Saturday, November 20, 2010

16 Pedestrians Hit in 48 hours

An article on November 18th in the Toronto Star written by Daniela Germano which reported that 16 pedestrians were hit and injured by vehicles within 48 hours and this was during a week long campaign to improve pedestrian safety during which over 13,000 tickets were issued to negligent drivers. Combine shorter days with the dark clothing people wear with negligent drivers....the result should not be surprising. Keeping people safe is a shared responsibility between the driver, the pedestrian and the police. Visibility by wearing something white or reflective gear www.patbayreflective.com makes a big difference.

A female driver who police said struck a 10-year-old pedestrian and drove away was flagged down by a witness and convinced to turn back.
The young girl is the 16th pedestrian to be struck by a car in Toronto in the last 48 hours.
Just after 8 a.m. Thursday police were called to the scene at Coronation Dr. and Galloway Rd. in the city’s east end.
The driver of the van had initially left the scene, but was present during the police investigation, said Const. Isabelle Cotton.
Police said they have not laid charges yet because are still investigating whether the driver fled the scene deliberately.
The girl was taken to hospital and sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
On Wednesday morning, another 50-year-old pedestrian was struck by a truck in the High Park area and later succumbed to her injuries.
The darker skies during commuting times and the windy wet weather that hit Toronto this week contributed to the increase in pedestrian-related accidents in the last 48 hours, said Sgt. Tim Burrows of Traffic Services.
 The majority of the calls were of minor incidents that involved children or people over 60.
“Traffic Services are always called to monitor those calls, even if they aren’t serious,” said Burrows. “In those cases, injuries could turn out to be more serious than they seem.”
He added the increase this time of year is also due to darker clothing people usually wear and “pedestrians often keep their head down to fare the elements.”
On Sunday, police concluded their week-long campaign for pedestrian safety. During that time, more than 13,000 tickets were issued to negligent drivers.
More than 1,000 were issued to jaywalking pedestrians.
The same amount were also issued to drivers who ran red lights and made improper turns at traffic lights, among many other traffic offences.

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