BURNABY RCMP are urging people to be safe on the road after recent traffic incidents in city.
In addition to two serious crashes in the past week, including a collision on Boundary Road that killed two people and a pedestrian being critically injured after being struck by a vehicle, Burnaby RCMP also want to highlight several other concerning incidents that have recently occurred.
These other incidents include a wrong-way impaired driver on Royal Oak Avenue and a crash on Highway 1 that injured a Burnaby RCMP officer.
“We are highlighting these additional incidents as they had the potential to lead to serious injuries or fatalities. We are urging everyone to take caution and care behind the wheel not just over the holiday season, but every day,” said Cpl. Mike Kalanj with Burnaby RCMP. “This includes choosing a safe ride home and giving your undivided attention to the road when driving.”
Highway 1 collision
On November 27 at approximately 9:30 p.m., a Burnaby RCMP officer had pulled over on Highway 1 between the Gaglardi and Kensington exits investigating a hit-and-run. The officer was in his police cruiser, which was stationary and had its lights activated, when his police car was rear-ended by a pickup truck which appeared to make no effort to slow down.
The officer was taken to the hospital and remains off duty, recovering from his injuries.
Burnaby RCMP’s Traffic Services Unit is investigating the collision, which was captured on dashcam video.
“Our thoughts continue to be with our injured officer,” said Chief Superintendent Graham de la Gorgendiere, Officer in Charge of Burnaby RCMP. “The video of the incident is extremely troubling, considering the high rate of speed this driver was travelling at when he struck our officer’s police car.”
While the driver of the pickup truck was not believed to be impaired, officers are investigating other factors that may have contributed to the collision.
Impaired driver driving wrong way
On November 23 just after 6 a.m., a Burnaby RCMP Traffic Services officer was conducting proactive patrols when he spotted a vehicle driving the wrong way into oncoming traffic on Royal Oak Avenue near Dover Street.
The officer attempted to stop the oncoming vehicle, which was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes, but the driver began reversing away from the police car. When the driver eventually came to a stop and exited the vehicle, he admitted to consuming alcohol before driving.
The 40-year-old driver was given an Immediate Roadside Prohibition (IRP), which includes a 90-day driving prohibition. His vehicle was towed and impounded for 30 days.
“There is no excuse for impaired driving. This driver put himself and every road user around him at risk when he made the reckless choice to get behind the wheel while impaired,” Kalanj said. “We are releasing video of this incident taken from our officer’s in-car digital video system to demonstrate the reality of impaired driving.”
8 impaired drivers caught during 2 nights
Burnaby RCMP are reminding all drivers that its officers are conducting enhanced impaired driving enforcement throughout the holiday season.
During just two nights of impaired driving roadblocks in Burnaby which took place on Thursday, December 12, and Friday, December 13, a total of eight impaired drivers were taken off the road by the Burnaby RCMP.
“These numbers are a huge concern for us,” Kalanj said. “We want to send the message that our officers will be out over the holiday season and beyond, conducting impaired driving enforcement and roadblocks throughout Burnaby. Make a plan for a safe ride home.”
According to data from ICBC, on average, 61 people are killed and 1,404 are injured in impaired driving related crashes in B.C. every year.
