Squamish drivers know the Sea to Sky can be unforgiving when something goes wrong. A recent report of a wrong-way driver in our area is a reminder that road safety is a shared responsibility, and that even one lapse in attention or a confusing sign can create serious risk in seconds. This isn’t about blame; it’s about making sure families get home safely and that the systems we rely on—design, enforcement, and community awareness—are working together as well as they can.
What we can say at this stage is limited: a local resident recently experienced a wrong-way driving incident in the Squamish area. We have asked Squamish RCMP for details and for any advice specific to local ramps and intersections; that response is pending. In general, police treat wrong-way driving as an emergency because it creates a high chance of a head-on crash. If you encounter it, the guidance in B.C. is to pull over safely, call 911, and provide as precise a location as you can. Landmarks, nearest cross streets, and kilometre markers on Highway 99 help first responders get there quickly.
The Sea to Sky is a provincial highway maintained by the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI). It sees a mix of commuters, service vehicles, and visitors unfamiliar with the corridor, often in changing light and weather. Since the major upgrades completed ahead of the 2010 Winter Games, this stretch has benefitted from wider lanes in many areas, added barriers or median separation in select sections, rumble strips, improved reflectors, and more robust signage at curves and major junctions. Those investments have made a difference. Still, wrong-way incidents—while rare—underscore how design, signage, and human behaviour all have to line up to prevent the most severe kinds of collisions.
How do these situations happen? Drivers can get turned around leaving complex parking areas near a highway, miss a “Do Not Enter” sign on a dark or rainy night, or follow old habits during a temporary construction detour. Impairment, distraction, and fatigue also factor into the most serious mistakes on the road. None of this is unique to Squamish, but the volume and diversity of users on Highway 99 mean the margin for error is slim. As our community grows—and as more visitors arrive in peak seasons—clear, consistent guidance at on- and off-ramps becomes even more important.
Residents who regularly use Highway 99 have often noted the “hot spots” that feel more complicated than they should: places where a highway ramp abuts a busy commercial area, or where temporary line paint and cones change the usual path through an intersection. Those are the locations where wrong-way prevention strategies tend to make the biggest difference. In B.C., effective measures include larger and lower-mounted “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs so they sit in a driver’s natural line of sight, high-visibility pavement arrows, distinctive red-backed sign faces, channelization islands that physically steer cars the right way, and enhanced lighting. Many jurisdictions are also adding LED-enhanced signs or reflective delineators at the nose of ramp medians to catch a driver’s eye before a mistake becomes dangerous.
MOTI conducts periodic safety reviews on provincial corridors and typically reassesses ramps and signage after changes to traffic patterns. That might include new commercial access points, road works, or developments that alter how drivers approach a highway. The District of Squamish does not control Highway 99, but it routinely coordinates with MOTI when local land use or municipal road projects touch the provincial network. If you notice a confusing layout or damaged sign, the best first step is to report it. Immediate hazards go to 911; ongoing concerns about the provincial highway can be sent to MOTI. For local roads, Service Squamish is the District’s front door for resident reports and requests. Clear, detailed input helps engineers and maintenance crews zero in on the exact problem.
Enforcement also matters. The BC Highway Patrol, working with Squamish RCMP, runs targeted operations along Highway 99 throughout the year, with well-known campaigns such as CounterAttack against impaired driving and seasonal speed and distracted-driving enforcement. When officers stop impaired or excessively speeding drivers before they make a mistake at a ramp or cross a centreline, that’s prevention in its most practical form. If you see increased police presence on the highway during long weekends and powder days, that’s why.
Community education is another part of the picture. As locals, we are used to the rhythm of the Sea to Sky and where the tricky merges are, but many visitors are not. A simple reminder where it counts—on hotel check-in materials, rental car counters, trailhead kiosks, and tourism websites—can help unfamiliar drivers give the road their full attention. The message is straightforward: slow down, watch the signs, give yourself time to find the right ramp, and if you’re unsure, pull over safely and reset your route. It’s the same approach many of us already teach new drivers at home.
There are also steps we can take as a community without waiting for a formal study. If neighbourhood groups know of specific ramps or intersections that regularly cause confusion, compile examples—photos in daytime and at night, notes on sightlines, and any near-miss patterns—and share them with MOTI and the District. Asking for a joint field review is a reasonable request when multiple residents flag the same location. Where the highway meets municipal roads, incremental fixes can be surprisingly effective: repainting directional arrows after a harsh winter, trimming vegetation, upgrading a streetlight, or relocating a sign post a few metres to remove visual clutter.
Technology can help, too. Many drivers now use dashcams. If a wrong-way incident occurs, video shared with police can be valuable for locating a vehicle quickly and understanding the exact path it took onto the highway. For privacy and legal reasons, it’s best to provide footage directly to RCMP rather than post it publicly—especially if it shows identifying details of another person or vehicle. If you do share a general alert with neighbours on social media, keep it factual and avoid naming individuals. The goal is awareness, not online adjudication.
While we wait for official comment on last week’s report, it’s worth restating the basics that road-safety advocates emphasize across B.C.: wrong-way events are uncommon, but the consequences can be severe. Make eye contact with signs and pavement arrows at every ramp. If something looks off, stop before committing to a turn. Use headlights consistently in low light so you and everyone else can be seen. And if you encounter a driver going the wrong way, your safest move is often the simplest—get out of their line, pull over when it’s safe, and call 911 with the best location you can provide.
Squamish Blog has requested information from Squamish RCMP about any current investigations or enforcement steps arising from the recent report, and from the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure about any planned signage or design reviews at Highway 99 ramps serving our community. We will share updates as soon as they are confirmed. In the meantime, DriveBC remains the most reliable source for live incident and closure information on the Sea to Sky. If you have a non-emergency concern about provincial highway signage or maintenance, contact MOTI; for municipal roads, Service Squamish can direct your request to the right team. Safety on Highway 99 is built day by day—by engineers and officers, and also by neighbours who look out for one another and speak up when something on the road doesn’t feel right.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has confirmed it routinely reviews high-volume corridors and will continue to assess locations where drivers may face confusion, particularly at on- and off-ramps. Squamish RCMP encourages anyone who witnesses an immediate hazard to call 911. We will update readers when additional details, timelines, or specific improvement plans are provided.
