money gus , those ruts are deadly and probably the cause of many accidents.

I drive from Cluculz Lake regularly and can say from experience, many so called professional drivers are idiots. Bad passes, tail gating in bad weather, It happens all the time. Take a puck size Valium and slow down transport trucks. I know you get paid for being efficient but passing a small car in shit conditions leaves a white out. Been there far to many times.

Gus, you got it right in your first comment by calling yourself stupid. With your uninformed comments I would agree with you

I was there and seen this accident this morning. I think it was purely road conditions… very slick black ice. Truck coming down Clukus Hill couldn’t hold back on the black ice and crossed the yellow on the corner at the bottom just past the side road to the Clukus cabins. No one could stop, if there were more vehicles on the road there would have been more involved.

As far as I can tell they didn’t have a sand truck on the Vanderhoof side until well after 9am. Most traffic was traveling less than 50kph from Bednesti to Vanderhoof and less then 15kph down the hill into Vanderhoof and still sliding on the ice. The truck accident wasn’t the only one… at least a half a dozen 4-wheelers upside down on that stretch.

At the YRB Vanderhoof Redpit turnoff a pickup truck couldn’t make the turn lane corner, crossed the road and hit a telephone pole… probably the YRB employee late for work.

A fellow up near the Fort had his inclosed car trailer lose control on the ice and break loose off the pickup flipping side over side down the highway ending up upside down blocking both lanes of traffic with a damn near pile up of cars and logging trucks that couldn’t stop on the ice with the road blocked.

Good news is YRB usually runs a full compliment of trucks starting November 1st….

It’s not the road conditions fault it’s the people not driving properly for those road conditions period!

Airchair experts.Lol You really should try driving truck before you comment. You have no idea what it’s like . Try being blown across the highway by the wind when you’re driving 50 kmp. This on black ice. Makes something pucker .Oh I guess I should have stopped and put chains on for 300 metres of road.