Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

STAY SAFE!

Kamloops RCMP, ICBC, SD73, and BC Transit team up to promote pedestrian safety

Oct 27, 2021 | 4:38 PM

KAMLOOPS — As we approach November, the days have gotten noticeably shorter.

That means less daylight for folks to get outside, and decreased visibility for motorists.

That’s the reason the Kamloops RCMP Community Policing Unit, ICBC, School District 73, and BC Transit teamed up to try and educate pedestrians at one of Kamloops busiest intersections.

Weekday afternoons, shortly after 2 p.m., this intersection transforms. Hundreds of Sahali Secondary students make their way across Summit Drive as it meets Notre Dame Drive. As the mass of humanity makes its way to the bus stop, the opportunity for a motor vehicle versus pedestrian incident skyrockets.

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“You want them to be aware of their surroundings and follow the traffic signals, and follow the rules of the road, even as pedestrians,” SD73 Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Bill Hamblett says.

However, it’s clear that both motorists and pedestrians aren’t always as vigilant as they ought to be. That’s why all the agencies involved took the initiative to ensure the safety of everyone who uses the intersection.

“The responsibility is for both the vehicles – the drivers – and the pedestrians,” Cst. Dana Napier explains. “Everyone just needs to take that extra moment, slow down a little bit, have that extra look around. Make sure it’s safe to cross, and if you’re a driver, make sure it’s safe to proceed through an intersection.”

Ingrid Brakop, Road Safety and Community Coordinator for ICBC in Kamloops, says between the months of October through January, around 44 per cent of collisions involve pedestrians.

“In a year of about 230 crashes, there are about 130 pedestrians injured in those collisions,” Brakop says.

However, there’s an easy way pedestrians can make themselves more visible to drivers as the days get darker earlier.

“We’re just asking pedestrians to take better care of themselves by, of course, wearing very reflective clothing,” Brakop advises. “That can be as simple as just adhering a reflector to your jacket, to your knapsack, to your dog, to your bike.”

Along with staying visible, RCMP suggests both pedestrians and motorists eliminate distractions while travelling. That could mean taking out headphones and leaving the smartphone alone. When it comes to pedestrian versus car interactions, the pedestrian rarely comes out on top.

“They can’t assume they’re always going to be observed by the driver, and they can’t always assume that they’ll have the right of way just because they are pedestrians,” Cst. Napier says. “They have to take those precautions themselves, just as the drivers have to take precautions as well, to slow down and look for those pedestrians.”