B.C. roads named among the most dangerous in Canada over the holidays
It might come as no surprise that wintertime leads to a spike in crashes, and some B.C. roads have been named among the most dangerous in Canada during the holidays.
The data comes from Samsara, an IOT company based in America, providing cloud-based solutions for organizations to manage physical operations. It offers data on safety, efficiency, and sustainability and serves transportation industries among others.
The three main areas that Samsara says are where the most crashes are happening in B.C. include the Trans-Canada Highway at Rogers Pass and Yoho National Park, the Yellowhead Highway at McBride-Tete Jaune Cache, and Timberland Road in Surrey and the Fraser Valley.
Samsara breaks down the seasonal share of crashes, revealing that 14 per cent of crashes take place in the fall, 31 per cent of crashes take place in the spring, 18 per cent of crashes take place in the summer, and 37 per cent in the winter.
There’s an especially notable spike in crashes during the holiday season. Samsara says that crash rates in the final stretch of the year reveal a sharp pattern, adding that risk builds through late November and early December, “rising from 0.005 crashes per 1M km in Week 48 to 0.012 by Week 51—a 140 per cent increase. This climb reflects the convergence of early-winter freeze conditions, holiday freight surges, and increased evening travel.”
Over Christmas and the Boxing Day break, traffic volume dips, which diminishes incident counts.
“As soon as the new year begins, the trend reverses. Crash rates climb again, rising from 0.007 in Week 1 to 0.012 in Week 3. By Weeks 3 to 5, rates stabilize at elevated levels between 0.011 and 0.012 crashes per 1M km — driven by a return to full operations, continued cold, and limited daylight,” Samsara says.
Samsara
Samsara’s data states that there’s a sharp climb in crash rates between Dec. 22 and 24.
Samsara
The evening time, between 4 and 8 p.m., has the highest share of winter crashes at 24 per cent. The primary risk factors are congestion and rapid refreeze.
The most dangerous spot in Canada is Erieau Road in Ontario, which has a crash rate of 0.143 per 1M km. The Trans-Canada Highway at Rogers Pass and Yoho National Park in B.C. is the second-most dangerous, due to steep grades, avalanche exposure, and tight curves between Golden, Rogers Pass and Lake Louise.
You can see more of the data on Samsara’s website.