B.C. government rolls back speed limits on routes with speed-related collisions

Nov 6, 2018 | 1:27 PM

VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is rolling back speed limits on sections of more than a dozen highways where speed-related crashes have climbed since higher limits were approved in 2014.

Transportation Minister Claire Trevena says a three-year review of crash data from 33 routes shows the top three factors for increased collisions are driver inattention, road conditions and driving too fast for those conditions.

She says while higher speeds were permitted serious crashes jumped significantly and she singled out what she calls an “alarming” increase on several routes, including Highway 19 between Parksville and Campbell River, where speed-related accidents jumped by one-third.

Fifteen sections of highway, including the Highway 19 stretch, will see speeds cut by 10 km/h, joining stretches of Highway 1 and Highway 5A in the southern Interior, where high crash rates prompted roll backs in 2016.