The intersection at Hwy 16 and Tatlow Road was the most dangerous in Smithers in 2024.
There were five crashes at the intersection last year, according to statistics recently released by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC). None of them involved casualties, however.
In fact, of the 119 crashes in Smithers last year, only 14 involved casualties, including three that involved pedestrians and six that involved cyclists.
ICBC statistics for Smithers includes the town and the rural area around it to just south of Witset.
In second place, four intersections saw four crashes: 16th Avenue and the Frontage Road & Hwy 16 & Turning Lane, 3rd Avenue and Main Street, Bulkley Dr. & Hwy 16 & Toronto Street & Turning Lane, and Hwy 16 and Main Street.
The statistics do not include incidents not reported to the insurance company, those not involving damage and those that occurred in parking lots.
ICBC also reports a five-year running total. Since 2020, Hwy 16 and King Street has the worst record with 26 crashes or just over five per year.
Telkwa's most dangerous intersection for the past five years has been Hwy 16 at Babine Lake Road and Laidlaw Frontage, which saw eight crashes over that period.
The main causes of collisions remain distracted driving (mainly electronic device use), speeding and impaired driving (alcohol or drugs).
In 2024, police in Smithers issued 321 tickets for speeding, 31 for electronic device use, 28 for driving without due care and attention, and seven for impaired driving.
Vehicle population
The new ICBC dataset also shows the number and types of vehicles registered and the numbers and types of driver licences held.
In 2024, there were 10,459 vehicles registered in Smithers. Of those, 5,371 were classified for personal use, 2,491 for business use and 2,597 for "other" uses.
In terms of vehicle types, 4,062 were passenger vehicles and 3,888 were commercial. Other types of vehicles included: utility trailers (1,321), commercial trailers (1,099), motorcycles/mopeds (31) and motorhomes (58).
By far and away, gasoline-powered vehicles are still dominant in Smithers with 6,295 registered. Diesel is second at 1,532. Over the last five years, however, the number of electric and hybrid vehicles in the city has been growing steadily.
In 2020, there were just 49 hybrid vehicles in the town. As of 2024, there were 144. Similarly, the number of fully electric vehicles went from just 12 five years ago to 50 last year.
In 2024, 6,526 Smithereens held driver licences, 4,698 of which were Class 5, which allows a person to drive passenger vehicles such as cars, SUVs and vans, some trucks and utility vehicles, as well as, to tow trailers that weigh up to 4,600 kg.
Just over 800 people held licences in various stages of the graduated learners program.
Vehicle crime
ICBC did not report vehicle crime by municipality in the latest release. However, the data indicates there were 506 vehicles stolen, 120 vehicles broken into, and 920 incidents of vandalism reported in the North Central region for 2024.
