People are Fragile: Vancouver Pedestrian Awareness Campaign

The City of Vancouver launched a pedestrian awareness campaign last month using outdoor advertising to bring attention to key behaviours around intersections. According to the City, these include: pedestrians jaywalking, cyclists running stop signs, and, motorists failing to yield to pedestrians in both marked and unmarked crosswalks.

People are fragile, they are not invincible. Don’t let inconsiderate, risky, and illegal behaviour in the roadway put yourself and others at risk. Always yield to pedestrians at intersections, stop at stop signs, and cross at intersections.

Photo credit: La Ola – From the Miss604 Flickr Pool.

From the Vancouver Police Department’s 2006-2011 collision data 61 pedestrians were killed in collisions: 13 were jaywalking, 21 were struck by drivers not yielding at intersections, and the remaining 27 fatalities resulted from a combination of pedestrian and driver error, confusion and inattention, and poor weather.

I know that as a pedestrian I get frustrated with drivers and cyclists who fail to stop at stop signs. As a driver, I’m ever-vigilant when pedestrians are near the roadway as you never know when someone will hop off the curb.

Everyone on the road should be aware of their surroundings, obey traffic laws, and be sure to make yourself visible on those dark and rainy Vancouver nights. With children out of school, with spring break coming up, be extra cautious on roads near playgrounds and parks.

If every party involved pays close attention to their driving, cycling, and walking habits, the City of Vancouver hopes to see a decrease in injuries and fatalities on our roads. You can read more about the initiative on the City of Vancouver’s website and at PracticeRoadSafety.ca.