An Oak Bay family was unharmed but left shaken after using a marked crosswalk near Newton St. on the morning of Dec. 8. A local resident didn’t take the time to clear the frost off the windshield of the car and narrowly missed hitting the young family in the crosswalk.
“This moment of driver complacency could’ve caused unthinkable harm,” said Deputy Chief Ray Bernoties.
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As weather turns and the number of traffic crashes rise, Oak Bay Police are reminding drivers to take the time to prepare their vehicles and to drive cautiously.
Just in the past week alone, Oak Bay Police have had to attend three crashes. Luckily, injuries were minor, though the vehicles had significant damage.
ICBC’s data on where crashes most frequently happen, show the following intersections as Oak Bay’s Top 10 most dangerous (2011-2015):
#1- Fort St. and Foul Bay Rd. (74 accidents)
#2 – Foul Bay Rd. and Lansdowne Rd. (61 accidents)
#3- Foul Bay Rd. and Oak Bay Ave. (53 accidents)
#4 – Cedar Hill Cross Rd. and Henderson Rd. (28 accidents)
#5 – Monterey Ave. and Oak Bay Ave. (22 accidents)
#6 – Cadboro Bay Rd. and Lansdowne Rd. (20 accidents)
#7 – Cadboro Bay Rd. and Cedar Hill Cross Rd. (19 accidents)
#8 – Hampshire Rd. and Oak Bay Ave. (18 accidents)
#9 – Beach Dr. and Cadboro Bay Rd. (17 accidents)
#10 – Bee St. and Cadboro Bay Rd. (14 accidents)
While those are the intersections that see the most crashes, ICBC’s Pedestrian Safety Campaign says it is important for pedestrians to make eye contact with drivers before crossing any road, especially from November to January when two times more pedestrians are injured than throughout the rest of the year.
The intersections above are the ones that have had the most traffic crashes, but the Oak Bay Police Strategic Plan 2018 – 2022 notes that Oak Bay is fortunate to have very few serious injury crashes.
Over the next four years, the Oak Bay Police commit to increasing the number of hours dedicated to traffic enforcement especially in school zones. They will also be conducting educational campaigns and working with partners such as ICBC & Oak Bay High.
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