Bad Roads and Big Trucks

When you head out the door for your next road trip, normally you will have at least two challenges or potential hazard’s while en route, bad roads and big trucks. Not to mention the bad drivers out there, traffic congestion and weather conditions. Respect the big trucks as they are 15 times bigger in size and weight. Watch them as they know the road far better than you do, if they are driving slow, usually good reason lies ahead and finally when a big trucker has his left signal on that means he is moving over and it is not a signal to race by him, as you could lose! According to the most recent stat’s, the deaths (87% of them) and injuries (74% of them) in collisions involving big trucks were among people other than the truck drivers.

Photo – J.Borno

On the main highways about 15% of traffic is made up of trucks, this percentage differ’s from province to province, with the highest being 21% (New Brunswick) and the lowest 5% (Yukon). It also varies from one road to another. In terms of actual traffic counts, an average main highway in Canada there is approximately 1,100 trucks daily in both directions moving some 70% of all goods.

Photo – J.Borno

It is estimated that trucks account for 25 to 27 billion vehicle-kilometres of travel each year and about 10 billion occur on main highways. This implies that approximately 40 percent of all truck traffic moves on only two percent of Canada’s main highways.

Photo – J.Borno

Big trucks, by virtue of their heavier axles, do have a greater impact on the highway infrastructure than cars. But the major cause of road damage in Canada can also be attributed to two factors. Cold temperatures in winter is a much greater concern for transportation in Canada than summer heat. Cracking of pavements related to low-temperature frost action and freeze-thaw cycles is a well-recognized problem in most of southern Canada. The second is the neglect by all levels of government of road maintenance and upkeep in recent decades.

From the list of the 12 most dangerous section’s of Highways in Canada, 4 are located between Banff, Alberta and Sicamous, BC, a distance of 355 kilometres.

Here are those highway segments and their ranking.

# 5) A succession of horrendous traffic accidents has marred the stretch of single-lane park highway between Banff and the British Columbia boundary. Bill Fisher, director general for Parks Canada’s western and northern region, said the already twinned sections have provided “significant reductions in wildlife mortality.”

# 7) The RCMP state: “The Trans-Canada Highway in British Columbia’s Trans-Canada Highway, stretching from Sicamous to Rogers Pass, remains an area of concern with respect to commercial vehicles involved fatal collisions.

# 8) The section of the Trans-Canada Highway (HWY 1) running through Yoho National Park to Golden, British Columbia, now carries over 10,000 vehicles per day during the summer season. Collisions between wildlife and vehicles result in the loss of wildlife, vehicle damage, and, occasionally, human injuries or fatalities.

# 11) Kicking Horse Canyon is one of the most dangerous stretches of road in the country and a key connector between the Prairies and the West Coast. Part’s of this highway has seen drastic improvements the past few years.

Photo – J.Borno

So if you are a good driver, drive carefully!
If you are a bad driver, don’t drive take the bus!