Based on what the newspapers have reported, the man was driving westbound when he was struck head-on and killed instantly by a vehicle driven by a motorist going eastbound—the wrong way—on what is usually, at that time of the night, a relatively quiet roadway. The stretch of the Upper Levels highway in which this fateful series of events occurred is well maintained, well lit and clearly divided. Day or night, in all weather and visibility conditions, the design of this highway is such that most motorists probably rank the risk of a head-on collision as very low.

 

This head-on collision occurred at the top of the “Upper Levels cut” near the Lynn Valley Road exit, 1.5 kilometers east of where the “wrong way” driver apparently made the mistake of missing the eastbound highway entrance before the Lonsdale Avenue overpass. Reports suggest that the “wrong way” driver continued over the overpass and then turned right onto the westbound exit ramp from the highway. That driver then appears to have traveled eastbound in the westbound lane for at least 1.5 kilometers before crashing into the victim.

 

According to newspaper reports, a blood sample was taken from the “wrong way” driver at the hospital while the driver was treated for non-life threatening injuries, and no charges had yet been laid at the time of reporting. Although the early news reports indicated that such an unusual series of events had, in fact, occurred before on this highway, the willingness to drive in this manner could suggest some serious level of confusion, well beyond mere inadvertence.

 

However, from the “it can happen to anyone” point of view, the day after this accident, The Province newspaper reported that an “accident-free” reader who made the same mistake sober had contacted it. She was quoted as follows, “There I was suddenly knowing I’m heading the wrong way on a busy highway. I had this adrenaline rush and managed to turn around …[risking] a broadside. I have no doubt that many other have found themselves in the same predicament. … It’s a shame that the responsible department cannot be held to account for this (unfortunate) traffic configuration and the ineffective signage at that spot.”

 

The article concluded by pointing out that either citizens or the police could contact the provincial Ministry of Transportation and ask for improved signage. Apart from reinforcing the rightness of the prohibitions against impaired driving, another lesson that may be taken from this tragedy is that it is a good idea for everyone to be pro-active about alerting the Ministry of Transportation to signage and road design problems. The Ministry can be contacted through their website at http://www.gov.bc.ca/tran/.

 

Please drive safely.