Pedestrian thoughts

I was asked two interesting questions in an email last week: “Is it law or simply a rule in B.C. that pedestrians should walk facing traffic when there are no sidewalks? What happens when the highway maintenance company doesn't leave a shoulder to walk on?”

As I contemplate my answers, many things run through my mind. How do we learn to be a safe pedestrian? How many people don’t know the rules for driver/pedestrian interaction? What are the risks in deciding to walk on or beside the highway?

As a good grandpa should, I take my granddaughters by the hand when we cross the street. We stop at the edge of the pavement and carefully look both ways. If nothing is coming, we walk directly across the road without hesitation to the opposite shoulder. If something is coming, we wait until the vehicle has passed before we cross.

Their mother is equally careful. She coaches them to use the left side of the road to walk on and calls them to the side to stand and wait if a vehicle should appear. This is likely the most common form of pedestrian education.

ICBC provides a wealth of material to schools, free of charge, for road-safety education. A quick check with my local school district reveals that road safety is not part of the curriculum, but students may earn credit toward graduation through completion of a certified, driver-training program. Use of these materials at school would be discretionary.

A search for resources on the Internet will find many pages with tips for being a safe pedestrian, but I was unable to find a comprehensive pedestrian guide for British Columbia. Sadly, there is the Auto Accident Survivors Guide for British Columbia that was written by a pedestrian with first-hand knowledge of being struck and seriously injured.

The Motor Vehicle Act is the law in B.C.and Sections 179-182 regulate how drivers and pedestrians must behave. The heaviest onus is on the driver to be aware of and exercise due care to avoid a collision. The other side of the coin requires pedestrians to use a sidewalk when one is available, to walk on the left facing traffic when there isn't and to yield to vehicles when not using a crosswalk.

If there is no sidewalk and the shoulder is either impassable or not present, pedestrians are entitled to use the left edge of the roadway. Facing oncoming traffic will allow you to see approaching vehicles and take evasive action if necessary.

We have come from a society that was pedestrian based to one that is motor-vehicle based with little provision for the safety of non-vehicle road users. That is starting to change. The Canadian Council for Motor Transport Administrators has published Countermeasures to Improve pedestrian safety in Canada to guide authorities in fostering highways that are meant for more than the exclusive use of drivers.

Being a pedestrian comes with significant risk that it is possible many do not stop to consider. After all, most of us can walk by the age of two and move on to worry about other things. Still, 58 people are killed and 2,400 injured each year in B.C. The major contributing factors are distracted driving and drivers failing to yield the right of way but being a savvy pedestrian can go a long way toward self-preservation.

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.