A woman lost her life over the weekend after an e-scooter collision downtown, and in response, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) has issued a public advisory about road safety.
VPD’s advisory comes as B.C. is now in uncharted territory with a new time zone, PCT, and the force says people need to stay extra vigilant because of it.
The VPD said that at around 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 7, a man and a woman were riding an e-scooter on Seymour Street. When they entered the intersection at West Pender, they collided with a transit bus. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, and VPD revealed that neither rider was wearing a helmet.
Project Vigilance is a new traffic safety campaign that’s being launched by the VPD, designed to raise awareness about how to stay safe while driving, riding, or walking “during the longer hours of darkness this season.”
VPD shared a couple of other notable incidents that occurred, including a 45-year-old pedestrian being killed last month and a seven-year-old child who was hit by a car. Fortunately, the child escaped with minor injuries.
Earlier this year, a 30-year-old woman also lost her life in an e-scooter crash.
“The clocks aren’t turning back, so we need to be a little more aware of the darkness and our surroundings this season,” said VPD Sergeant Adam Donaldson in a media release.
The VPD pointed out that every day there will be fewer daylight hours until the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice on Dec. 21. As a result, officers will patrol high-risk intersections and corridors, including school zones.
“We’ll be targeting speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, jaywalking, and lack of helmets, among other behaviours that can cause harm,” Donaldson said, adding, “In Vancouver, we love to wear black and carry black umbrellas. If you can clip a reflector to a bag or your clothing, it’ll help drivers see you.”
In September, the VPD ran an e-scooter safety awareness campaign, and over 1,275 warnings and tickets were handed out, with a majority issued as warnings.
The VPD is sharing some additional reminders about e-scooter safety, including that the maximum speed for e-scooters is 25 km/h, helmets are mandatory, and doubling is not allowed.
Riding on sidewalks is also prohibited unless there’s a traffic sign that permits it.
Additionally, e-scooters must have front and rear lights.