Posted:
In response to the spike in vehicle/pedestrian collisions late last year, HRM Partners in Policing committed to improving our reporting of these incidents.
On December 11, 2013, police publicly announced that every collision involving a pedestrian would be reported on a go-forward basis, including those incidents that occur in marked and unmarked crosswalks, in the roadway but not in a crosswalk and in parking lots. On January 17, in an effort to better track collisions involving pedestrians, we also made changes to our reporting process; specific report types were created in our police system to track incidents involving pedestrians.
As part of our quality assurance process to ensure that every vehicle/pedestrian is appropriately documented and reported, we also reviewed all collision reports for 2014 and determined that seven collisions were not previously reported to the public, bringing the total number of vehicle/pedestrian collisions to date in 2014 to 16. In realizing this oversight, we have since taken extra steps to ensure that all vehicle/pedestrian collisions are reported to the media and the public in a timely manner.
Following are details on the seven collisions not previously released:
1. Jan 6, 2014, 6:35 p.m. - A 58-year-old woman turning right from Portland Street to Eisener Boulevard in Dartmouth hit a 24-year-old male pedestrian. He was not injured and no ticket was issued, as the right of way could not be determined. (14-2224)
2. Jan 9, 2014, 4:12 p.m. - A woman walking in between cars in a parking lot at 7051 Bayers Road in Halifax stopped to let a truck pass. As she continued walking, she was hit by the end of a trailer that was towed by the truck. The driver stopped and rendered assistance. The woman suffered minor injuries. No ticket was issued as the circumstances of the collision did not warrant one. (14-3665)
3. Jan 9, 2014, 6 p.m. - A 16-year-old male pedestrian was hit in a marked crosswalk at the intersection of Dutch Village Road and Central Avenue in Halifax. The pedestrian suffered minor injuries and was transported to hospital by EHS. The 37-year-old male driver was issued a ticket for failing to yield to a pedestrian in crosswalk. (14-3706)
4. Jan 13, 2014, 4:45 p.m. - A 30-year-old man was hit in a marked crosswalk at the intersection of Welsford Street and Robie Street in Halifax. The pedestrian suffered minor injuries and was transported to hospital by EHS. The 17-year-old male driver was issued a ticket for failing to yield to a pedestrian in crosswalk. (14-5806)
5. Jan 15, 2014, 10:04 a.m. - A 68-year-old male driver hit a male pedestrian (age unknown) at the intersection of Robie Street and Spring Garden Road in Halifax. The driver transported the pedestrian to hospital for treatment and reported the incident to police at a later date. The matter remains under investigation. (14-6584)
6. Jan 15, 2014, 7:39 p.m. - A 73-year-old woman turning right from Joseph Howe Drive onto Murdoch Avenue hit an 18-year-old woman. The pedestrian suffered minor injuries. The driver was issued a ticket for failing to yield to a pedestrian at a walk light. (14-6871)
7. Jan 18, 2014, 5:51 p.m. - A 75-year-old woman was hit by a vehicle in the parking lot of 1120 Queen Street in Halifax. She was transported to hospital by EHS for treatment of minor injuries. No ticket was issued as the circumstances of the collision did not warrant one. (14-8357)
Police will continue to analyze and report vehicle/pedestrian collisions in an effort to bring attention to this issue as well as provide citizens with contextual information.
Summary offence tickets issued under section 125(1) of the Motor Vehicle Act for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk carry a fine of $693.95 and four points on your driver’s license upon conviction.
Road safety is a shared responsibility. Motorists are reminded to slow down, pay attention and adjust their driving for the conditions. There is a crosswalk at every intersection, whether it is marked or not, and drivers must yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk. Pedestrians are reminded to make eye contact with drivers and wait until vehicles come to a complete stop before attempting to cross the road at marked and unmarked crosswalks.