ROAD SAFETY – PEDESTRIANS

Nearly 1 in 5 of all people killed in motor vehicle crashes every year in BC are pedestrians.1

OVERVIEW

A pedestrian is any person involved in an incident who, at the time of the incident, was not riding in or on a motor vehicle or bicycle. This includes being on foot, making adjustments to the outside of a vehicle, using a baby stroller, walker, wheelchair, roller skates, scooter, skateboard, skis, or sled. As a pedestrian, you can take some precautions to ensure your safety on the road.

In B.C., approximately 3,263 vehicle crashes involving pedestrians occur annually. Of these, about 72% (2,346 pedestrians) sustain injuries, and 53 pedestrians are killed.2

Road-related injuries and fatalities among pedestrians are most commonly seen in speed zones of 30-50 km/hr.3

Pedestrian injury hospitalization rates were highest among older adults aged 75 and over.4

Common contributing factors to pedestrian fatalities at these speeds are driver distraction and failing to yield to right-of-way.1

In 2023, the direct healthcare costs associated with transport incidents involving pedestrians in B.C. were $45 million. The indirect costs, reflecting the loss in societal productivity, amounted to $27 million. Together, these costs reached a total of $73 million, accounting for 13% of the overall costs from all transport incidents in BC.5

Approximately 78% of all motor vehicle crashes involving pedestrians occur at intersections.1

Prevention tips for pedestrians:

  • Stay alert and attentive: Focus your full attention on what is happening around you. Put your phone away. Look both ways before entering the intersection, even if the crosswalk signal is giving you the go-ahead.
  • Look them in the eye: Always make eye contact with drivers. Never assume that a driver has seen you and will stop.

Prevention tips for drivers:

  • Stay alert and attentive: Focus on the road and always leave your phone alone while driving. Watch for pedestrians waiting at crosswalks, and look closely when making turns to check that there is no one in your path, especially when negotiating traffic to make a left-hand turn.
  • Let them go ahead: Yield to pedestrians, especially when turning at intersections.

News

1. ICBC. Be a safe pedestrian. Available from: https://www.icbc.com/road-safety/sharing/pedestrian-safety/Pages/pedestrian-infographic.aspx

2. Data source: ICBC. Quick Statistics: Crashes and Casualty Crashes. 5-year average from 2018-2022. Available from: https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/icbc/viz/QuickStatistics-Crashandcasualtycrashes/CrashesCasualtyCrashes

3. Data Source: Business Information Warehouse – Traffic Accident System, Insurance Corporation of British Columbia. Data as of March 31st, 2023. Retrieved from Injury Data Online Tool (iDOT), BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit, 2023.

4. Data Source: Discharge Abstract Database (DAD), Ministry of Health, BCIRPU Injury Data Online Tool, 2021.

5. Rajabali F, Zheng A, Turcotte K, Bruin S, Pike I. (2022). Cost of Injury in British Columbia 2022. BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit: Vancouver, BC. [Cost from 2018 converted to 2023 dollars using the Bank of Canada inflation calculator]