New safety program urges pedestrians to pay more attention

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Vancouver Police are cracking down on misbehaving drivers, pedestrians and cyclists this fall and winter after a record number of people were killed in traffic crashes this year.

Insp. Ted Schinbein, head of the VPD Traffic Section, says their newest safety blitz, PedWatch, in partnership with the province and ICBC, won’t have an end date – and with good reason: 2011 has seen a spike in traffic-related deaths.

“So far this year, nine of the 13 traffic fatalities in the City of Vancouver are pedestrians,” Schinbein says. “Male and female pedestrians between 20 and 29 years of age are most likely to be injured.

“We do see elderly people being struck and injured and killed.  [But] the younger people, they’re out there in the traffic, they think that they’re immune, that they’re not going to be at risk, and yet they are, and because we hear of these tragedies so often we sometimes become desensitized to the sad realities that many of these people set out never to return home.”

Schinbein says police will be targeting drivers running lights and stop signs, cyclists riding on sidewalks and in crosswalks, and pedestrians jaywalking.

Fiona Temple, road safety director for ICBC, says pedestrians need to expect the unexpected.
    
“Remove your headphones, put away your cell phone, Blackberry, iPod, MP3 player or other distractions when crossing the street,” she advises.  “Assume drivers cannot see you, especially now that we are losing day light during our afternoon commutes.”

Soon after the rollout, VPD traffic officers began handing out warning pamphlets and safety bracelets to people crossing the streets, some of whom had their heads buried in their cell phones and earbuds firmly in place.

Officers also stopped several cyclists whizzing down the sidewalk, reminding them to use the road instead.

Wesley crossed West 7th toting his daughter Anna-Lee on his shoulders, agreeing drivers and pedestrians need to be more aware.

“[As drivers] we think, ‘It’s easier for [pedestrians] to stop than for me,” he says, “but I think we need to probably just slow down a bit and we can still get where we need to go.”

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