Teenagers between the ages of 15 and 18 years old are more likely to die in pedestrian, cycling and boarding accidents than younger children, according to findings from a Child Death Review Panel investigation.
The panel, made up of experts from child-serving and road-safety agencies, studied the deaths of 81 children and youth who died in these types of incidents from 2005 to 2014.
According to the B.C. Coroners Service, more than two-thirds of those who died were pedestrians, with 21 per cent being cyclists and 11 per cent boarders, which entails those riding skateboards, longboards or toboggans.
The investigation also found twice as many boys died as girls.
The main factors found to have contributed to the risk of a death ranged from speeding, lack of visibility, impairment as a pedestrian or cyclist and lack of developed knowledge and skills relating to road safety.
The coroners service released this information as part of a report to the chief coroner of B.C.
The report includes panel recommendations focusing on three key areas: adoption of a “safe systems” approach to road design, increased traffic knowledge for children and youth and promotion of the adoption of legislation for better sensors and cameras on new vehicles.
Children under five-years-of-age were half as likely to have died by being struck by vehicle in driveways where they could not be seen by the driver.
Click here to view the full report.
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