232244
229577
Behind-the-Wheel

Pedestrians: vulnerable road users

 
Yesterday in a four hour period @ScanBC reported a half dozen vehicle / pedestrian collisions around the province on Twitter. Today while out walking during my lunch hour I watched a woman jogging with her back to traffic, in the lane instead of on the sidewalk, while wearing earbuds. A van squeezed between me and the curb as I crossed an intersection on the walk to my vehicle to get home. Are you surprised that these collisions are occurring?
 
 
When we walk at night I think that we tend to underestimate how vulnerable we are. We can see all of the vehicles around us because they are brightly lit. Most pedestrians are anything but. We dress in dark clothing, do not wear reflectors or carry a light. This may actually help us hide behind the brightness and go unseen by drivers until the last second or until it is too late.
 
Both drivers and pedestrians routinely ignore the traffic controls that are there to protect them by creating order and expectation. Why wait? If you think about it, walking when the signal says not to exposes you to drivers making turns who expect you to not be there. Instead, they focus more on finding a gap in traffic to make their turn than anticipating you in the crosswalk.
 
Right of way or wrong, the pedestrian has the most to lose in a collision. Obey the signals, use the crosswalk, be visible at night and look all around you before you cross the street. It's probably better to wait out the inconvenience than to walk out into traffic and pay the price for haste.
 
 
The author is a retired constable with many years of traffic law enforcement experience. To comment or learn more, please visit drivesmartbc.ca.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.



More Behind the Wheel articles

229714
About the Author

Tim Schewe is a retired constable with many years of traffic law enforcement experience. He has been writing his column for most of the 20 years of his service in the RCMP.

The column was 'The Beat Goes On' in Fort St. John, 'Traffic Tips' in the South Okanagan and now 'Behind the Wheel' on Vancouver Island and here on Castanet.net.

Schewe retired from the force in January of 2006, but the column has become a habit, and continues.

To comment, please email

To learn more, visit DriveSmartBC



231753
The views expressed are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Castanet. Castanet does not warrant the contents.

Previous Stories





232160