Hwy deaths hwy caused?

I listened with interest to the radio this morning telling of another fatal accident near Peachland. The announcer said one vehicle apparently crossed over the centre line and struck the other head on. Reason unknown, however it was raining heavily at the time.

Having driven home from work on Highway 97 on several occasions during snow and rain this winter, I can easily understand the vehicle crossing the centre line because there are basically no lines to speak of.  Our highways used to have the lines repainted every couple of years, so on those nights when driving in the rain or snow you could at least see the lines to see where you were on the road. However, the lines right now are almost non-existent, and what little is left of them is covered up with a layer of sand left over from snow clearing.  Essentially what you wind up with is black on black on black.

It appears that nowadays our version of snow removal is to only remove the top layer of snow and then pile on the sand.  Gone are the old days when we had the Dept. Of Highways and you would see the snow plows travelling down the highway with their blade right down to the pavement so close you could see the sparks flying.

I think what we need to do is to re-instate the Dept. Of Highways and make our highways safe to travel once again.  And, to all of you out there who turn a blind eye or a deaf ear, just remember, the next fatality may be someone you know or love.

Helen McCarthy