Three people were injured in motor vehicle collisions across Metro Vancouver over the Victoria Day long weekend—a period believed to be one of the most dangerous on B.C. roads.
In Vancouver, a 50-year-old male pedestrian was seriously injured Saturday night after being struck by a van on East Hastings Street near Main Street at around 8 p.m. Police are still investigation the cause of the crash.
On Sunday morning, a collision in the downtown core sent two people to hospital with minor injuries.
The incident occurred at approximately 6:30 a.m. at the intersection of Howe and Davie streets.
It involved a Range Rover, which was flipped onto its roof and a sedan. Police said the driver of the sedan was not injured, but is being investigated for impaired driving.
In another incident, a car drove into a house in Coquitlam earlier in the morning.
ICBC said the number of accidents in the Vancouver region tends to go up during the May long weekend.
“We’re going to have more people on the road, not just drivers in vehicles, (but) more commercial traffic, more motorcycles,” ICBC spokesperson Sam Corea told CTV Vancouver.
Nearly 500 people were hurt in 1,900 crashes in the province during the 2016 May long weekend. On average, two people a year die during the three-day period.
“We tend to find that unsafe speed can be a factor on long weekends,” Corea said. “People are rushing to get their destination or get back home after a long weekend and we have more speed (and) more crashes.”
ICBC is urging drivers to slow down this weekend.
“Don’t feel the need to rush,” Corea said. “Leave early if you can. Allow yourself plenty of time to reach your destination.”
With files from CTV Vancouver’s Michele Brunoro
