ICBC urges pedestrian safety as clocks fall back and weather worsens

With the night getting darker sooner as clocks turn back an hour on Sunday, Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) is warning both pedestrians and drivers to be safe.

ICBC Road Safety Community coordinator, Christine Kirby, told Vernon Matters that the darkness, along with the weather getting rainier and creating poor road conditions, it’s important for road users and pedestrians to do their part to pay extra attention.

“For pedestrians, make sure that you make eye contact with a driver, wear reflective clothing, and always cross at a well lit area with a crosswalk,” said Kirby.

She added that drivers, along with making eye contact with pedestrians, should “be looking for pedestrians that are dressed all in black and you might not see until the last minute.”

Kirby told Vernon Matters that ICBC is trying to reduce the risk to pedestrians in the darker wetter conditions with a reflector handout initiative. This is a program that runs each year, and this year the reflector being handed out is in the shape of a feather to honour First Nations. Kirby said people can contact her to get a reflector.

“Lots of folks they take a couple for their kids and put it on their backpacks or back of their coats or their zippers or whatever, and when a car light shines on them it reflects and the car sees there’s something there,” added Kirby.

Kirby also noted that people tend to think with having the extra hour that they will be a little fresher for their morning commute, but says that’s not often the case as people tend to stay up later because of the time change, and are then tired when they get up in the morning. She again asked that people be cautious and pay attention to other road users and pedestrians when behind the wheel.

With the weather bringing more rain, Kirby asked that drivers give themselves extra time to get to their destination so they can go a bit slower on the road.

ICBC data noted the average fatal collisions for the Interior is 138 a year. Of those, 37 are linked to high-risk driving; 31 are related to speed; 29 are distraction-related collisions; 24 are attributed to alcohol, drugs or medication; and 17 are associated with driving too fast for road conditions.

The Interior has the highest average figures of all jurisdictions for each of these categories, with the exception of high risk driving which the Lower Mainland having the highest rate for those incidents.

The Interior’s driving too fast for conditions figures are nearly double that of the Lower Mainland, which has the second highest average at nine a year. Kirby states that Interior drivers need to be very wary and ensure they are driving to conditions.

“We can go from being in Kelowna or Vernon where it’s still raining, and then get up on the Connector or the highway areas and there’s a bit of snow or ice on the road. So just paying attention to what the road conditions are, because they can change very quickly.”

To be better equipped for changing conditions, Kirby encouraged motorists to have the proper tires on their vehicles for snowy and icy conditions, to change their windshield wipers, to bring emergency supplies and extra clothing with them in case of an incident, and to let people know when and where they are going before hitting the road.