The BC government is updating Intersection Safety Cameras (ISC) in the province to reduce the amount of crashes and create safer roads for commuters.
An average of 84 crashes happen at each ISC site each year. Speed is the main cause for crashes, with 10,500 vehicles going at least 30km/h over the speed limit annually.
The government is taking action on this by choosing certain intersections that have a high number of speed-related crashes and upgrade those areas with the existing red-light camera program, in the hopes of reducing the amount of incidents that take place.
This initiative will also play apart with ICBC’s claims costs, and will help keep rates affordable.
“The pressure on ICBC’s insurance rates starts in one place,” says ICBC board chair Joy MacPhail. “The rapid increase in the number of crashes occurring around our province, more than 900 per day. We believe this road safety enhancement will have a positive impact on reducing some of the most serious crashes occurring at some of the highest-risk crash intersections in B.C.”
Prince George has the only ISC in the north, located at 15th and Ospika. From 2003 to 2013 there was a reported 17 crashes per year, resulting in seven injuries annually.
ICBC’s 2016 Road Safety Tracking Study found that 81% of B.C. motorists supported the existing ISC program.