ICBC warns drivers to prepare for heavy rain and flooding

In light of the atmospheric rivers unloading heavy rain over British Columbia this week, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) has issued an advisory for drivers in the province to be careful when on the road.

According to the insurer, crashes due to driving too fast for the current weather conditions in BC increase by 90% when comparing October (461, on average) to December (243, on average) each year. ICBC cited provincial police data on a five-year average from 2016 to 2020 for this crash information.

When broken down per region in BC:

• Every year in the Lower Mainland, crashes due to driving too fast for the conditions increase by 50% when comparing October (171) and December (114) as the weather worsens.
• In Vancouver Island, crashes increase by 52% comparing October (76) and December (50).
• In the Southern Interior, crashes increase by 208% comparing October (163) and December (53).
• In Northern BC, crashes increase by 108% when comparing October (52) and December (25).

ICBC has advised drivers to slow down when in bad weather, increase their following distance from the vehicle in front of them, and allow for extra travel time to account for any inclement conditions.