Police issued nearly 200 tickets in the Kootenay region during April’s provincewide Slow Down and Move Over campaign, highlighting ongoing concerns about driver behaviour around roadside emergencies and highway work zones.
BC Highway Patrol said officers in the Kootenay region, including Revelstoke, Nelson, Cranbrook and Golden, issued 197 tickets carrying $173 fines for failing to slow down and move over.
The campaign, conducted for the first time with participation from police agencies across B.C., targeted drivers who failed to reduce speed or change lanes when approaching stopped emergency and roadside vehicles displaying flashing lights.
Under B.C.’s Slow Down and Move Over law, drivers must move into the furthest safe lane away from stopped vehicles with flashing red, blue or amber lights.
Motorists must slow to 70 km/h or less in areas where the posted speed limit is 80 km/h or higher. In zones below 80 km/h, drivers must slow to 40 km/h or less.
Provincially, officers issued 999 tickets during the April enforcement campaign. The Kootenay region recorded the second-highest number of violations after Central B.C.
Police also pointed to a recent court case involving a 2023 crash in Field, B.C., where a tractor-trailer destroyed a tow truck and a Mercedes. A Calgary man was sentenced on April 8, 2026, on a dangerous driving charge under Section 320.13(1) of the Criminal Code.
BC Highway Patrol said the campaign may be over, but drivers should continue watching for emergency responders, tow operators and construction crews as traffic increases during the summer tourism and construction season.
