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

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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

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Research

Perceptions of neighbourhood safety and physical activity (ongoing)

A survey is being conducted with British Columbians about their perceptions of safety while walking, running, and cycling in their immediate neighbourhood, and which modifications they feel would promote road safety.

The effect of COVID-19 policies on road traffic injury among vulnerable road users in Canadian cities (ongoing)

This study is reviewing collision data from March 2017 to April 2023 in four Canadian cities (Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver) and across provinces. The study will determine the effects of implementing COVID-19 stay-at-home policies, relaxing these policies, and COVID-19 roadway mitigation strategies on road-related injuries and deaths.

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.