Jasper RCMP are reminding drivers to be aware of their surroundings after two elk jams caused minor car accidents on Labour Day long weekend.
The first crash occurred during the Tour of Alberta, near the cemetery pull out on Highway 16.
According to Corp. Ryan Frost, the car was pulling back onto the highway, after stopping to look at some elk, when it struck another car driving on the highway.
The second accident happened on the holiday Monday near the Snaring River bridge on Highway 16.
According to Frost, several vehicles pulled over to look at some elk when a pedestrian ran across the highway causing a passing car to suddenly brake before it was rear-ended by another car that was following too close.
“The two collisions were caused by slightly different things, one not checking before pulling out into traffic and the other one was likely following too close,” said Frost, adding there were no injuries, but both accidents tied up traffic along the highway.
He urged drivers to be aware of their surroundings, to pay attention to traffic and always leave enough space when following a vehicle.
“Following too close anytime on a highway, whether it’s going through an elk jam or a bear jam or frankly just travelling on the highway can have dire consequences,” he said.
“In our five-vehicle crash in August, two of those vehicles shouldn’t have been involved, but they were following too close to the main part of the collision,” said Frost, in reference to a multi-vehicle accident on Highway 16 West that killed four young people and injured 15 others.
“I’m pretty confident our problems aren’t coming from locals stopping to look at the elk, but everyday we’ve got a brand new set of tourists that do want to stop and look and there’s got to be some balance between visitor experience, animal safety and highway safety,” said Frost.
He admitted there’s no perfect solution, as it’s difficult to educate visitors who are only here for a day or two at a time, but said the RCMP works with Parks Canada to help break up wildlife jams and keep people moving on Jasper’s highways and roads.
According to Parks, if an animal is spotted near the road, drivers should immediately slow down, warn other motorists by flashing their hazard lights, and expect that other animals may be nearby.
For those who wish to pull over and view wildlife, Parks advises motorist to pull safely out of traffic, remain in their vehicle and move on after a few minutes.
If drivers spot a bear, Parks advises them to stay in their car and to not stop.
Paul Clarke
[email protected]
