A Calgary mother is calling on the city and drivers to pay attention. That’s after a video showing a car blowing through a southwest Calgary crosswalk, narrowly avoiding a collision with her three kids, went viral.
“I have the reaction that any mother would have, it really kind of makes you angry,” said the mother who didn’t want her identity to be shared.
The video shows three children riding scooters through an intersection, barely escaping getting hit by an oncoming car. The viewer who captured the scene said it was taken Aug. 1 on Old Banff Coach Road at 89 Street S.W. The kids are crossing in a marked crosswalk. The car on the right appears to slow down, but the car on the left keeps driving through.
Honking cars can be heard in the background as the kids race to make it across the street.
The close call garnered over 20,000 views on Facebook in the first three hours it was posted by Global News.
“He (the driver) almost took three lives. It’s awful. Nobody wants to envision what could have happened,” the mother said. “I’m shocked that it was actually filmed. Are they (the City) going to wait until there’s a fatality? Until a child actually dies to do something?”
WATCH: A video sent to Global News shows three kids riding on scooters, barely escaping a car before making it through the intersection.
Several weeks ago her son told her that a car almost hit him and his brothers, but she had no idea how close it really came, until now.
The city is aware of problems at the intersection and the concerns expressed before and after the dash cam video was posted.
“What we’re currently thinking is the flashing light. Full on traffic signals would be desirable but has a lot of implications for traffic as well,” Councillor Richard Pootman, for Ward 6, said. “It’s an issue with pedestrian safety. We are averaging about one pedestrian injury a day in this city, which is unacceptable.”
In the meantime, city officials are asking people to get involved by calling 311 to report near misses or any traffic issues – it’s how they track which areas need attention first.
“We are worried as well. Near misses are a great concern. That’s why we need near misses reported, the more reports that we can hear – there are 13,000 kilometres of roads. We need people to inform us,” Councillor Pootman said.
Close calls being reported can also lead to charges and fines against the driver.
“Under the traffic safety act, they can receive a $766 fine, as well as six points on their drivers license just for passing the car who already was stopping in the crosswalk,” Randy Youngman from Alberta Traffic Safety said.
Officials from ‘Safe Roads’ say driver focus and awareness is key.
“We can’t let our guard down. As drivers we are responsible, we are the ones that have a large weapon for lack of a better word,” Youngman said.
Those who live nearby told Global News that near misses are a regular occurrence at the intersection in Cougar Ridge.
“I think we should be proactive. I don’t think we should be reactive. It should have been changed a long time ago,” the mother of the young boys said. “It’s only going to get busier and it’s only going to become more dangerous and somebody’s going to end up getting really hurt.”
WATCH: Reaction to Calgary dashcam video showing close call involving 3 kids on scooters
Officials from Safe Roads say it’s important drivers are always diligent but also that pedestrians follow the rules, which includes walking bikes or scooters across the road.
Police said the owner of the dashcam video, who wants to remain anonymous, has not filed a report with officials about the driver in their video.
After seeing the video, the mother of the kids said she plans to contact police.
READ MORE: Calgary man charged in QEII Highway dangerous driving incident caught on dashcam
Over 150 people had commented on the video on Facebook by Thursday afternoon.
“Was this person watching for anything?” Facebook user Kristi Ostrander wrote. “The kids, the other car turning… ANYTHING? At a crosswalk yet…. Thankful that no one was hurt, and I’m hoping it scared the driver and woke them up to pay more attention!”
Global News alerted Calgary police to the video Thursday afternoon and officers are investigating.
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