A third logging truck accident in just over a month shut down Highway 3 for several hours earlier this week, inconveniencing hundreds of motorists and leaving local businesses scrambling for their early week deliveries.
Is is too soon to start calling for a reality check on the log delivery business in the Similkameen? These accidents, if not an epidemic, appear to us to be happening with an unacceptable frequency.
Over the summer, it appeared to us that logging truck traffic was on the rise on Highway 3 and 3A, especially early in the week. Is the cause of these incidents related to driver’s schedules? Is there an issue with rig maintenance? Are there issues with truck loading?
We hope these are questions the local industry is examining. The aftermath of these crashes are not only very inconvenient to the public in general, they could be potentially lethal to the truck drivers or to others who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s very fortunate that no one has died yet.
There’s also the damage to infrastructure to consider; broken concrete barriers, downed hydro lines and damaged pavement.
Let’s hope industry is taking a look at what is happening on Similkameen’s major highway. We’d like to see that corrective measures are taken before one of these mishaps costs someone their life.