Staying Alive on the Scenic Route

Working at the Columbia Icefield Centre means that I get paid to drive one of the most beautiful roads in Canada. Highway 93, also known as the Icefields Parkway, stretches 230 kilometers from the village of Lake Louise, Alberta, to the town of Jasper, Alberta, where I live. The entire road is in Banff and Jasper National Parks. The jagged, looming peaks and raging river valleys of the Rocky Mountains that run the entirety of the highway captivate visitors from around the world. Mountain goats and grizzly bears frequent the salt licks and kinnikinnick berry bushes on the roadside. And then, of course, there is the road’s namesake. Halfway between Jasper and Lake Louise is the Columbia Icefield, the largest icefield in the Rockies. Thousands of people flock to the Icefield Centre every day in July and August to take a bus tour on the icefield’s vast Athabasca Glacier. The road itself is a major tourist attraction, and people come from around the world to drive it.

All of this means that every day that I drive Highway 93 is completely terrifying. Fatal accidents happen there every summer. Tourists are distracted, and often drive far below the speed limit to take in the scenery. Others are running late for their tours and nearly double the speed limit, passing the slow drivers up hills and around blind corners. Highway 93 is winding, narrow, and single-lane for nearly the whole drive. On top of that, the road is riddled with unpredictable wildlife and the massive traffic jams that form when animals appear. These traffic jams are known as “bear jams.” Drivers frequently stop in the middle of the lane, in the middle of the highway, to gawk at wildlife, which prompts those who are in a rush to wind in and out of traffic via the shoulder. This summer alone, I was run out of my lane and into the shoulder three times by drivers passing in dangerous areas with immediately oncoming traffic. One car nearly took off my front bumper as it passed.

The annual Alberta Traffic Collision Statistics report is always sad, but never surprising. Every year, the report lists “f​ollowing too closely, running off the road and making a left turn across the path of an oncoming vehicle” as the main driving mistakes that contribute to fatal accidents. These are actions that people know are dangerous. Yet, in the heat of the moment, drivers prioritize speed over safety and do things that they know put themselves, their passengers, and other drivers at risk. The geographic and social factors at play on Highway 93 make it a melting pot of road ragers and distracted drivers, both of whom are too focused on something else to be aware of the dangerous situations they are creating. A mandatory driver’s education and defensive driving course for all drivers on the Icefields Parkways could make it a safer road for everybody.

Defensive driving is something that I wish I learned in driver’s education. Driver’s education is not mandatory in Alberta, and I grew up in a small town where a driving instructor would only come if enough students registered for a course. In my early driving years, this never happened. Instead I learned entirely from my father, who is himself prone to road rage and tailgating (though thankfully I did not inherit those habits). Driver’s education gives students a chance to learn and practice the rules of the road with the safety of a professional driving instructor in the vehicle. When everyone takes the same driver’s education course, the same rules and safe driving techniques are enforced in every driver. That gives everybody the same basic knowledge of road safety. When a driver knows the importance of road rules and is surrounded by other drivers who understand the risks of being on the road, a fatal accident is far less likely.

I know that it would be impossible to make every driver on Highway 93 take a defensive driving course. People visit from all around the world, and it is a major tourist destination that will not be getting less busy any time soon. This is part of the problem, though. People come from all over, often without a solid grasp of Alberta’s road rules. In my dreams, where everybody on Highway 93 must take driver’s education and defensive driving training before hitting the road, that road is a much safer place.

I have learned a lot about defensive driving from commuting on Highway 93. The speed limits vary and can be difficult to keep track of, but they are in place for a reason–namely the road’s many sharp, cliffy corners and abundance of wildlife. I drive at exactly the limit and resist the pressure to speed up when other drivers tailgate me. At the same time, I pay attention to how much space I have around my vehicle. If there is a line of cars behind me or I sense that an impatient driver might pass me at a dangerous time, I find a safe place to pull over and let others pass. I also keep an eye on my mirrors, oncoming traffic, and the shoulders to help me anticipate roadside hazards and dangerous driving situations. All of these steps reduce the likelihood that I will be involved in a fatal accident.

To continue becoming a better and safer driver, and to help my coworkers do the same, I have requested that all staff receive formal defensive driving training at the beginning of next season. This training will help us all be safer drivers. We work in the Rocky Mountains because we love getting to experience their beauty every day, and we want to help visitors do the same. Safe driving education is a tool that will help keep us and other drivers alive to enjoy the breathtaking place we call home.