Speed Claims Eight Lives In North

By Michelle Cyr-Whiting

RCMP and ICBC set up road conditions test course at CN Centre parking lot

Prince George, B.C. -  In a one-week period ending yesterday, driving too fast for winter road conditions has claimed eight lives in the north...

Prince George Regional Traffic Services Unit NCO, Sergeant Pat McTiernan, says there have been eight fatalities in Mackenzie, Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Quesnel and 100 Mile House over the past seven days and he says it's a staggering statistic.  "If we had eight murders in (all of) B.C. in seven days, I'm sure the public would be outraged and I think the reason we have to talk about this today is because motorists aren't slowing down."

McTiernan says people still believe they can go the posted speed limit, but he emphasizes those highway and municipality limits are for ideal conditions.  "When the conditions become adverse, (you) have to slow down, you have to drive to the weather conditions that are on the road, and it comes down to you being able to keep your car in control, so you don't affect somebody else either -- you don't want to spin out and crash into someone else and we've seen that in years past."

The RCMP Christmas Counterattack campaign is about to get underway, but McTiernan says the police and ICBC feel it's imperative to get the message out about driving to road conditions.  He says, "What we're seeing in these crashes that are occurring, is we're not seeing that alcohol is a factor, but we're concerned that the road conditions are going to become 'the issue' and our guys are concerned (about) that, that people just aren't adjusting their driving -- they still think we're in summer."

Using a plowed 'roadway' in the CN Centre parking lot, the RCMP had members of the local media drive the route and stop at speeds of 30-km/hr, 50-km/hr, and 70-km/hr.  (Click on photo at right to watch the 50-km-hr test drive)

On the road conditions in the parking lot, the vehicle stopping at 70-km/hr traveled an extra 90-metres before coming to a complete halt, than the vehicle traveling at 50-km/hr.  McTeirnan says, "So ask yourself if you're going to stop for that vehicle that stops in front of you, ask yourself if you're going to stop in time for that child that steps off the crosswalk, or that moose that steps out in front of you and start thinking about whether you want to be traveling over the speed limit in adverse weather conditions."

And he warns that road conditions, even within city limits, may dictate traveling well under the posted limit.

(Opinion250 reporter, Michelle Cyr-Whiting, will share her experience taking the road conditions test this Saturday)

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