ICBC figures show a marked decline in the number of accidents on the Sea to Sky Highway in recent years.
The information comes from a report submitted as part of a meeting between local and regional officials with ICBC in the middle of 2016 on safety improvements in the north part of the region, particularly around Lillooet.
The report, first prepared in 2015, looked at crash numbers based on police reporting for the region between 2001 and 2013. At the outset, there were 261 accidents and numbers eventually topped 300, but after 2009, the total each year dropped to fewer than 200.
“For the period covered in the statistics presented at the recent Squamish Lillooet Regional District committee meeting, the improvements to Highway 99 between West Vancouver and Whistler appear to have contributed to a reduction in collisions,” ICBC spokesperson person Sam Corea told The Squamish Chief via email.
Fatalities since 2010 varied from a low of one that year to four in both 2012 and 2013. Again, the years with the highest numbers of fatalities came from the earlier years in the report, with 12 in 2002 and 14 in 2004.
Typical contributing factors included speed, driver distraction, road conditions, weather and driver error.
Corea explained the decline in crashes is a likely due to a number of factors including better education about traffic safety and road enforcement, as well as road improvements.
“No one factor contributes to road safety,” he said. “Public awareness, enforcement and road improvements work together to help make roads safer.”
While the regional meeting in question looked at an area including the northeast part of the Squamish Lillooet Regional District, the statistics broke down accident data, including fatalities, for different stretches of Highway 99 starting with the Sea to Sky at Lions Bay.
By far the greatest number of accidents and fatalities occurred at highway locations in the Squamish area, which is perhaps no surprise in light of traffic between the Lower Mainland and Whistler. Squamish had the top five locations. In order, these were the highway intersections and turning lanes with Cleveland Avenue, Mamquam Road, Garibaldi Way, Finch Drive and Lorimer Road.
Still, over time, there has been a notable decline in the number of crashes and in fatalities, despite the growth of the communities in the region.
There has also been a drop in crashes between sections such as Whistler to Pemberton and Pemberton to Lillooet, though there is no steady reduction between Lillooet and Lytton. The north part of Highway 99 along with Highway 12 and Lilloett Pioneer Road 40 were the subject of the road safety discussions. These routes connect Lillooet with the communities of Cache Creek, Lytton and Bralorne.
A safety committee has discussed looking at a highway safety program in the Fraser Canyon as a model for how to reduce the numbers of accidents in the region.
Top five spots on Highway 99 for crashes between 2001 and 2013:
Cleveland Avenue (89)
Mamquam Road (69)
Garibaldi Way (64)
Finch Drive (56)
Lorimer Road (46)
(Source: ICBC, Business Insights)
