ICBC warns drivers taking road trips this Easter long weekend
Posted April 15, 2017 8:44 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Vancouver (NEWS 1130) – It’s the first long weekend of Spring and with that comes a warning for drivers, as many may be unprepared for their first road trip since the end of winter. An average of four people are killed and 650 injured in 23-hundred crashes in BC on a typical Easter long weekend, according to ICBC.
Preparation is key and depending on where you’re going, it may be a good idea to leave the snow tires on a little while longer.
“Absolutely,” says Road Safety Manager Mark Milner. “If you’re going to be travelling in mountain regions especially, areas where there’s still snow on the ground, where the temperatures are still below seven degrees Celsius. If you’ve already removed them and you’re planning to head into these kinds of areas, it’s a good idea to carry chains with you just in case.”
Above all, make sure your car is up to the task. “Make sure that your tires are in good condition and properly inflated, regardless of where you’re planning to travel. And that includes the spare tire. A lot of people neglect that. If you need it, you’ll want it to be in good shape and properly inflated,” he explains.
Milner says wet roads require special attention too. Allow yourself twice the normal braking distance between you and the car in front of you, and, of course, avoid flooded or washed out roads as well.
