At this time of year, road safety statistics indicate that there is an increase in collisions involving pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users, as a result of fewer daylight hours as well as wet and slippery road conditions.
“Drivers are urged to reduce their speed, stay alert and avoid distractions,” said Barbara Gray, General Manager of the City’s Transportation Services. “Especially at this time of year, drivers need to be extra cautious.”
Pedestrians and cyclists need to be extra vigilant at this time of year, avoid crossing midblock, and be aware that drivers may not see them under the low light conditions.
The City launched its Vision Zero Art of Distraction road safety campaign to coincide with the seasonal time change this week. This public education campaign features powerful imagery and tragic stories of grief and loss on city streets. More information about the Art of Distraction campaign is available at http://www.toronto.ca/VisionZeroTO.
The Vision Zero Road Safety Plan is a five-year action plan aimed at eliminating fatalities and reducing serious injuries with an emphasis on pedestrians, school children, older adults, cyclists and motorcyclists safety and reducing aggressive and distracted driving.
Significant work has been carried out or is underway in Toronto to improve infrastructure, enforcement, signage and education to increase road safety. More information about specific Vision Zero initiatives is available at https://www.toronto.ca/home/media-room/backgrounders-other-resources/backgrounder-vision-zero-and-cycling-infrastructure/.
The Vision Zero web page and a new data mapping tool is available at http://www.toronto.ca/VisionZeroTO.
From 2013 to 2017 in Toronto, 190 pedestrians were killed in collisions involving people driving motor vehicles. Another 656 were seriously injured. In addition, 16 cyclists were killed and another 234 were seriously injured during the same time period.
Toronto is Canada’s largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of more than 2.9 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world’s most livable cities. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TorontoComms, on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cityofto.
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