Road safety is a shared responsibility in Squamish, and recent concerns about a wrong-way driver on Highway 99 have many residents asking what more can be done to prevent close calls. As our community grows and traffic on the Sea to Sky corridor continues to ebb and flow with weekend travel and seasonal tourism, this kind of incident is a reminder that design, enforcement, and driver awareness all play a part in keeping people safe.
A local resident recently experienced a wrong-way driving incident near Squamish. We are not publishing personal details or a play-by-play of what occurred. Instead, we have reached out to Squamish RCMP and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) to confirm what was reported, whether officers were dispatched, and if any safety review is underway. As of publication, official comment is pending. We will update this story when those details are available.
Wrong-way driving is rare, but the risk is significant because it can lead to high-speed, head-on impacts. In British Columbia, highway interchanges and divided corridors are signed and marked to reduce the chance of a driver entering opposing lanes. Standard measures include “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs oriented toward potential wrong-way movements, clear pavement arrows, reflective delineators, and lane channelization. These are common practices outlined in provincial traffic control guidance and used widely across the province. The Sea to Sky Highway itself saw substantial upgrades prior to the 2010 Winter Games, including new median barriers in many locations, shoulder and alignment improvements, and intersection upgrades. Those changes were intended, in part, to improve safety on a route that carries commuters, commercial trucks, and visitors through challenging terrain and weather.
Even with infrastructure in place, a wrong-way event can still happen. Factors can include poor visibility, unfamiliarity with road layouts, and driver error. Province-wide, agencies such as ICBC and police consistently point to speed, distraction, and impairment as leading contributors to serious crashes. While there is no indication that any of these played a role in the recent report near Squamish, the broader takeaway for our community is straightforward: staying alert, slowing down, and following posted guidance remain the best ways to prevent a rare mistake from becoming a life‑threatening situation.
Local context matters. Highway 99 through Squamish is a mix of divided and undivided segments with multiple access points. The corridor also sees surges in traffic during holiday weekends, snow days, and peak summer hours. Those surges can bring more drivers who are new to the area and may be relying heavily on navigation apps. When weather turns quickly—heavy rain at dusk, glare at daybreak, early-season snow—the chance of missing a sign or misreading a lane can increase. Residents who drive the route daily are skilled at reading the road, but unfamiliar drivers may benefit from extra cues in the right places.
With that in mind, there are a few practical steps that can help immediately. If you encounter a vehicle that appears to be travelling the wrong way, focus first on creating space: slow down, move right, and if possible, exit to a safe location such as a shoulder or nearby turnout. When it is safe to do so, call 911 with the closest landmark, direction of travel, and a vehicle description if you have it. Police recommend using 911 for situations that pose an immediate risk to life and safety, and a wrong-way vehicle falls squarely in that category. For non-emergency concerns, such as a damaged or obscured sign, residents can use the Ministry’s channels to report a problem or contact the local highway maintenance contractor listed on roadside information signs. Clear, specific reports—location, time of day, what you observed—help crews find and fix issues faster.
From a planning perspective, Squamish continues to work on neighbourhood traffic safety within municipal boundaries—school zone upgrades, crosswalk visibility, and speed management—while partnering with MOTI on Highway 99 matters. In practice, that coordination can include joint reviews of intersections, sharing collision trends, and aligning on interim measures when concerns are raised. We have asked both the District of Squamish and MOTI if a signage or lane‑marking review is being considered at the location related to the recent wrong-way report and will share their responses when available.
If additional measures are warranted, there are several proven options transportation agencies often consider for wrong-way prevention. These may include larger or lower‑mounted “Wrong Way” and “Do Not Enter” signs to bring the message closer to drivers’ eye lines, supplemental pavement arrows and “ONLY” markings at entry points, enhanced reflectivity on signposts and guardrail delineators, added lighting at decision points, and channelization that physically guides drivers into the correct lane while making an incorrect entry feel less intuitive. In some jurisdictions, agencies also pilot wrong-way detection systems at higher‑risk ramps; those systems can trigger flashing signs and notify traffic operations centres when a vehicle enters against the flow. Any such step would depend on BC’s standards, site‑specific evidence, and budget priorities, and would involve MOTI review.
Community feedback will also be important. Residents who regularly use highway access points near commercial areas, schools, or popular recreation spots are well placed to identify where visibility drops at night, where sight lines are limited in rain, or where visitors might hesitate because the road layout isn’t obvious. That kind of on‑the‑ground input, combined with collision and near‑miss data from police, can help provincial engineers target improvements where they will do the most good. If the District hosts an open house or invites comments as part of any joint review, it will be another opportunity to make sure local knowledge informs decisions.
While infrastructure and enforcement set the foundation, driver habits remain crucial. A few reminders go a long way during busy months on Highway 99. Approach highway entries and complex intersections with extra caution, especially at night and in heavy rain. Scan well ahead for arrows and overhead direction signs, and resist the urge to rely solely on a navigation prompt if it conflicts with what you see on the road. Make eye contact with signage, not your phone, and give yourself time and space to make the correct movement. If you ever feel uncertain, pull into a safe area and re‑orient before re‑entering the highway. These are simple habits, but they help prevent the kinds of rare, high‑consequence errors that worry all of us.
For its part, enforcement remains a visible piece of the safety picture on the Sea to Sky corridor. B.C. police services typically run seasonal road safety campaigns, and you’ll see BC Highway Patrol units on Highway 99 focused on speed, impairment, and high‑risk driving. Those efforts help reduce the conditions that make serious crashes more likely. At the same time, education campaigns from provincial partners and insurers continue to stress distraction‑free driving and the importance of reporting dangerous behaviour when it’s unfolding in real time.
We recognize that reports like the recent wrong-way incident can be unsettling. They also open the door for constructive action—by agencies that set standards and maintain the highway, and by each of us behind the wheel. Squamish has a strong record of community involvement on safety issues. If you have concerns about a specific access point or signage, document what you see and share it through official reporting channels. When updates from RCMP or MOTI are available on this case, we will publish them.
What happens next: We have asked Squamish RCMP and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to confirm the recent report and outline any immediate or longer‑term safety steps under consideration. Residents can monitor DriveBC for traffic advisories and use MOTI’s “report a problem” tools for maintenance issues. We will update readers as soon as confirmed information is provided by the responsible agencies.
