Surrey RCMP are reminding drivers and pedestrians alike to take care on the roads, after an Elgin Park Secondary student suffered minor injuries while crossing 24 Avenue en route to school Monday morning.
Const. Richard Wright confirmed that a high-school-aged male was struck just before 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 21, and said the teen was fortunate to not have been more seriously injured.
“It could so easily have been worse,” Wright told Peace Arch News.
“We all need to take extra care on the roads.”
In an email to parents, Elgin Park principal Jeff Johnstone said the safety message is not a new one.
“In previous communications, in newsletters, emails, and PAC meetings, I have asked drivers, parents, and pedestrians to take everyone’s safety seriously,” he writes. “We have had many near misses already this year and this accident is a reminder for everyone to take safety seriously.”
Johnstone asked families to plan their transportation so that students arrive at school before 8:30 a.m., and are not rushed.
“School staff have observed and received phone calls and emails about unsafe driving (U-turns, using cellphones, speeding) and risky pedestrian behaviour (not looking for cars, using phones),” he said.
“Please plan ahead, drive slow and be aware in all school zones from Crescent Park to Chantrell Creek on 24th Avenue.”
Wright noted pedestrian-struck collisions typically increase in the last three months of the year, as daylight hours get shorter and the weather worsens.
He said it was dark and rainy at the time of Monday’s incident. No violations tickets were issued.
