Residents frustrated with highway safety after fatal crashes near Kamloops, B.C.

Residents and a mayor in the Kamloops, B.C., area are speaking out following a pair of fatal crashes Thursday on Highway 5.

One crash, just north of Kamloops, claimed the life of one person. The other, just south of Barriere, left three dead.

Clearwater Mayor Merlin Blackwell, who has spoken about highway safety issues many times in the past, is once again ringing the alarm bell.

“(I want to see) an increase in enforcement right now, and an increase in maintenance on the highways,” Blackwell said.

“I want to see more resources used on our highways.”

2:05 Calls for change after tragic deaths on Highway 5

The collision near Barriere happened around 10 kilometres south of town, near Oliver Creek Forest Service Road. It involved two vehicles, a Toyota Corolla and a Ford Sprinter van.

Police say the driver of the southbound Toyota tried passing a semi-trailer truck and collided with the oncoming Ford van just before 7 a.m.

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“The driver and two passengers of the Toyota Corolla were found deceased,” Barriere RCMP said, “while the driver of the Ford Sprinter van was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.”

Barriere is located around 45 minutes north of Kamloops.

Also Thursday morning, DriveBC reported a southbound vehicle incident around 17 kilometres north of Kamloops along Highway 5, near Puett Ranch Road and the community of Rayleigh.

Police in Kamloops told CJFC Today that the incident was a single-vehicle crash, with the vehicle hitting the ditch near train tracks.

They also said the driver, the lone occupant of the vehicle, was dead at the scene when emergency responders arrived.

Krista Thomas, a Clearwater resident, has serious concerns with the dozens of crashes in the area, including a crash that involved her son.

She has compiled a list of accidents and posted them on social media.

“I posted the list to bring awareness to people,” she told Global News. “(There were) 49 accidents in one year. Fifteen fatalities.

“I have considered that maybe I should be looking for work closer to home so I don’t have to commute because I don’t feel safe commuting back and forth anymore.”

A Barriere resident, Jennifer Nickel, runs a Facebook group that offers real time information on highway conditions.

“People are often commuting to or from this area into the major centres for medical appoitments, for school or work,” Nickel said.

“It’s a super important resource for these people.”

All the residents Global News spoke with, including Mayor Blackwell, said they want more enforcement regarding bad driving, dangerous driving regarding commercial vehicles, and more upkeep on their highways.

The B.C. Ministry of Transportation offered a response to the concerns in an email.

“Our thoughts are with the families affected. Nothing is more important than the safety of people on our roads,” a spokesperson said.

“That’s why the ministry focuses on safe roads, works with the trucking industry on robust training for commercial drivers, and has stepped up enforcement along with the RCMP.

“We expect commercial drivers to demonstrate professionalism and – like all other drivers — follow the speed limit and drive for conditions.”

— With files from Doyle Potenteau