Squamish residents are talking again about road safety after a local resident recently experienced a wrong-way driving incident. While details about that individual encounter are not the focus here, the report is a timely reminder that even a single vehicle heading against traffic can carry serious risk for everyone on the road. These moments sharpen a broader conversation the community has been having for years about how we stay safe on Highway 99 and on our local streets, what’s working, and what else might help.
At the time of publication, there has been no public notice from the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure or the RCMP specifically confirming the reported wrong-way event. We have asked both agencies for information on any related calls for service, signage reviews, or enforcement steps, and will share updates once they are available. In the meantime, the core safety questions this raises are familiar and worth revisiting: how drivers keep oriented in challenging conditions, what tools the Province and police already use to prevent high-risk mistakes, and how local feedback can support practical improvements.
Wrong-way driving is rare but it is among the most dangerous behaviours on any highway. Head-on or near head-on encounters leave little room for error, particularly at higher speeds or on segments where sightlines are limited. Along the Sea to Sky corridor, volumes fluctuate with commuter traffic, tourism, and seasonal weather, and drivers regularly shift between divided and undivided sections, multiple intersections, and changing lighting. Those ingredients can compound the risk when someone is unfamiliar with the route, tired, impaired, or confused at a complex access point.
The Province is responsible for Highway 99. Standard safety features at ramps and intersections include “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs, lane arrows painted on the pavement, reflectors and delineators, and centerline and shoulder rumble strips in many locations. Over the past several years, the Ministry has also undertaken targeted upgrades across high-collision areas of provincial highways in B.C., from visibility and lighting enhancements to barrier installations where warranted by design and terrain. Seasonal line painting and sign maintenance remain the day-to-day backbone of how orientation is reinforced for drivers, including at night and in wet weather when glare and spray can make cues harder to read.
Enforcement is the other leg of prevention. Within the corridor, BC Highway Patrol, part of the RCMP, conducts regular speed, impaired, and distracted driving enforcement and coordinates with local detachments during long weekends and peak visitor periods. The general advice from police across B.C. is consistent: if you encounter a dangerous situation such as a vehicle travelling the wrong way, find a safe place to slow down and move right, pull off if needed, and call 9-1-1 as soon as it is safe to do so. Clear details about location, direction of travel, and a vehicle description help officers respond quickly. For non-urgent roadway issues—such as damaged or missing signs—residents can contact the Ministry through its public inquiry channels so maintenance crews can be dispatched.
Local context matters too. Squamish is growing, and the mix of weekday commuting, weekend recreation, and freight movement produces recurring hotspots of driver stress and decision-making. Residents regularly flag concerns to the District and police about speed, tailgating, aggressive passing, and late-night impairment. While municipal roads fall under the District’s jurisdiction, the access points that connect neighbourhoods and industrial areas to Highway 99 are where provincial design and local travel patterns meet. When a wrong-way report surfaces, even without confirmed details, it is natural to look hard at the clarity of signage, the visibility of pavement arrows, curb and island design that guides turns, and the lighting at those transition points.
There are straightforward steps that can help reduce the risk of wrong-way driving and other high-consequence mistakes. On the infrastructure side, transportation engineers commonly look at whether “Wrong Way” and “Do Not Enter” signs are sized correctly, placed at driver eye level as well as overhead where possible, and retroreflective enough for night and wet conditions. Pavement arrows and directional markings can be oversized where confusion has been reported, and additional reflective devices can be added to medians and islands to cue the intended path. At more complex junctions, lighting and lane-edge delineation can improve orientation; in others, simple adjustments like trimming vegetation near signs can make a meaningful difference.
On the education and enforcement side, a targeted awareness push timed to the busiest seasons can reach both residents and visitors. Messages that focus on practical habits—slowing down at unfamiliar access points, reading the full set of cues before committing to a turn, and pulling over to re-orient if signs or markings are unclear—are simple and effective. Employers with shift workers who leave before dawn, hotels and short-term rentals that host new-to-the-area drivers, and recreation operators greeting out-of-town guests can all help by sharing the basics of Sea to Sky driving. When community groups and schools pair that with local Speed Watch efforts and support for RCMP campaigns, it adds up to a culture that values caution over hurry.
Data and monitoring also play a role. Collision patterns on Highway 99 have long shown that lane-departure and head-on crashes tend to be among the most severe, especially on undivided stretches. That is not new, and it is why the Province checks high-collision segments for surface condition, sightlines, and the performance of markings and signs. Residents can help by continuing to report near-misses and confusion points they encounter; even when an incident does not result in a crash, consistent public feedback can prompt a review. On local streets, the District’s transportation planning work considers speed management, crossing safety, and design cues that encourage correct, slow-to-turn movements at intersections.
For drivers, the most effective day-to-day prevention is routine and simple. Plan a few extra minutes for trips during low-visibility hours or heavy rain. Turn down the dash brightness and slow to a speed that lets you read signs and lane lines comfortably at night. If you find yourself uncertain about an entrance or exit, do not force the manoeuvre; continue to a place where you can safely turn around. When you see someone who may be lost or attempting an incorrect turn, give them space, avoid sudden swerves around them, and contact police if their actions create an immediate hazard. These are modest habits, but on a corridor as busy and variable as ours, they go a long way.
We recognize that wrong-way reports are unsettling. It is equally important to keep perspective. The safety measures in place on Highway 99 and the work of BC Highway Patrol reduce risks every day, and most trips are routine and uneventful. The question for Squamish is how to keep layering on small improvements—better visibility here, a refreshed arrow there, a weekend awareness post before a holiday—that collectively lower the chance of a rare but serious event. That work is incremental and shared across agencies and the community.
We have requested information from the RCMP and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure regarding any investigation or signage review related to the reported wrong-way encounter. If provincial crews are assessing nearby access points or planning upgrades, we will publish those details when confirmed. Residents with immediate safety concerns on Highway 99 can monitor DriveBC for incident updates, contact the Ministry with maintenance issues, and call 9-1-1 to report dangerous driving. For local road concerns within town, the District of Squamish’s online service request portal remains the best avenue to flag signage, lighting, and line-marking needs. We will continue to follow this topic and share verified updates as they become available.
