As I drove back to Squamish from North Van last night, rocks and large chunks of ice were falling from the rockface above Highway 99. There had been rainfall and wind warnings issued, along with a high streamflow advisory due to the heavy downpour.
The roads were slick with rain as the weather got a bit warmer. Earlier that day, there was a multiple-vehicle crash between Squamish and Whistler when the road turned into a slippery ice rink. And, last week, there was another crash on the highway in Lions Bay, a spot that has seen serious injuries and deaths in the past few years.
But I still see a lot of drivers going well above the speed limit, passing with a huge splash of water behind them – even in the face of falling ice, high winds and extremely heavy rain.
Often, I meet the cars and trucks waiting at a traffic light in Squamish. Their high speed doesn’t seem to get them much further.
I didn’t think much about speeding until I had my daughter, who was buckled in her car seat in the back of our Tiguan.
I try to drive carefully, pay attention to the road and make sure I have winter tires put on, but I can’t control the actions of other drivers. Some of the turns on the Sea to Sky Highway are tight and one wrong move by an oncoming car can mean a head-on collision.
Driving so fast is especially dangerous when the conditions aren’t good. Even a dark night, let alone rain, wind and ice, can make it more difficult to drive.
Everyone knows this, yet still some drivers don’t seem to care. Maybe they’re in a rush. Or perhaps they are tired and want to get home after a long day at work. The commute to and from the city can seem endless.
Or maybe it’s the thrill of speeding, rushing around turns and seeing how quickly they can get to their destination.
For the most part, Sea to Sky residents are excellent drivers, especially in the snow. But even a big truck is no match against an invisible pile of black ice or a huge puddle of water, one of which slowed down traffic between Squamish and Whistler yesterday.
I’m mostly thinking of my daughter, who turned two years old a couple months ago, as I write this. Please slow down.
