May 24, 2021 - 7:00 AM Car crashes were down significantly in 2020 versus 2019 in the Southern Interior but when there were collisions they tended to be more deadly. New data release Thursday, May 20, by ICBC shows the total number of collisions in the Southern Interior dropped to 35,000 from 41,000 in 2019. The number of crashes has been dropping steadily since 46,000 were recorded in 2017. After COVID-19 hit last year, there were times where there was virtually no traffic on the roads and many people continue to work from home. There were 17 fatalities at Southern Interior intersections last year, the highest during the five year period shown in the stats. There were 15 in 2019 and 2016 but only nine in 2018.