It’s the May long weekend, a time many people go camping for the first time in the season or travel to visit family and friends in other cities and towns.
With more cars on the road, BC Emergency Health Services said it typically sees the highest emergency call volumes at this time of year.
I will never forget a Sunday during the May long weekend in 1990 when I was travelling by Greyhound with our two-year-old daughter to meet my husband and four-year-old in Prince George.
My husband had started his first job with the Ministry of Forests in Vanderhoof and we were going to meet them in Prince George because they’d gone ahead with everything we could fit inside our Volkswagen van.
As we approached Salmon Arm from the east we came upon the scene of a crash. Traffic was just being allowed to go through again after a closure and from what we could see from the bus, it looked bad. The scene has never left my imagination and ever since I’ve been extra cautious about driving on the May long weekend.
Aside from asking people to be mindful on the roads, BC Emergency Health Services is reminding drivers to be aware of the law when it comes to slowing down and moving over when emergency vehicles are stopped on the side of the road flashing yellow, blue or red lights.
They are making a public reminder because of a recent BCCA survey that indicated 70 per cent of British Columbians are not aware of the B.C.’s slow down and move over law.
The law requires drivers to move over and yield to ambulances driving with lights and sirens and ambulances stopped with flashing lights on the roadside. This helps emergency crews get to patients who need urgent care as safely and quickly as possible.
Please drive carefully and mindfully this weekend as you enjoy what the May long weekend has to offer.
Monica Lamb-Yorski
