Alberta Moves to Increase Pedestrian Safety
The NDP Government of Alberta has said it will look at legislation to better protect pedestrians in Alberta. In Calgary alone there have been 7 pedestrian fatalities so far this year in 2015, and province-wide in 2014 there were 45 pedestrian fatalities. Speed is a fundamental issue with pedestrian fatalities as a speeding driver simply does not have the visibility necessary to spot a pedestrian crossing a crosswalk.
The Province of Alberta will look at increasing fines and increasing demerit points for traffic violations involving pedestrians. This is welcome news as pedestrians are at risk of not only a fatal collision, but extremely grievous injuries if they survive an encounter with a 5000 lb. piece of metal exceeding the speed limit.
Distracted Driving
Combine this with the fact that despite legislation on distracted driving, many people still text while driving a 5000 lb. piece of machinery down the highway or a city street. This type of behavior while driving puts all other users of the highway or city street at risk – which is a very sad example of the egocentric nature of human beings.
Hopefully this legislation will be severe with respect to when a driver is at fault for colliding with a pedestrian to make all Alberta drivers more aware of pedestrians, especially the self-absorbed driver at fault who will then suffer significant criminal consequences for his/her outrageous inattentive behavior in driving a motor vehicle.
Handel Law Firm is Alberta’s serious personal injury and fatal accident law firm serving the cities and areas of Red Deer, Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie.