A rash of pedestrian and cyclist accidents in the GTA has been alarming to those people who choose to walk or bicycle. It is particularly upsetting because these accidents have caused increased pedestrian fatalities.
With the continual increase in the number of automobiles in Ontario coupled with a rise in the number of inexperienced or inattentive drivers, we are seeing a marked upsurge in the number of pedestrians and cyclists struck by cars, vans, and trucks.
In Toronto alone, according to Toronto Police, 542 pedestrians and 541 cyclists were hit in the period between June and the end of September 2016. By the end of the year, 42 pedestrians had actually been killed, an increase over the previous year, 2015, in which 39 pedestrians died.
The chart below documents the alarming increase in fatalities since 2012.
Clearly pedestrian and bicycle accidents, commonly involving motor vehicles, can result in serious injury and death.
According to the OPP, “Early data suggests that driver inattention, speed, alcohol and/or drugs, and lack of occupant restraint – known as the ‘Big Four’ – were again causal factors in a high percentage of the overall road deaths last year”.
Roads must be made safer for pedestrians and cyclists, or we will not see a decrease in accidents.
Sources: Toronto Star and Globe and Mail
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