Thanksgiving is a time for families to gather, spend time together and share a meal while reflecting on things they’re thankful for. Like arriving to dinner safely—but for around 58 people in the Southern Interior, that won’t be the case.
ICBC said the Thanksgiving long weekend is historically one of the more dangerous long weekends in British Columbia with an average of 2,200 crashes, 700 injured and four fatalities.
ICBC released its five-year statistics showing the number of collisions and injuries over the Thanksgiving long weekend. On average, around 58 people are injured in 300 crashes in the Okanagan and Southern Interior region. In contrast, around 520 are injured in 1,400 crashes in the Lower Mainland.
Snow has already fallen on many highways including the Coquihalla, although it has since melted, it’s important to keep the weather conditions in mind and drive accordingly, ICBC said.
“It’s only a few weeks into fall and snow has already blanketed parts of B.C.,” it said. “As of Oct. 1, winter tires or chains are mandatory on many B.C. highways.”
Other tips to stay safe include planning your route ahead of time, checking your tires, slowing down on wet roads, keep the phone out of sight and out of mind and watch for pedestrians and cyclists, especially with night falling earlier.
Environment Canada calls for clouds and a high of 11 Celsius on Saturday in Vernon, a 40 per cent chance of showers and high of 10 C Sunday and some sunshine and 10 C on holiday Monday.
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