It’s been a grim year for pedestrian safety across Quebec.
According to the latest figures from Quebec’s automobile insurance board, the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), the number of pedestrians killed on Quebec highways and roads is up 14.7 per cent through the first nine months of 2022 compared with 2021.
And the number of collisions requiring pedestrians to be hospitalized jumped 27 per cent for the same period.
The sobering numbers come on the heels of the death of Maria Legenkovska, a seven-year-old girl, fatally hit by a car on the way to school on Dec. 13.
Maria’s death and the increasing number of pedestrian fatalities have a lot of people and lawmakers concerned.
“I’m a driver, of course, sometimes you’re rushed, in a hurry, you have to get somewhere fast but, oh my God, just to hit a kid is the worst,” Shannon Casey, a Pointe-Claire resident and mother of five, told Global News.
The West Island city is planning to install more traffic-calming measures such as flashing yellow lights at crosswalks on busy streets.
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“We must do something this time,” Pointe-Claire Coun. Eric Stork told Global News.
He’s in consultations with parents hoping to bring plans for new traffic calming measures to city council in the near future.
The mayor is on board.
“We teach our kids to make eye contact with the drivers but drivers should be paying attention, especially in a school zone,” Pointe-Claire Mayor Tim Thomas told Global News.
On Nov. 23, a car slammed into a stroller with a baby inside at an intersection in Outremont — fortunately, the infant survived unharmed.
But some residents in Pointe-Claire say too many people roll through stop signs without ever stopping.
Earlier this fall, Guy Belliveau recorded a car travelling through a stop sign at a busy intersection in Pointe-Claire without ever stopping.
“It’s kind of a regular occurrence. When I walk the dog here in the morning, I see cars just going through the stop sign,” Belliveau said.
CAA-Québec says pedestrians need to be extra vigilant when crossing roads. David Marcille, a spokesperson, says some of the increased accidents and deaths are due to drivers being distracted with their mobile devices or smart screens and not paying enough attention to the road.
Marcille adds that far too many drivers are speeding through school zones, especially in big cities like Montreal and Quebec City.
He says for pedestrians to stay safe they should make eye contact with drivers at crosswalks and at night, wear light or reflective clothing. Carrying a pocket flashlight or using the light on a mobile phone to capture a driver’s attention can also help keep you safe.
“The driver will notice the light and pay attention to the pedestrian that’s walking on the sidewalk or crossing in front of you,” Marcille said.
They’re tips that will hopefully make 2023 a safer year for pedestrians.