A BC Highway Patrol speed control zone set up near a construction zone in Golden in the Kicking Horse Canyon. (Image Credit B.C. RCMP)
A spike in Victoria Day long weekend fatalities and speeding was seen across British Columbia roads.
Five people lost their lives on BC roads this Victoria Day long weekend, which compares to zero deaths in 2025 during this time.
“The sad increase in long weekend deaths shows how we can’t be complacent after a good year like 2025,” says Inspector Chad Badry, BC Highway Patrol.
Data provided by RoadSafetyBC found that the total number of speeding tickets was down from last year, with 7,898 tickets issued last month compared to more than 9,600 in May 2025.
“A lower overall number of tickets is good, but it’s not an indication that we are actually driving more safely,” says Inspector Badry.
Officers issued more excessive speeding tickets this May, with 568 compared to 403 tickets at the same time last year.
“BC Highway Patrol officers wrote significantly more excessive speeding tickets in May 2026. Those tickets indicate a dangerous lack of judgment from many drivers,” adds Inspector Badry.
In the Kootenay region this May, there were 57 tickets issued for excessive speeding and 1,371 speeding tickets in total.
Some highlights from BC Highway Patrol’s May enforcement include:
- On May 24, 2026, in a single stop on Highway #97 east of Falkland, a BC Highway Patrol officer impounded 3 motorcycles whose riders were travelling together at excessive speed.
- During the May Days Festival in Fruitvale (May 23-24), BC Highway Patrol set up check stops that removed 5 impaired drivers, arrested a high-risk domestic violence suspect for breaching a Conditional Sentence Order, and stopped 2 motorcyclists who had no licences or insurance and were speeding.
Motorcyclists are reminded that extra caution is required, as they are 3 times more likely to be injured or killed in a crash compared to people in a passenger vehicle.
BC Highway Patrol says they will continue their ‘education through enforcement’ efforts all summer and would like to remind British Columbians that driving safely is the best way to avoid both tickets and tragedy.
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