The B.C. Ministry of Transportation is reviewing the speed limit on Highway 97 through 70 Mile House after a runaway tire crashed into a home last month.
“Safety reviews of this section of highway to date continue to validate the existing speed limit,” a spokesperson with MoTI said in an emailed statement. “In light of this unfortunate incident, the ministry will update the data from our most recent safety review to confirm if 100 km/h remains appropriate.”
Brian and Veronica Jones were at home at 11:45 a.m. Sept. 30 when a tire flew through the air, struck their dining room window and hurtled through the living room, narrowly missing Veronica and her 10-year-old grandson. It then punched a hole in the back wall and ricocheted back to the couch. The tire, still hot when it landed, is believed to have come off a vehicle heading north. Three of the wheel studs were broken.
The incident prompted Thompson Nicola Regional District director Sally Watson and the Joneses to put out a renewed call for a reduction in the speed limit on that stretch of highway through 70 Mile House.
MoTI said the ministry continually assesses safety along all of our roads and highways throughout the province, including monitoring crash statistics, development or changes in the features of adjacent lands, and “we do take into consideration the feedback of stakeholders and the public.”
The email said the ministry’s Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) is working with the RCMP to investigate and obtain additional information related to the incident. Signage to alert motorists to be aware of pedestrians is in place through this area
Clinton RCMP are also reaching out to the public to see if anyone saw anything or captured any dashcam footage, which may help identify the vehicle. Anyone with information is asked to call the Clinton RCMP at 250-459-2221.
