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Warning about winter highway driving in BC

Warning about winter highway driving in BC

Old Nov 23, 2011, 12:10 am
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Warning about winter highway driving in BC

Just a heads up to those who plan to drive in B.C. in winter. Don't drive your own car unless it is a beater or a rental car with good insurance coverage!

My wife and I have noticed that in the past few years, the coarseness of "sand" used on interior highways has increased remarkably: You can see individual pieces (a.k.a. gravel) on the road surface while driving at 110 km/h (~70 mph).

Result is that you're sprayed with gravel while passing or being passed. Rock chips on your paint job and windshields chips are very common.

I've heard from an auto glass shop that the province's Ministry of Transport and the provincial auto insurer ICBC decided that it was more cost effective to use coarse gravel which stays on the roadway longer even though it causes higher insurance claims for windshields and other comprehensive claims, which is offset by lower collision claims and lower gravelling costs. At about the same time, the provincial government ordered ICBC to discontinue free windshield replacement for the safest drivers (who paid an extra premium for this coverage). The glass shop manager says his shop can get over a dozen windshield claims a day during ski season.

We thought it was only us but someone we knew who foolishly drove his new Subaru from Vancouver to the Rockies and back incurred some $4k in damage from gravel.

FWIW, Vancouver-Whistler is relatively safe.
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Old Nov 23, 2011, 12:38 pm
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Originally Posted by YVR Cockroach
Just a heads up to those who plan to drive in B.C. in winter. Don't drive your own car unless it is a beater or a rental car with good insurance coverage!

* * *

Result is that you're sprayed with gravel while passing or being passed. Rock chips on your paint job and windshields chips are very common.
I think that this admonition and result applies in Calgary as well.
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Old Nov 23, 2011, 12:43 pm
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Originally Posted by uncertaintraveler
I think that this admonition and result applies in Calgary as well.
That bad eh? Some friends who lived in Alberta years ago prided themselves about Alberta using sand (must have been in the '60s and '70s) with the benefit of cars not rusting.

Mudflaps should be made mandatory. Kudos to the many pickup truck owners who outfit their rigs with these. SUVs seem to be the worse offenders for spraying gravel.
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Old Nov 23, 2011, 6:33 pm
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Originally Posted by YVR Cockroach
That bad eh? Some friends who lived in Alberta years ago prided themselves about Alberta using sand (must have been in the '60s and '70s) with the benefit of cars not rusting.
If Calgary (I can't speak as to rest of Alberta) uses sand, it must be the particularly rough, grainy, hard, and sharp-edged kind.
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Old Nov 26, 2011, 8:17 pm
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Originally Posted by YVR Cockroach
That bad eh? Some friends who lived in Alberta years ago prided themselves about Alberta using sand (must have been in the '60s and '70s) with the benefit of cars not rusting.
Historically, Edmonton has used sand, Calgary uses pea gravel. In Calgary I figure if a windshield lasts 2 years I'm doing well. The 3M clear protective film on the front of the car is a good investment too.
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Old Dec 2, 2011, 7:59 am
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I do a tremendous amount of winter driving in BC, 6,000+-km per month. Mostly back and forth on the Coquihalla and the Connector.

As the OP mentions, MoTH and their contractors are using more gravel this year. Sand works well when first applied but dissapears very quickly.
My goal is to only buy one windshield a year, current one has eight rock chips, one small crack and lots of sandblasting. Crack is down low and off to the right, none of the rock chips are in field of vision.

Many drivers are ill prepared for winter driving in BC. I have stopped at so many accidents and incidents and am blown away by the amount of poor tyres, lack of warm clothing and a little food.

If any uniniatated are reading this please pay heed to not embark on these highways in winter unless you are a confident and capable driver, your vehicle is well equipped and provisioned.
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Old Dec 2, 2011, 1:42 pm
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Originally Posted by taupo
My goal is to only buy one windshield a year, current one has eight rock chips, one small crack and lots of sandblasting. Crack is down low and off to the right, none of the rock chips are in field of vision.
So far I've had good luck getting the cracks drilled to stop them spreading, and then filled so the winter sun doesn't reflect off them into my eyes. I get the rockchips filled too and that helps extend the windshield life. Can't do much about the sandblasting unfortunately.

#5 is a tough road on glass in the winter.
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Old Dec 3, 2011, 5:25 am
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With all the modern alternatives to glass, will windshields always remain a certain type of glass? Do space vehicles have glass windows? Seems like cars should be made with the cheap standard option and then alternatives for vehicles taken to challenging environments.

Another thought. Aren't there screens that can be mounted on the front of hoods to catch heavy projectiles before they can get to the windshield? I know there is the popular "bra" which protects the paint job on the front of a vehicle. Seems to me something to protect the glass would be equally valuable.
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Old Dec 7, 2011, 5:13 pm
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Until the past 10-15 years, I don't thi8nk anyone considered windshields to be regularly-replaceed items windshield wipers and tires. I guess it is another downloaded cost.

Originally Posted by LuvAirFrance
With all the modern alternatives to glass, will windshields always remain a certain type of glass?
Glass is glass for the most part though there are some new types. Glass is hard and relatively scratch/abrasion-resistant (i.e., scratch resistant) but is unfortunately brittle so prone to chipping which leads to cracks.

Do space vehicles have glass windows? Seems like cars should be made with the cheap standard option and then alternatives for vehicles taken to challenging environments.
Space vehicles do have glass, All a.re one use (like the Russian man craft and are not particularly necessary) with the exception of the now-defuinct space shuttle, probably replaced every mission.


Another thought. Aren't there screens that can be mounted on the front of hoods to catch heavy projectiles before they can get to the windshield?

Those are bug deflectors and I doubt they'll affect the direction and path of objects such as gravel.

I know there is the popular "bra" which protects the paint job on the front of a vehicle. Seems to me something to protect the glass would be equally valuable.
No]thing out there. If you invent it, it's the proverbial; better- mousetrap.


Long and short of it, avoid driving B.C. highways from winter well into late spring unless you're driving a beater. My wife and I certainly wouldn't except for estate matters. She's driven between Vancouver and Kelowna at least 4x yearly for 30 years and has noted the deterioration of winter road maintenance in the last 15 years.
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Old Dec 10, 2011, 4:11 am
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Makes me want to ask my relatives who live in Mission how they get thru the winter.
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Old Dec 12, 2011, 1:56 pm
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Originally Posted by LuvAirFrance
Makes me want to ask my relatives who live in Mission how they get thru the winter.
Well, for all intents and purposes, Mission is still part of the British Columbia Lower Mainland. So while Mission does get more snow than Vancouver, it's nothing compared to the interior of BC, which is really what this thread is talking about.

...so unless your relatives regularly drive into the interior from Mission in the Winter they likley won't have much to add.
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Old Dec 13, 2011, 5:37 pm
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OK, so the warning really only applies to certain drivers.
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Old Dec 14, 2011, 10:57 am
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Originally Posted by LuvAirFrance
OK, so the warning really only applies to certain drivers.
Certain geographic regions.
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Old Dec 14, 2011, 4:37 pm
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Originally Posted by gglave
Certain geographic regions.
Well, all of them really except the lower Fraser Valley and the south island. Of course when it does snow in those two areas all hell breaks loose so you won't be driving anyway .
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Old Dec 14, 2011, 8:07 pm
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Originally Posted by YVR Cockroach
Those are bug deflectors and I doubt they'll affect the direction and path of objects such as gravel.
I installed one of those a couple of years ago with misplaced optimism that it would help keep bugs off in spring, some spray in winter as well as sand and stones

Total waste of money for all of the above including bugs.
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