VPD urges pedestrians and drivers to use caution after spike in fatalities
Vancouver police are reminding the public to use caution on the roads after a recent series of motor vehicle incidents (MVIs) has resulted in the deaths of several pedestrians.
The latest incident occurred early on Thursday, Sept. 19, when the VPD was called to Victoria Drive and East 12th Avenue around 6:15 a.m.
“A man in his 60s was struck and killed while crossing the street. The victim was treated at the scene and later died in the hospital,” said VPD Sergeant Steve Addison, in a news release.
“Vancouver police have identified the driver involved in the collision, who remained at the scene. Witnesses, or anyone with dash-cam footage, is asked to contact the Vancouver Police Collision Investigation Unit.”
The fatal incident comes just weeks after the VPD Traffic Unit posted a notice stating that the city has seen a dozen fatal MVIs to date, with nine of the deaths being pedestrians.
12 MVI fatals @CityofVancouver to date with 9 as pedestrians (not incl. Lapu Lapu). Over the weekend, 2 of the 9 occurred within 24 hours. With Fall approaching and decreasing daylight hours, please use a controlled crosswalk whenever possible and drivers please give extra… pic.twitter.com/Ew2sNBXsDt
— VPD Traffic Section (@VPDTrafficUnit) September 3, 2025
And since that announcement on X, there were two more deaths involving motor vehicles.
The first was a single-vehicle collision on Main Street near East Kent Avenue that resulted in the death of a 58-year-old driver. The second was a pedestrian being struck in East Vancouver yesterday morning.
Several Vancouver residents took their frustrations with the recent rise in crashes to the internet, sharing that more needs to be done by the city.
“I live right around here and stand 15 feet back of the intersection whenever I’m waiting to cross,” wrote East Van resident and Reddit user eoairt123 in a discussion thread about the incident. “Seen and heard plenty of accidents here. Any accident can easily spill over onto the sidewalk, and they have before.
“The blind left turn without a turn lane or advance signal, and nearly every car speeding up trying to beat the red light is a constant recipe for disaster. It’s a nightmare intersection, and unless the city does something, sad stuff like this is bound to keep happening here.”
Daniel Chai/Daily Hive
“The City needs to start taking traffic fatalities and injuries seriously, and just put up speed/red light cameras in accident-prone intersections,” added another commenter. “Drivers aren’t going to change their behaviour by themselves. No reason to keep treating traffic accidents as unavoidable.”
VPD Traffic Section urges everyone to be extra aware as the new season begins in Vancouver.
“With fall approaching and decreasing daylight hours, please use a controlled crosswalk whenever possible. Drivers, please give extra attention,” said the unit on X.
Pedestrians are the road user group with the highest number of collision fatalities in the city, according to the Vancouver Police Traffic Section.
In 2024, seven of the year’s 15 collision fatalities were pedestrians. The year before, that number was even higher, with pedestrians accounting for 11 of the year’s 16 motor vehicle incident deaths.
Vancouver Police Traffic Section
VPD has listed several suggestions for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers to help keep themselves and others safe on the road.
Pedestrians are encouraged to make eye contact with approaching drivers and cyclists, use designated crossing points, and wear reflective clothing at night.
Drivers are urged to yield to pedestrians, make eye contact with pedestrians, and not drive distracted.
Cyclists are reminded to follow all road rules, refrain from riding on the sidewalk, and make eye contact with others on the road.
However, Vancouver City Councillor Lucy Maloney recently stated that pedestrian safety shouldn’t rely on wearing bright clothing.
Nekrasov Eugene/Shutterstock
A member motion introduced by the OneCity city councillor this summer called for further action to reduce the likelihood of deaths and serious injuries as a result of vehicle collisions.
“This means moving away from ineffective interventions, like campaigns that attempt to persuade pedestrians to wear high-visibility gear, and towards more effective interventions that address dangerous driver behaviour, like road redesigns, speed reductions and better visibility at intersections so all road users can see each other coming and keep each other safe,” said Maloney in a July 2025 release.
Maloney’s motion, “Developing a Vision Zero Road Safety Policy and Action Plan,” was passed by the Vancouver City Council, although details on how the motion will be implemented have not yet been revealed.
Vancouver City Council also recently unanimously approved the City of Vancouver staff’s recommendations to reduce the speed limit on all local minor streets to 30 km/h, down from the current 50 km/h default limit set by the provincial government for all roads, unless otherwise noted by posted signage.
Daniel Chai/Daily Hive
Typically, these local streets are residential and do not have a painted centre line.
Have you noticed an increase in reckless driving on the roads or a decrease in consideration from drivers? Do you think pedestrians should take greater responsibility for their own safety? What role do you think the City plays in road safety? Let us know in the comments or by emailing vancouver@dailyhive.com.
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