While the clocks were turned back Sunday to mark the end of daylight saving time, a pedestrian safety event taking place Nov. 6 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Yonge and Wellington streets provides a window of opportunity to consider the Regional Municipality of York’s own "collision clock".
Statistics gleaned from the region’s 2017 annual collision report shows that over the three-year period studied between 2014 and 2016, collisions continue to occur mostly on Fridays from November to February during the 5 to 6 p.m. rush hour.
Collision clock by-the-numbers:
- 1: collision every 67 minutes
- 1: person injured every four hours
- 1: fatality every 24 days
- 1: transit collision every four days
- 1: cyclist collision every three days
- 1: pedestrian collision every 2 days
To remind pedestrians, cyclists and drivers to pay attention and be aware of their surroundings when travelling on local roads, York Regional Police will kick off a pedestrian safety campaign tomorrow that aims to instill the message: Be Visible, Be Seen! It is a partnership between Ontario’s Transportation Ministry, York Region and its public health branch.
Diamond-shaped, on-street decals that say, Be Visible, Be Seen, have been placed at busy York Region intersections to remind and encourage pedestrians to pay attention when they're crossing at intersections or hustling to catch a bus. Visibility decreases as the days get shorter, York police say.
While the overall collision rate has steadily decreased on the region’s 4,200 lane-kilometres of roads and at 2,000 intersections, the number of collisions involving pedestrians is trending upward over that same time period.
The danger zone for pedestrian accidents, research shows, is the fall months when they become less visible to drivers in the dusky, late afternoon hours. There were 174 pedestrian collisions in 2016, compared to 169 in 2015, and 165 in 2014. What’s more, about 95 per cent of these accidents resulted in injuries or fatalities, with a majority of the collisions happening at signalized intersections.
Road safety tips for drivers:
- Don’t drive distracted
- Make sure your headlights are turned on and in good working order
- Drive defensively and courteously
- Give yourself extra time to arrive at your destination
- Turn your car radio down
- Save snack time for home or office
- Wear your seatbelt
Road safety tips for pedestrian and cyclists:
- Wear bright or light-coloured clothing and reflective strips when walking in dusk or darkness
- Walk on sidewalks and cross at crosswalks where possible
- Remove distractions such as headphones or earbuds
- Make eye contact with drivers before crossing the road
- Cyclists are required by law to have a front white light and either a rear red reflector or rear red light on their bicycles. The fine for riding without lights was recently increased to $110, up from $20.
In addition to the new decals, crosswalks have been updated, longer pedestrian walking times and countdown signal displays have been rolled out at signalized intersections, and dedicated cycling lanes have been created in the region.
Here are the top 10 collision locations in Newmarket, including the number of collisions reported between 2014 and 2016 in brackets:
- Yonge Street and Davis Drive/Davis Drive West (86)
- Davis Drive West and Bathurst Street (72)
- Yonge Street and Mulock Drive (68)
- Yonge Street and Eagle Street/Eagle Street West (65)
- Yonge Street and Kingston Road/ Dawson Manor Boulevard (60)
- Leslie Street and Davis Drive (58)
- Mulock Drive and Prospect Street/ Bayview Avenue (50)
- Leslie Street and Mulock Drive (49)
- Yonge Street and Savage Road/Sawmill Valley Drive (40)
- Yonge Street and Bristol Road/Aspenwood Drive (37)
