Transit police, ICBC, and other community volunteers physically handed out 800 reflectors to pedestrians at the Carvolth Exchange and Langley Centre bus loops recently, all aimed at helping recipients stay visible during fall and winter.
A new ICBC survey reveals that nine in 10 drivers worry about hitting a pedestrian at night and in wet weather, and eight in 10 pedestrians don’t feel safe in these conditions, said Lindsay Matthews, ICBC’s director responsible for road safety.
In preparation for the darker skies and drizzly weather to come, ICBC, government, and police launched a pedestrian safety campaign across the province, and the reflector distribution was a part of that effort.
Alarmingly, a disproportionate number of pedestrian-related crashes and injuries happen in just four months of the year – 43 per cent of all crashes that injure pedestrians happen between October and January as visibility and conditions get worse, Matthews said.
Pedestrian safety is a serious concern in B.C., she added, noting that pedestrians are the most vulnerable road user to get injured when a crash occurs.
She also said these preventable crashes are contributing to the rising number of injury claims in our province – the largest single cost pressure on B.C. insurance rates.
Dark and rainy conditions can seriously impact visibility.
Some of ICBC’s new publicity initiatives are expected to build on this by reminding drivers: you see pedestrians when you really look for them.
“Keep your eyes on the road: take a break from your phone, be extra alert at intersections and be ready to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians,” Matthews said, recounting some of the verbage from the campaign.
“The most important tip if you’re walking is to take extra care to help drivers see you: stay focused on the road and make eye contact. ICBC and community policing volunteers will be handing out reflectors and safety tips in high pedestrian traffic areas across the province to help pedestrians stay visible,” she added.
In addition to the recent month-long campaign, ICBC is hoping to help make roads safer for vulnerable road users through its road improvement program.
Last year, ICBC invested in more than 160 pedestrian and cyclist-related projects in B.C.
These projects included crosswalks, sidewalks, countdown timers and pedestrian-activated flashing crosswalks.
In the Lower Mainland, on average, 1,400 crashes at intersections involve a pedestrian every year, she said, turning a spotlight on crash statistics from ICBC data based on five-year average from 2011 to 2015. And every year in B.C., 59 pedestrians are killed and 2,500 are injured, with 76 per cent of these crashes occurring at intersections.
And since so many of the pedestrian crashes occur at intersections, an intersection safety camera program is one of the other ways ICBC are working to improve road safety for everyone sharing the road, Matthews said.
“The reality is, these crashes are preventable. We all need to do our part to keep our roads and pedestrians safe,” Matthews said.
Find more pedestrian safety tips on icbc.com.