Pedestrians and Drivers Urged to Be Careful
Prince George, B.C. – News of a pedestrian death in Quesnel ( see previous story) has sparked safety reminders from ICBC and police.
Info graphic courtesy ICBC
This is the third pedestrian fatality in the region in the past four weeks, and the second in Quesnel since October 7th when a Prince George man was killed after being struck by a vehicle.
On September 27th a pedestrian was injured and later succumbed to their injuries following a collision at 5th and Voyageur in Prince George.
ICBC notes crashes involving pedestrians spike in the fall and winter as daylight hours decrease. Inclement weather reduces visibility which is often a contributing factor to these tragedies.
Pedestrians area reminded to always make eye contact with drivers before crossing a road and never assume that a driver has seen you.
Other tips for pedestrians include:
-remove your headphones and focus full attention on what’s going on around you as drivers may not stop or obey traffic signals.
-Leave your phone alone
-Be extra careful at intersections and watch for drivers turning left or right through a crosswalk. Drivers may be focused on oncoming traffic instead of watching for you
-Always cross at designated crosswalks, never mid-block. Follow the pedestrian signs and traffic signals and never cross once the signal has turned yellow or red.
-Wear reflective clothing or gear, and carry flashlights to make it easier for drivers to see you at dusk and at night.
-On roads without sidewalks, always walk facing traffic so you can see oncoming vehicles.
It has been nearly two years since four pedestrians died in three separate incidents in Prince George over an 8 week period. The fall of 2014 saw two people struck and killed at 22nd and Nicholson, a third person died while crossing First Avenue at Dominion, and the fourth death was that of a woman who was crossing Winnipeg Street.
ICBC statistics show that on average, 90 pedestrians will be struck and four will die in any given year in Northern B.C.
Comments
The headline is misleading. This story is all about how pedestrians needto be careful.
Fine, fair enough. Absolutely pedestrians need to be aware, visible and careful. Fully support these suggestions adn follow them myself. Still regularly have close calls b/c drivers dont slow down or pay attention. Only reason no one has hit me yet is b/c i pay attention and leap to safety when drivers come too close.
Drivers:
Slow down!!! Expect to see pedestrians at crosswalks and intersections. It’s your job as a driver to see them (yes, even the ones in dark clothing) and not hit them. You are the ones in charge of a big heavy vechile; try to use it safely.
Look rigth before turnign right. I know you are focused on oncoming traffic but you are still responsible to make sure the way you are turning is clear before you move there.
Stop at crosswalks. If someone other car is stopped at a crosswalks, pause to wonder why adn don’t just go bombing through. Chances are there’s a pedestrian crossing.
Stop using your phone! Enough said. No call or text you can take or receive is as important as the pedestrians’ life, much as you might think your calls are more important. they are not.
Recognize that many sidewalks are unusable because of no curb cuts for wheelchair users, or construction or people parking on them. In this case, pedestrians are forced onto the road.
Remember that while adult pedestrians will hopefully jump out of the way when you do something inattentive, children may not because they havent yet learned that drivers dont always stop for them.
Sarah, Well done!
Slow down for anything with a heartbeat. When the eager beaver behind you rides your bumper and gives you dirty looks you can smile and be confident you are doing the right thing.
Although I agree with drivers needing to pay more attention this time of year, I will have to also comment on the responsibility of the pedestrian. Too many are wearing dark clothing and making them harder to see. Some do not even cross at cross walks and the worst of all, I have seen an increase of pedestrians and bikers staring at their cell phone and not even paying attention to their surroundings. On some of the uncontrolled intersections, some are not even stopping to have a look at what traffic is coming. They just stroll out and cross. I believe we all share the road however, if we want to keep people safe, we must all follow the rules.
a teenager at Vance Rd. a bicyclist on 15th. an old man on the highway and gauthier rd. a flag person on hwy 97 north and austin rd. this summer, all in Prince George. There is a real problem here. Does anyone care?
Why doesn’t everyone just wake up and pay attention?
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