Okay, I am going to go out on a limb here ...

Road conditions and inexperienced driver (a.k.a. high risk driver) under non-ideal conditions.

I agree with Gus's comments, and also think it likely the car did not have true winter tires. I know this is getting to be a broken record, but I believe in them 100%.
Regardless, this is a very sad time for the families who suffer. Also, I drive this highway regularly and the section from PG to Vanderhoof (between Rupert and PG) is the most dangerous. Lots of traffic, few opportunities to pass.

The females survived while the males did not. This must prove females live longer than males.

People should really think twice about driving little, short wheel base econoboxes on the highway especially in the North where road conditions are poor most of the year. There's more to life than gas mileage.

Tacky comment, DJP. My sincere condolences to the loved ones of those lost.

i like how you instantly blame the 19yr old..hmm what about the 72yr old driver who was prob on 20 different kinds of medication gimme a break senior citizens are the worst drivers ever.no need to blame the 19 yr old who was prob minding his own business until some old man plowed into him that wasnt paying attention..and for the record im in my 30s not some 19yr old defending another kid.

Try reading the article Jimmy.

They do say it was the 19 year old that crossed the center line. Unfortunately you can't teach experience. I crossed the center line in my mid-twenties on slushy roads because as a lower mainland boy I had no idea what I was up against. Obviously survived with only damage to my car and nobody else. Haven't had an accident on northern highways since because now I know, slow down on curves and be gentle on the gas. You could tattoo this on the eyelids of every young driver out there and they'll still drive too fast for road conditions and take ridiculous risks to save 2 minutes off of their trip.

Unfortunately you could also tattoo it to the eyes of so called experienced drivers and they'll still pass on icy roads and still believe that 4 wheel drive can stop you faster than two wheel drive. Idiots don't even realize their higher centre of gravity makes them more susceptible to sliding that a POC Cavalier.

Hate to bore everyone with simple math: but, if you have to travel 100 kms, and the safe speed for road conditions is say 80 kms an hour, and you choose to risk your life and everyone elses by driving 100 km an hour, the most time you can save on that trip is 15 minutes. 15 minutes - is your world so important that matters? People bitch about pollution, global warming, lack of health care, etc., but to save a few minutes they put themselves and everyone else at risk. Go figure.

"Unfortunately you could also tattoo it to the eyes of so called experienced drivers and they'll still pass on icy roads and still believe that 4 wheel drive can stop you faster than two wheel drive. Idiots don't even realize their higher centre of gravity makes them more susceptible to sliding that a POC Cavalier."

Everyone I know owns a 4X4 and not one of them thinks they can stop faster because of it.
A vehicles center of gravity has no bearing on the how easy they slide, (lose traction). Sliding is due to a loss of traction between the tire tread and the road surface. The final factor that determines if a vehicle will stop, is the traction between the tire tread and the surface of the road.

Front wheel drive tricky to control in a slide compared to rear wheel drive.

hey, stop passing out the blame!! Think of the time of year, and the remaining family!

Not to be callous, but winter seems like the appropriate time to discuss winter driving.

My bro-in law always told me he does not 'believe' in winter tires. He runs crappy all seasons on his on truck and his wife's van. That is until this year, she had some scary moments on bad roads and now has sticky studless winters all around. How can you 'not believe' in winter tires? Its not like there some new unproven technology!

JamesToney... did you even read the article - you blame the 72 year old and any meds he may have been on? really? he was a PASSENGER. the 19 year old DRIVER crossed the center line...
Condolances to all involved, horrible tradgedy any time of year let alone leading up to Christmas

Dragonmaster, I'm not an expert in physics, but I believe the higher the center of gravity the fulcrum effect comes into play in that as the vehicle enters a curve, and the higher center of gravity actually pulls the tires away from the road hence the slide. That's why SUV's have higher roll over rates. That's why sports cars can hug the corners and pick up trucks can't.

But the point really is people need to learn to chill and just slow down. You can't really gain any significant time anyway, so get there safe rather than not at all. In a sense this discussion gives some meaning to this tragedy in that we're talking about this issue and maybe someone reading will slow down to-night and perhaps saving a life.

Dragonmaster, yer hang'in with the right crowd. I own a jeep and 4 high is real nice on snow, does nothing for ice. In an automatic transmission I'm told to use 2cnd when coming up to a stop and it sure helps.
I've seen more people sitting at an icy intersection with their drive wheel turning on the ice waiting for the green. If its real icy, I slip it in to neutral so I've got no drive on the wheel, that helps too.
This time of year has to be the worst to lose someone though and very sad to hear of 3 at once.
Hope folks exercise a little more caution.

It should be safe to drive on winter roads in a front wheel drive car, providing it is properly equipped and driven to conditions. I have had many guys in lifted 4x4's pass me in very questionable conditions, because there is a sense by the drivers that they can go anywhere. I have also seen many in the ditch, and I personally drive a 3/4 ton 4x4.
As for the winter tires vs all season argument, even if they only increase the grip on the road by 10%, that may be enough.

I agree with theviewuphere. When it comes to accident prevention, I see no issue whatsoever with driving a car vs a truck, when properly equipped with winter tires, etc. I drive a 4x4 truck and truth be told, I actually feel more confident driving my wife's car (with good winter tires) in winter conditions than I do my truck. It's a FAR superior handling vehicle than my truck could ever be and much of it just comes down to simple physics, intended use, etc. 4 wheel drive is great for increased traction at low speeds, but when it comes to high speed operation, the dimensions of a truck or SUV really work against you and negate some of the benefits of 4WD at high speeds. An AWD car or FWD car with proper tires is just as capable as a 4WD truck at those speeds IMHO and even more so in some situation.

This is a tragic situation and we really don't know what happened other than someone crossed the center line. Maybe the driver suffered a medical condition that caused them to lose control, maybe they hit black ice and couldn't gain control, maybe it was driver inexperience, who knows. Whatever it was, I highly doubt that the fact he was driving a Chevy Cavilier has anything to do with it.

Cavalier had a low rear tire due to a nail in it. Was observed from behind prior to the crash having some handling problems.

Or so I hear.

Another horrible tragedy, my heartfelf condolences to the families and prayers for the survivors. I have to say, I am totally disgusted with the Citizen once again. I don't know why they have to put photoes on the front page of someones loved one laying on the road with a yellow tarp covering them, obvious to everyone that the person is deceased. It certainly isn't the kind of journalism that would make me a subscriber. I don't think anyone with any compassion for another human being could be so cruel.

NMG and View:
Couldn't a said it better myself.
James:
I sentence you to read it again 100 times.

wow do people think before commenting,way to go DPJ. marry christmas

People drive to fast........sad!!

In this case,I am kinda disgusted with many of these comments. Everybody seems to read the book by it`s cover. I don`t know the details but, if it were one of my family members involved or even myself, don`t you think that your 19 yr old kid needs to be thought of in this way. I made mistakes when I was younger too. Give it a break. Maybe it`s noboby`s fault.

In this case,I am kinda disgusted with many of these comments. Everybody seems to read the book by it`s cover. I don`t know the details but, if it were one of my family members involved or even myself, don`t you think that your 19 yr old kid needs to be thought of in this way. I made mistakes when I was younger too. Give it a break. Maybe it`s noboby`s fault.

I agree tractor, some pretty harsh critism here. As I said about the Citizen.......

It breaks my heart to read these comments and see people point blame when we don't actually know what caused this accident. The comments about seniors verses teenagers is horribly sad. (As someone else pointed out, the person who made this comment didn't even correctly read the article.) Rather than comparing how different people are and trying to figure out who you think would logically be at fault, why don't you take a minute and compare the similarities these people shared. They were all human beings. At this point all we actually know is there was an accident. We need to let the experts figure out the cause rather than try to be the experts with all the right "GUESSES". I drive this highway every single day to and from home. I find it very scary and honestly because of this fear have even considered moving back to town. There are often accidents on this road and sadly this one resulted in three deaths. I am so sad for these families.

Some unbc profs live 3 KM east of the collision cite.

Ok, I'm a bit late to the party here but, after reading all of the moronic posts pointing blame, all I can say is you people need to cancel your accounts and get lives.

I was about 1/4 mile behind the Intrepid, I saw the brakes come on just as it went over a rise in the Hi-way, next thing I saw was the aftermath of that accident. It had rained earlier that morning but not at the time of the accident. The roads were so bad that I almost fell getting out of the car, so if you all insist on blaming people, how about pointing fingers at the ones who deserve it.

Having lived in Mud River for most of my life I can say that YRB almost never has trucks out when they are needed, most mornings around 7:30 or 8am you MIGHT meet a truck on Peden hill on its way out. In this case, it once again resulted in a tragic accident.