ICBC urges motorists in Kamloops to slow down this Victoria Day long weekend

KAMLOOPS — With long weekend travel already underway, ICBC wants to remind drivers throughout the Southern Interior to be extra safe on the busy highways.

Tracey Hoffman, Road Safety and Community Coordinator for Northern BC wants to remind motorists that it’s important to consider everyone’s safety on the roads out there this long weekend.

Along with watching out for cyclists, motorcycles, and pedestrians, she suggests that drivers reduce their speeds, as even a small adjustment can mean a big boost to safety.

“Statistically speaking, over the Victoria Day long weekend, there are 270 crashes in the southern Interior causing 61 injuries,” Hoffman explains. “Speed is the top contributing factor to those crashes. Just a small reduction in speed can actually save lives – if you reduce your speed by five per cent, you actually decrease your chance to be in a fatal collision by 30 per cent.”

You may also see more speed enforcement on the highways of British Columbia this month. That’s because ICBC and the RCMP have partnered to conduct a speed awareness campaign across the province.

“So you may see RCMP out there doing enforcement, as well as volunteers with their speed reader boards,” Hoffman says. “Please be safe, slow down, and remember that the posted speed limit is the maximum speed limit in ideal conditions, so adjust your driving according to conditions, as well.”