OPP report increase in pedestrian fatalities

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When a pedestrian is struck by a vehicle, rarely does the person on foot escape without injury and so far this year, the Ontario Provincial Police noticed a 75% increase in pedestrian fatalities on OPP patrolled roads. 29 people have been killed by cars so far this year. Those numbers are concerning to police because we haven’t even put our clocks back an hour and visibility is pretty good seeing that we haven’t reached winter yet.

“We’re going to lose that hour of sunlight in the afternoon and it might be dark coming home from work and people are anxious to get home they don’t want to be delayed you may not be focusing on what’s happening around you.” Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, OPP.

The OPP say 2016 has already surpassed fatality numbers from the past four years. While only 3 pedestrians have been killed in Hamilton, Toronto is in the middle of a crisis. So far, 35 people have been killed by vehicles. Last week a 63-year old woman died and 17 others were injured by cars in a single day.

Toronto is looking to lower speed limits on dangerous roads but when it comes to awareness, Schmidt says it’s a two way street.

“Cars making a right hand turn at an intersection and they’re all looking left for a gap in traffic, and they don’t realize there’s a person trying to cross infront of them and in that moment when you cross infront of them there’s a gap, that person may be on the gas before they even look where they’re going.”