Pedestrian Safety

Pedestrian safety is a two-way street requiring both motorists and pedestrians to be aware. Each month we focus on a different priority to educate and enforce. These priorities are set by the Office of Traffic Safety, Alberta Transportation. Infomation found here has been adapted from Alberta Transportation and Safe Roads.

Facts & Figures About Pedestrian Casualty Collisions

• between 2011 and 2015, on average, 44 pedestrians were killed and 1,187 were injured each year.
• The majority of pedestrian casualty collisions (96.4 per cent) occurred in urban areas in 2015.
• 50.2 per cent of the drivers involved in pedestrian casualty collisions failed to yield the right of way to the pedestrian (2015).
• In 2015, the casualty rates per 10,000 populations were highest for pedestrians between the ages of 15 to 19. However, 86 per cent of pedestrians killed were 25 and older.
• In 2015, 21.7 per cent of pedestrians involved in fatal collisions had consumed alcohol.

Pedestrians

• Obey all traffic signs and signals.
• Always walk on the sidewalk; if there are no sidewalks walk on the side of the road facing traffic.
• Wear bright or light-coloured clothing or reflective strips when walking in dark or low-light conditions.
• Cross safely at corners and crosswalks, preferably at intersections with traffic lights.
• Stop at the curb to show drivers you intend to cross the road; hold your arm straight out at right angles to your body pointing across the road as a legal sign to motorists that you wish to cross the road.
• Look left, right and left again before proceeding to cross the road; cross when traffic has come to a complete stop and make eye contact with drivers in each lane that you cross to ensure you are seen.
• Continue crossing the street if the light changes to ‘don’t walk’ while you are in the crosswalk.
• Watch for traffic turning at intersections or entering and leaving driveways.

Motorists

• Scan farther down the road and obey posted speed limits. Always be prepared to slow down or stop.
  Avoid loud music and other distractions when driving.
• Use caution when approaching intersections or mid-block crosswalks. Allow pedestrians to cross the road before proceeding. The fine for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk or passing a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk is $776 and four demerit points.
• Be cautious in parking lots or when backing out of a parking stall or driveway.
• Slow down around parked or stopped vehicles as they may hide a pedestrian who is crossing the road, particularly children who may dash out into the street.
• Stay alert and slow down on residential streets and through school zones; the speed limit for school and playground zones in urban and rural areas is 30 km/h unless otherwise posted.
• Watch for the school safety patrol wearing orange vests, and stop as directed. School safety patrollers play a vital role in directing children safely across the street.