B.C. Highway Patrol urging caution from drivers after deadly week

Highway patrol officers in British Columbia are urging drivers to proceed with caution after a large number of fatal accidents across the province this week.

According to the B.C. Coroners Service, between July 5 and July 10, 19 people died in motor vehicle accidents.

"It's a really disturbing trend that we’re seeing,” Insp. Chad Badry of B.C. Highway Patrol told CTV News.

Those killed include a family of three, including a baby, after a head-on collision near Aggasiz Tuesday. 

A social media post from the North Fraser Fire Department identified the father as one of its members. 

Then, on Wednesday, RCMP said four adults – all from the same extended family – died after a serious collision in Keremeos, B.C.

Meanwhile, in Surrey, Mounties say a young woman was killed after a single-vehicle crash Thursday morning. 

While the accidents remain under investigation, Badry says police continue to see the same trends.

"The top three are speed, distracted driving and impaired driving,” he said. “All of these accidents, all of these fatalities, they're all preventable. It's needless to have these things happen."

Police said both alcohol and speed are believed to be factors in a single-vehicle collision in the southeastern B.C. community of Wilmer Tuesday night. 

According to ICBC, impaired-driving-related deaths rise by 27 per cent every summer.

"It's really concerning. It's frustrating,” said Steve Sullivan, CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MAAD) Canada.

“For the families we work with, it almost brings back their own experience and what they went through, and one of the things they tell us is they don’t want what happened to their family to happen to somebody else.”

Badry says police are asking drivers to slow down ahead of what’s expected to be another busy weekend on B.C. highways.

“The road conditions right now are ideal, and I think people are letting those speeds creep up,” he said. “People need to plan ahead, leave a little bit more time to get to their destinations."

“If you’re using alcohol or non-prescription drugs, there’s no reason to get behind the wheel.”