submitted by Alberta RCMP
Alberta’s Traffic Safety calendar prioritizes a specific aspect of traffic safety each month, allowing RCMP and their partners to offer education. October sees the season change and the days getting shorter, giving RCMP the opportunity to focus on the fact pedestrians are more at-risk.
There were 192 pedestrian-involved collisions in Alberta RCMP jurisdiction in 2020. Sixteen of those resulted in fatalities. RCMP says the incidents occurred mostly in August and September between the hours of 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
“We all have a role to play in upholding traffic safety,” said Alberta RCMP Traffic Services Superintendent Gary Graham. “Motorists and pedestrians should each do their part to share the road responsibly and to ensure everyone’s commutes – on foot or by vehicle – are safe.”
Alberta RCMP offers the following tips:
Pedestrians:
- If you are crossing a roadway outside of a crosswalk, you must yield to vehicles.
- Signal your intent to enter a crosswalk by extending an arm and pointing in the direction you would like to proceed. Make eye contact with drivers to ensure they see you.
- Pedestrians should wear bright reflective clothing.
- Do not cross a street in the middle of a block or between parked cars. If there are no crossing lights, wait until all vehicles have come to a complete stop before crossing (Government of Alberta, 2021).
- Pedestrians should always use the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk available, walk off the road against the direction of traffic (Government of Alberta, 2021).
- Walking with headphones in or while texting can make you less aware of your surroundings. Distracted walking is dangerous.
Motorists:
- At both marked and unmarked crosswalks, vehicles must yield to pedestrians.
- Working headlights are required of all drivers in order to see pedestrians, cyclists, and wildlife on the road.
- Motorists approaching flashing crosswalk lights should slow to 30 km/h and yield to pedestrians signalling to cross. Look both ways to ensure pedestrians have cleared the crosswalk before proceeding.
Follow the RCMP on Facebook @RCMPinAlberta and Twitter @RCMPAlberta for more safety tips.
