Vancouver Police are teaming up with ICBC and community volunteers to help keep pedestrians safe.
With shorter days and poor weather comes reduced visibility. Volunteers from Community Police Centres throughout Vancouver will be handing out reflectors and other items in their neighbourhoods to help pedestrians be seen at night.
The Vancouver Police Traffic Section will also be stepping up enforcement relating to pedestrians and drivers at intersections and crosswalks. Our goal is to prevent pedestrians from being seriously injured or killed on our roads.
“It is never easy informing a family that a loved one has been seriously injured or killed in a collision,” says Inspector Les Yeo with the VPD Traffic Section. “We need your help to get everyone home safely and prevent another family from receiving that dreaded knock on the door by a police officer.”
The unfortunate reality is that every year in Vancouver there are more than 200 pedestrians injured in crashes from October to December alone. Last year during this short time period was particularly troubling as Vancouver Police investigated four serious collisions where pedestrians were struck and killed.
Police will continue to work with the City and ICBC to make our roads safer. For more information and to learn more about pedestrian safety, visit PedWatch on the VPD website, a joint initiative with ICBC.
What Can You Do to Keep Pedestrians Out of Harm’s Way?
If You’re a Pedestrian:
1. Make eye contact with approaching drivers and / or cyclists.
2. Use designated crossing points.
3. Obey the traffic signals – only enter the intersection if the pedestrian signal is being displayed and it is safe for you to do so.
4. Don’t presume that drivers see you – wear reflective clothing at night if possible.
If You’re a Driver:
5. Make eye contact with pedestrians.
6. Yield to pedestrians that are on the roadway.
7. Watch for pedestrians at intersections, especially when making left and right turns.
8. Expect the unexpected – a vehicle stopping in a lane beside you may be yielding to a pedestrian crossing the road.
9. Obey traffic signals.
If You’re a Cyclist:
10. Make eye contact with pedestrians.
11. Yield to pedestrians.
12. Follow all rules of the road – bicycles are vehicles, too.
13. Don’t ride on sidewalks – stay to the right hand side of the roadway or in designated lanes.
14. Have a bicycle bell on you bicycle to warn approaching pedestrians and other road users.
Source: VPD | Image: Tobisas / Shutterstock