With more than a dozen people dying in car crashes and collisions each year in Vancouver, the city is looking for a new way to find a solution.
At the VANquish Collisions Hackathon, dozens of tech savvy people are trying to ‘hack’ their way to safer roads.
“Fatalities and serious injuries continue to occur in the transportation network, and even one is too many,” a statement from the city said.
“We believe that the combination of data, technology, and your talent can help shape our approach to reaching our goal of zero transportation related fatalities and serious injuries.”
An intersection in Vancouver topped the list of the most dangerous ones for pedestrians, according to data released by the Insurance Corp. of B.C.
Last year, the Main Street and Terminal Avenue intersection saw seven crashes involving pedestrians.
READ MORE: Vancouver, Surrey, Delta top list of worst intersections for pedestrians
The hackathon is taking place at the University of British Columbia all weekend and the first, second and third place winners will take home prizes of $5,000, $2,000 and $500 respectively.
The event was inspired by Moving Towards Zero, the city’s active transportation plan with the goal of reducing traffic fatalities.
Between 2010 and 2015, an average of 15 people died each year in transportation-related incidents.
The city is hoping that hackers focus on seniors, who make up nearly half of fatalities and one-fifth of serious injuries, while only representing 14 per cent of the population, as well as cyclists, pedestrians and kids.
The hackathon wraps up Sunday night.
