There were 214 crashes recorded in Whistler in 2023, according to annual ICBC data—well down from 297 recorded the year before, and below the 249 recorded in 2021.
It should come as no surprise the lion’s share of the 214 collisions recorded in the municipality last year occurred on Highway 99, with a coincidental 99 crashes along the road that runs the length of Whistler. The four intersections that recorded incidents numbering in the double digits are all located along the highway.
Of those 99 crashes, 18 were at the intersection with Lake Placid Road in Creekside—making it the sketchiest of all intersections in the community.
The intersection—which is the first major turnoff for northbound traffic seeking to access major tourism amenities in Whistler—had a crash almost every single month of the year, with December being the busiest at four collisions. Only in the quiet of November 2023 were there no crashes recorded.
The Lake Placid Road intersection is often the top offender in the community—in the five years of reporting data ICBC makes public, there have been 73 crashes there.
Two intersections tied for second in the 2023 data, with 11 collisions reported at the intersection of Highway 99 and the Function Junction/Cheakamus intersection (Alpha Lake Road and Cheakamus Lake Road) and 11 reported at the Highway 99 intersection at Nesters.
Taking into account five years of data, the Function Junction intersection is the gnarliest of all of Whistler’s intersections, with 77 collisions reported there since 2019.
Looking at intersections that don’t include Highway 99, Blackcomb Way is the second-most collision-prone roadway, with 25 crashes in 2023, including five at the intersection with Glacier Drive, and four each at Lorimer Road and Village Gate Boulevard.
Breaking down the types of crashes recorded, there were 36 with "casualties"—meaning there were injuries or fatalities—while the remaining 178 were listed as "PDO"—or Property Damage Only.
On a month-by-month basis, the busiest months for ICBC-recorded incidents were February (31 crashes), and December (29)—which makes sense given seasonal activities. While the number of incidents quiets down in the shoulder seasons, it comes roaring back in summer: In July 2023 there were 22 crashes reported.
The data also includes numbers on crashes involving cyclists, of which there were only five recorded by ICBC in Whistler in 2023—which represents a jump, as there has only been 13 crashes involving cyclists recorded in Whistler in the five years of data available.
A full spread of ICBC data from across the province can be accessed on the ICBC website. The annual numbers are updated each July.
For comparison, there were 324 crashes recorded in Squamish last year, of which 148 were along Highway 99, and the top intersection was the Highway 99 turnoff to Cleveland Drive to downtown Squamish, where there were 37 collisions recorded.
