Editor, The News:
We are all aware of the number of accidents in Maple Ridge which have been claiming the lives of our young people.
My topic today are accidents that involve pedestrians in crosswalks.
Drivers need to be aware, but so do pedestrians.
Time and again I have observed pedestrians who do not stop at crosswalks to view the oncoming traffic and boldly make a quick 90-degree turn on to the roadway.
Drivers need time to process that you (the pedestrian) are no longer proceeding straight down the street but are now crossing the road right in front of their moving vehicle.
Your quick step on to the road may be in front of a driver who is, not looking ahead but checking his rear-view or side mirror, as he is required to do every five to eight seconds.
Pedestrians need to ensure vehicles in all lanes have seen them and not assume that because the vehicle in the first or even the second lane has stopped that the ones in the next two lanes have also seen them.
Night-time pedestrians need to wear reflective clothing and take extra caution that the driver is aware of their presence.
Although you may say “it’s not cool to wear reflectors,” it’s way less cool to be left injured for life or not to have a life to enjoy.
Drivers also need to be aware of the dangers of pedestrians.
Time and again on Dewdney Trunk Road I have observed drivers stopped too close to the crosswalk or in the crosswalk. I have observed drivers who continue on without even a slight reduction in speed when vehicles travelling the opposite direction are stopped at crosswalks.
Are these drivers just assuming the stopped vehicle is making a right-hand turn?
M. Issel
Maple Ridge
