There are growing calls for safety improvements on the Sea to Sky Highway following a crash that claimed two lives north of Squamish, B.C. last week.

A petition urging the provincial government to install more concrete barriers on the winding highway began circulating days after the tragedy, and has since been signed more than 1,400 times.

"Many families are shaken by the recent disaster and do not feel safe driving up that highway to Whistler again," it reads. "We want to fix that."

Brian Loverin, who founded the Sea to Sky Road Conditions Facebook group, said concrete barriers that were installed along Highway 99 in Lions Bay have been highly effective at curbing crashes.

The highway is particularly treacherous because conditions can quickly change from clear and dry to foggy or rainy or snowy. Loverin noted it's also frequented by out-of-towners who have never navigated its hills and bends.

"Going toward Whistler you've really got to be prepared," said Loverin. "A lot of people that come out here are tourists."

There are also many locals who commute along the Sea to Sky daily for work, including both of the men who were killed in last week's head-on collision.

The victims were headed home in a loaded minivan the night of Jan. 2 when a pickup truck crossed the centre line and slammed into them. Five other people were also hospitalized with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening.

As the community demands better safety on the highway, locals are also rallying around the victims' grieving families. Friends said the men who lost their lives were the main breadwinners for their homes, and one victim who survived with serious injuries had just become a father.

"One of them is a new dad and the other one, he's got two small kids," said Amandeep Mann, who organized a fundraiser to help pay their bills.

All the money raised will be used to support the survivors through their recovery and the families through their grief, Mann added.

"Each and every penny's going to be put for their support," she said.

The cause of last week's deadly crash is still being investigated by the RCMP. 

With files from CTV Vancouver's Penny Daflos