Motorcyclist dies
An Osoyoos resident died following a motorcycle accident on Highway 3, east of Osoyoos on May 19.
At 6:15 pm, the Osoyoos RCMP and South Okanagan Traffic Services attended a fatal collision involving a motorcycle on Highway 3 east of Osoyoos.
The single occupant of the motorcycle went off the road and was ejected from his bike. The male succumbed to his injuries.
Police report that road conditions were bare and dry at the time.
South Okanagan Traffic Services and the BC Coroners Services are investigating the collision and will not be releasing the name of the deceased. Next of Kin has been notified.
RCMP year in review
With a combination of enforcement and education, the RCMP in BC was able to meet its target in decreasing traffic fatalities over the past year, with a decrease of more than eight per cent.
Fatalities (involving impaired drivers) increased very slightly in 2013. However, the number of serious injury collisions in areas policed by the RCMP is down nearly 23 per cent.
Distracted driving enforcement continues to be a high priority for the RCMP, as it continues to be involved in more than one third of incidents with serious injuries.
The RCMP conducted an annual push in February 2013, netting more than 5,500 violations for using an electronic device while driving.
Last fall it was discovered that a new and dangerous illegal drug was being imported into the province.
The drug known as “bath salts” was reportedly responsible for a number of high profile incidents in the United States that received extensive media attention.
When it was discovered that a shipment of the drug was bound for West Kelowna, the RCMP initiated an investigation in partnership with Canada Border Services Agency. The project resulted in the arrest of two women and the seizure of 16 kilograms of the drug before it could reach the streets.
In 2013 police heroics were not limited to the two-legged kind. In Prince George, a distraught mother called the RCMP after her young child went missing. After officers searched the house for the child and came up empty, police service dog “Astro” was called in to assist. Within minutes, Astro was able to lead officers directly to the child, asleep in a dresser.
