Police in British Columbia say they don’t want to discourage people who stop and help fellow drivers involved in a crash on the highway.

Cpl. Chris Manseau says the message is to exercise caution after a Salmon Arm man was killed on the Coquihalla last week.

“We’ve even seen emergency crews – they have their lights on,. they have their sirens on, they’ve got their reflective vests on, and they’ve got their flashlights out, and people are still striking them,” he said. “Those people who are getting out to help, they are also not accustomed to knowing that drivers just don’t see people the way that people would hope they would.”

This is the second time in just over a year that a passerby was killed after stopping to help on the Coquihalla Highway. A 35-year-old Lower Mainland man was killed in February 2018.

“If I was involved in an emergency, I would want someone to stop and help me and I would definitely do the same,” Manseau added. “But I would definitely want to make sure that they weren’t exposing themselves to unnecessary dangers.”

Manseau says even in bad weather, it can be a good idea to help out, but that he notes depends on the conditions.

“If you know, roads are slippery, if weather conditions are poor, if you can’t put yourself in to a position that you think is very safe for yourself to offer assistance, then maybe just wait for the professionals to show up. If you are going to pull over, please use your hazards, let other drivers know well in advance what your are doing.”

And if you are unable to stop, or you don’t want to put yourself at risk, Manseau says to at least call 911 and make sure that police, fire, ambulance are on the way.