As the Canada Day long weekend approaches, the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure is encouraging motorists to “know before you go” and plan ahead before heading out this long weekend.

“The summer season is ramping up and that means road construction activity is doing the same,” Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone said. “With more drivers on the roads and more workers on our highways, its important travellers check for up-to-the-minute information on highway conditions including weather events, traffic delays and construction zone locations. We want everyone to stay safe on the roads this long weekend and we are urging you to ‘know before you go’ by checking your route on DriveBC before you head out on your trip.”

(flickr.com)

General planning tips for a safe trip include:

• Plan ahead and be realistic about travel times, allowing extra time for possible delays that may occur due to increased traffic volume over the long weekend.
• Check DriveBC for the latest road conditions, weather, incidents and special events, such as road construction. Road conditions can also be accessed toll free at 1 800 550-4997.
• Follow DriveBC and TranBC on Twitter and get up-to-date information on your desktop or your mobile phone.
• Stay safe by wearing seatbelts, obey all posted speed limits and, if the weather is bad, slow down according to road conditions and maintain a safe following distance.
• Make sure your vehicle is up for the drive by checking engine oil, washer fluid, the lights and tires, including the spare.

“Everybody wants to reach their destination on time, but safety should never be compromised around construction zones,” Stone said. “Leave yourself enough time and slow down around vulnerable roadside workers. These people are doing important work to ensure our roads are safe for driving – so please use caution to keep flaggers and roadside workers safe. After all, we want all our workers to get the job done and get home to their families at the end of the day.”

The “slow down move over” law applies to all vehicles displaying a flashing red, blue or yellow light. This law improves safety for first responders, Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) and tow-truck drivers, as well as all roadside workers, including highway maintenance workers.

When approaching a stopped vehicle with a flashing light, drivers must slow to 70 kilometres per hour when in an 80 km/h-or-over zone, and 40 km/h when in an under 80 km/h zone. If travelling on a multi-lane road, the driver must move into another lane to pass a vehicle with a flashing light where safe to do so.

The ministry has increased the DriveBC network by adding more than 66 new highway cam views last year, which boosts the network to more than 550 highway cam views across B.C. 

Learn more:

To go to DriveBC: DriveBC.ca

To follow DriveBC on Twitter, go to: http://twitter.com/drivebc

To follow what’s going on in transportation, go to: http://tranbc.ca/

To follow the ministry onTwitter, go to: https://twitter.com/TranBC