West Shore RCMP issue warning after multiple crashes send 2 to hospital amid rainy conditions

Lights on a police cruiser are pictured in this file photo.

Victoria -

West Shore RCMP are urging commuters to be cautious after four crashes were reported within two hours on Friday morning amid rainy conditions.

The first crash occurred just before 6 a.m., when a BC Transit bus crashed along the Trans-Canada Highway near Thetis Lake.

Police say the single-vehicle rollover crash may have occurred after the driver "attempted to avoid a possible hazard caused by another vehicle ahead."

The driver was then taken to hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. No one else was aboard the bus at the time.

The bus incident was the first of four crashes that West Shore RCMP responded to Friday morning.

Around 7 a.m., police say the driver of a pick-up truck was taken to hospital following a crash with a blue Nissan Leaf at the intersection of Wale Road and Goldstream Avenue.

Witnesses told police that the Leaf had turned in front of the truck, resulting in a head-on collision.

Meanwhile, also around 7 a.m., police were called to a three-vehicle crash in the 400-block of Goldstream Avenue.

The collision was caused by a rear-end, according to Mounties, and the incident slowed traffic along the roadway. No injuries related to this crash have been reported, police say.

Lastly, West Shore RCMP responded to a crash between a vehicle and a pedestrian on Friday morning.

The crash occurred at the intersection of Langford Parkway and Phipps Road around 7:40 a.m. Police say the female pedestrian was "not seriously injured" and the driver of the vehicle remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.

"We are asking drivers, pedestrians and cyclists to spend some time getting ready to stay safe during wet weather," said Const. Alex Bérubé of the West Shore RCMP in a release Friday morning.

The RCMP detachment has released several tips on how to drive safely during rainy conditions. The tips can be found below:

• Use your headlights but avoid using your high beams. Headlights help make you visible to other drivers and pedestrians but high beams can reflect back and reduce your ability to see other road users.
• Don't use cruise control in the rain. If you hydroplane in cruise control your wheels can reach an excessive speed while they're not in contact with the road, which means you'll be jolted forward once the wheels make contact again.
• Leave extra space between you and the vehicle in front. The three-second rule applies in good weather but you should double it to six seconds for light rain/fog and triple it to nine seconds for heavy rain/fog. If the vehicle in front of you is a commercial vehicle or a bus, leave even more room.
• Slow down. Posted speed limits assume good road and weather conditions so go below the limit to say safe in wet weather and low visibility.
• Beware of other vehicles around you. Larger vehicles such as trucks, buses and trailers are especially affected by heavy rain.
• Adjust your planned travel time to include sufficient time to fully demist/defog all your windows.