There were no fewer than eight motor vehicle incidents on Thursday, Dec. 17, mostly due to weather, according to North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP.
And that’s just within that particular police station’s coverage area.
“That’s an exorbitant amount of MVIs in one day,” said detachment spokesperson Cpl. Krista Hobday on Friday. She didn’t know how the officers at the Shawnigan Lake and Lake Cowichan detachments fared but said Mounties working out of Duncan were kept very busy with calls for traffic-related issues.
At one point, first responders from the Sahtlam Fire Hall were dealing with a rollover on Highway 18 near Hillcrest when they were called out to another crash on Riverbottom Road.
With the holidays now upon us, Hobday stressed that more people will be out on the roads and it’s an excellent time to remain vigilant for their own safety and for the safety of others.
“Drive according to the road conditions at any given time because they can change so drastically from Nanaimo to Victoria and all points in between,” she said. “If you do not feel confident in your skill set behind the wheel of the car, find alternative transport,” she continued. “Whether it’s heavy rain or heavy snow or ice or crazy hills or dark roads…if you’re not comfortable, stay off the road.”
While some roads were slushy due to snow on Thursday, other roads were actually drying out. Cowichan Bay Road and Tzouhalem Road were reopened this week after having been closed due to the recent heavy rainfalls.
