SENSE BC, a group that advocates for drivers, says point-to-point speed cameras on the Malahat will NOT reduce collisions -- because speeding isn't the problem.
The group obtained Malahat crash data through a Freedom of Information request, and learned that driver inattentiveness accounts for 25.6% of crashes. While exceeding the limit accounts for just 5.6% of accidents.
In fact in over 90-million trips on the Malahat excess speed was cited by police as a factor in just 1 crash.
SENSE BC's Derek Lewers says it shows the CRD Traffic Safety Commission's campaign to get point -to-point speed cameras installed on the route will make no real difference in reducing Malahat crashes.
" The CRD Traffic Safety Commission didn't actually commission any information to detemine what contributing factors were on the Malahat before they started their push for interval speed cameras. And we've got that data now, and it doesn't support their narrative that speed on the Malahat is the major problem to crashes on the Malahat.
Lewers says “It is very discouraging that public servants, whom we should rely on for good policy and law, not only didn’t do their homework but instead pushed an expensive and punitive speed camera-based agenda against motorists seemingly under false pretenses. They lobbied the province for a solution to a problem which they invented or perceived, and wasted valuable taxpayer resources in doing so.”
Besides inattention, other top causes of crashes on the Malahat included road conditions (17.9%), driving too fast for conditions (12.6%), following too closely (11.4%), weather (9.2%), wild animals (8.2%), driver error or confusion (7.7%), and failing to yield right or way (5.1%). A category called "Other" accounts for 20.3%.
Lewers says since speeding over the limit is not a major factor in the majority of crashes on the Malahat, and the data suggests the upper limit of those travelling the highway safely is in the neighbourhood of 100 km per hour -- the Province may want to look at adjusting the limit to meet that. But he says he will leave that to engineers.