Another accident on Highway 16.

It’s sadly common for the beauty of the first snowfall to turn deadly. As road conditions change slightly, drivers who fail to adjust create chaos on the roads. This is illustrated by the 16 accidents – including an eight car pile up on the Icefields Parkway - that Parks and RCMP officials responded to last week.

Yet the onus falls on the driver.

Twice this summer, the Fitzhugh has had to cover fatalities near Talbot Lake – a difficult part of our job. The first accident allegedly involved a drunk driver. The most recent accident is still under investigation, however judging by the level of destruction involved, speed and driver attentiveness appear to be at play. Eyewitnesses of the aftermath of the accident were shocked by the level of destruction, as RCMP crews needed nearly seven hours to clean up the scene. That in turn kept the highway closed during the busy holiday weekend.

The stretch of road is relatively straight, and other than a strong wind that picks up by the lake, there are few hazards to create tricky driving conditions. That means most often, the accidents are related to human factors. Alcohol, speed, driver inattentiveness all contribute to unsafe conditions, and enhance the chance of more collisions.

It is high time that drivers ensure their vehicles are well maintained before the snow flies. Snow tires and such are a requisite in the Canadian Rockies, where the weather changes so quickly. 

Yet this is a plea that is made year after year, often with the same results.

There is work that can be done. Twinning the highway between Hinton and the park gates will hopefully help prevent incidents such a Monday’s fatality, where the driver of a pick-up truck drifted into oncoming traffic. This could eventually extend into the National Park. However if it does, Parks would do well to ensure wildlife crossings are installed along the thruway. Wildlife overpasses and underpasses have proven effective in Banff National Park, and given the fact that 70 per cent of collisions on Highway 16 are animal related, an argument can certainly be made for their inclusion. Safe travel should trump the ability to wait for big horn sheep to cross the road.

Public transit is another method of removing vehicles from the road, thus reducing the odds for a collision. Will we see a regional shuttle in Jasper?

Yet these projects are years away. In the meantime, the onus once again falls on the drivers to drive with caution, and keep roads safe.