Police target dangerous drivers at B.C. intersections
Last Updated: Thursday, November 6, 2008 | 5:50 PM PT
CBC News
Multiple vehicles entering an intersection on a red light is one common dangerous driving behaviour, ICBC says. (ICBC) Police officers across B.C. will try to curb dangerous driving at intersections as they step up enforcement in November at locations with high crash rates.
Solicitor General John van Dongen and the Insurance Corp. of B.C. kicked off a month-long campaign on Thursday aimed at reducing intersection crashes across the province.
"The province, police, ICBC and community volunteers are doing their part by stepping up efforts to reduce intersection crashes and save lives," van Dongen said.
Unsafe left turns in front of oncoming traffic are a fairly common problem in B.C., according to ICBC. (ICBC) Radio and television advertisements will remind British Columbians to drive safely.
ICBC said about 270 crashes occur at intersections every day in B.C.
Since 2003, more than one million drivers have been involved in intersection crashes, and approximately 1,600 pedestrians are injured and 27 are killed in traffic accidents at intersections every year, ICBC said.
Too many drivers enter intersections even when the traffic lights are turning red, creating danger of a collision, Insp. Norm Gaumont of the RCMP B.C. Traffic Services said Thursday.
They also make unsafe left turns in front of oncoming traffic, he said.
"Provincewide, the police will be targeting drivers that choose to exhibit these dangerous behaviours," Gaumont said.
ICBC said police will also crack down on speeding, failing to yield, and unsafe passing.
Share Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- B.C. population outpaces national growth rate
- B.C.'s population is growing faster than the national average, with the cities of Surrey, Port Moody, Kelowna and Langford leading the way, according to the latest census data. more »
- B.C. to overhaul justice system
- The B.C. government is embarking on a major restructuring of the province's justice system, Premier Christy Clark announced on Wednesday morning. more »
- RCMP hearings need independent oversight, says lawyer
- The lawyer for a female B.C. Mountie who accused her boss of sexual assault says RCMP disciplinary hearings should be subject to independent oversight. more »
- School overcrowding grows in Langley, B.C.
- The Langley School District is meeting with parents on Wednesday to talk about overcrowding in a school in the Willoughby neighbourhood. more »
Top News Headlines
- Deadly Ontario crash caused by van driver's error
- The driver of a van involved in a crash that killed 11 people in southwestern Ontario on Monday failed to obey a stop sign and was not licensed to carry his passengers, police say. more »
- Old Age Security sustainable, says budget watchdog
- Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page says the cost of elderly benefit programs are affordable in the long term and won't affect Canada's fiscal sustainability. more »
- Kelowna cyclist missing after plunge through ice
- Emergency responders are looking for a man who fell through the ice while cycling on a lake north of Kelowna, B.C. more »
- Canada census shows people moving west
- The latest census figures show Canada's population at 33.5 million, with more people continuing to migrate to the West. more »
- B.C. teachers' contract should be imposed, board says
- B.C. population outpaces national growth rate
- B.C. youth faces 47 online child luring charges
- Pickton claimed he was victim in 1997 attack
- First Nation blocks smart meter installation
- B.C. to overhaul justice system
- Missing B.C. man found living under new identity
- Former B.C. neo-Nazi abandons racist views
- Canada census shows people moving west

