West Kelowna RCMP winter tire safety blitz nabs 50 construction zone speeders
An RCMP operation on the Okanagan Connector near Highway 97 resulted in 50 fines for speeding through a construction zone.
Another 46 warnings were issued. Most were for speeding in the construction zone but others included new drivers not displaying an N and/or failure to produce a license.
The check was conducted Oct. 17 with one of the key focuses being to ensure people were driving into the mountains with proper winter tires.
“Winter tires or chains are required on most highway routes in British Columbia, from Oct. 1 to April 30,” read an RCMP news release issued today, Oct. 24. “For select highways not located through mountain passes and/or high snowfall areas, tire and chain requirements end March 31.”
The checks found 11 out of 53 personal vehicles and five out of 14 commercial vehicles did not have appropriate tires.
“There is a heightened concern for traffic safety particularly during the winter months,” RCMP media relations officer Const. Mike Della-Paolera said in the news release.
“The Okanagan has extreme changes in weather and, with our high mountain passes, it’s always important to have the right equipment and be prepared for a worse case scenario.”
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