WESTLOCK – Alberta RCMP are highlighting pedestrian safety for the month of October, noting that in 2021 there were 224 pedestrian-involved collisions across the province that led to 23 people losing their lives and 49 being seriously injured.
Westlock RCMP Staff Sgt. Al Baird said while they’ve been fortunate locally with no serious incidents in the last handful of years, that doesn’t diminish the need for drivers and pedestrians to remain vigilant. RCMP note that most pedestrian collisions occur more during warmer weather between March and October.
“We’ve had the start of the school year pass and to my knowledge there hasn’t been any complaints of people almost getting hit by drivers, so people are doing well so far,” said Baird.
And while he can’t say for sure if the town’s 40 km/h residential speed limit, which came into force in 2015, has led to fewer incidents, he said it probably hasn’t hurt. In August 2021, the City of Edmonton also lowered the speed limit on most residential and downtown streets down to 40 km/h.
“I believe the science behind it says that crashes for pedestrians are more survivable at 40 km/h compared to 50 km/h, even for smaller people. As well, driving 10 km/h less also provides people more reaction time,” said Baird. “If you go 50 km/h from one end of Westlock to the other and then you do at 40 km/h, all things being equal, you’re talking about less than a minute.”
Staying safe while walking
RCMP recommend that pedestrians should wear bright reflective clothing and always use the sidewalk — if there’s no sidewalk available, walk off the road against the direction of traffic. If you are crossing a roadway outside of a crosswalk, you must yield to vehicles and remember to signal your intent to enter a crosswalk by extending an arm and pointing in the direction you would like to proceed — making eye contact with drivers to ensure they see you is also advised.
Do not cross a street in the middle of a block or between parked cars and if there are no crossing lights, wait until all vehicles have come to a complete stop before crossing. And remember that distracted walking can be dangerous as walking with headphones in, or while texting, can make you less aware of your surroundings.
Tips for drivers
At both marked and unmarked crosswalks, vehicles must yield to pedestrians. Motorists approaching flashing crosswalk lights must slow to 30 km/h and yield to folks signalling to cross — look both ways to ensure pedestrians have cleared the crosswalk before proceeding.
Finally, working headlights are required of all drivers to illuminate pedestrians, cyclists, and wildlife on the road.
“We want to ensure all road users, whether they are travelling by car or on foot, are safe on Alberta’s streets and highways,” said Alberta RCMP Traffic Insp. Chris Romanchych, in a release. “Pedestrians are some of our most vulnerable road users. As such, we must take the appropriate measures and precautions to reduce any potential risks to their safety and well-being.”
