The stretch of Highway 97 between Summerland and Penticton is a beautiful stretch of road, with scenic views along the nearly 20 kilometre distance.
But as the snow began falling this winter, this scenic corridor proved to be treacherous. During one of the early snowfalls, several rollovers happened in the space of a couple of hours as cars fought for traction on the slippery road surface.
Luckily, those accidents only resulted in minor injuries, but earlier this week, a woman died when she lost control of the SUV she was driving and slid into the icy waters of Okanagan Lake. We have nothing but praise for the bystanders and divers who put their own lives at risk trying to help this woman, but we have to ask if the situation could have been avoided in the first place.
Not much blame can be attributed to the driver; according to reports, she was driving below the speed limit in recognition of the snowstorm sweeping over the highway and turned driving conditions into a slippery mess.
This kind of accident limited to the winter; they happen all year round. Similar accidents have happened under ideal driving conditions when the roads were dry.
Highway 97 isn’t inherently dangerous, but there is one preventive measure, which may not have stopped the accident from happening, but almost certainly would likely have prevented it from becoming a tragedy. Concrete barriers, like the ones that line the Channel Parkway in Penticton, would have prevented the vehicle from leaving the roadway. Beyond preventing tragedies like this one, barriers would also be a boon to the Trail of the Okanagan, which will eventually stretch from Summerland to Penticton and beyond. They might interfere with the view, but barriers would also serve to separate and protect people using the trail from the fast moving traffic only a few feet away.
There is a cost to putting concrete barriers along that long a stretch of road, but how many lives have to be lost before it would be considered worth the cost?