As the temperature rises in April, so does the number of vulnerable road users. Vulnerable road users are those on the road; like motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians; who don’t have the added layer of a vehicle protecting them. These vulnerable users are therefore more likely to get seriously hurt or killed in a collision.
“Many collisions involving vulnerable road users happen because the driver just didn’t see them,” says Sgt. Ian Barr, of the Regina Police Service Traffic Safety Unit. “We want all drivers to be mindful of their own actions and how that affects the safety of everyone sharing the road.”
Learn to read the signs; and not just the road signs. Look for behaviour while driving that will alert you to an unseen vulnerable road user. For example, when coming up behind a vehicle that is stopped or slowing down in a multi-lane intersection, don’t just make the lane-change without slowing down and preparing to stop for a pedestrian crossing the roadway. Leaping to the wrong assumption could have fatal consequences for the pedestrian or other vulnerable road users who have every right to share the roadway in safety.
The Regina Police Service is asking for motorists to be cognisant of the increase in the number of motorcyclists, pedestrians, and bicyclists on the road, and to consider their higher risk of injury. Let this message be the only impact you experience as a driver.