ICBC warns drivers to watch out for fatigue as BC Day approaches

The provincial insurer is warning British Columbia residents planning a road trip on British Columbia Day to avoid driver fatigue. The insurer says fatigue is responsible for an increase in injuries and deaths on British Columbia roads in July and August.

Police-reported data from 2018 through 2022 showed an average of 87 people were injured or killed in driver fatigue crashes each year during those two months, compared with 55 for the rest of the year, ICBC said in a warning to drivers on Wednesday.

In other words, the ICBC data shows that the number of fatigue-related accidents is 58 percent higher in July and August than from September through June.

When asked if there was an explanation for the dangerous situation of these two months in particular, ICBC blamed several social and meteorological factors, CTV News said in an email:

“During the summer months, people often go on holiday with road trips that can last longer than usual. This coincides with warmer weather and at times during the summer we experience periods where temperatures are well above 30 degrees. We also have more daylight hours in the summer compared to the winter months. All of these factors together contribute to increased driver fatigue in July and August.”

“We encourage drivers to be aware of the warning signs of fatigue,” the insurer said. Examples of such signs include “having difficulty staying in lane, having difficulty staying focused or having heavy eyes.”

Anyone who notices any of these signs while driving should stop in a safe place, such as a parking lot, and take a break, ICBC said.

The insurer advises travelers on long car journeys to take a break at least every two hours and, if possible, to change drivers.

Between 2018 and 2022, an average of 2,064 crashes occurred across the province during the BC Day long weekend, injuring an average of 562 people and killing two people each year.

According to ICBC, more than half of these crashes – an average of 1,235 – occur in the densely populated Lower Mainland, with another 306 on Vancouver Island, 352 in the Southern Interior and 130 in the rest of the province.