Christie Deford of Vancouver waits for the light to change so that she can cross the intersection at Fourth Plain Boulevard and 117th Avenue, a journey she makes at least twice a day going to and from work. The area has been a hot spot for cars striking pedestrians and officials warn to practice good road safety. (James Rexroad for The Columbian)Photo Gallery
Following a rash of recent fatal crashes involving pedestrians in Vancouver, officials are reminding people to pay close attention to the road in the dark winter months.
Vancouver police have investigated 15 traffic deaths this year, a record number. Of those, a record 10 deaths were pedestrians or bicyclists, according to data from the police department. In the past two months, Vancouver police responded to three fatal crashes involving pedestrians.
Officials warn the number of crashes tends to increase in the winter when darkness falls while many people are still out and about.
“In the last month we’ve seen an increase as more drivers can’t see as easily,” Vancouver police Cpl. Robert Block said. “People are still crossing at the same time of day. It’s just dark now.”
Darkness is one of the biggest risk factors in pedestrian crashes, said Mark McKechnie of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. He said only about 30 percent of pedestrian deaths happen in the daylight hours.
McKechnie said the agency advocates for shared responsibility on the road between drivers and pedestrians. He said the biggest thing drivers can do to increase safety is to slow down. The faster someone drives, he noted, the more their field of vision narrows to the path in front of them. Speed also affects a driver’s ability to stop if a pedestrian steps out in front of them.
“If people don’t do anything else, they should reduce their speed, not just to the speed limit but what’s appropriate for the conditions,” McKechnie said. “Don’t overdrive your visibility.”
McKechnie said pedestrians should also assume drivers can’t see them, and make sure a driver notices them before proceeding into a crossing. Pedestrians should also try to wear bright colors or reflectors that would make them more visible, he said.
He also reminds drivers that pedestrians have the right-of-way at all intersections, whether they’re marked as crosswalks or not.
Block said traffic officers have seen an increase in pedestrians crossing outside of a crosswalk or against a signal. When patrol officers have down time, they try to stop and talk to people to remind them of safe road practices, he said.
“We’re seeing more reports from drivers where they say the person came out of nowhere,” Block said.
There are hot spots, Block said, for pedestrian crashes. One area Vancouver police respond to a high number of crashes is on Fourth Plain Boulevard west of Andresen Road. Another area he noted was on Andresen between Mill Plain Boulevard and 18th Street.
“You can drive down Fourth Plain between Grand and Andresen daily and see people crossing outside of a crosswalk,” Block said.
The project’s website noted about 300 crashes happened on Fourth Plain Boulevard between 2018 and 2020, which made it the least
safe corridor in the city.
In some of those areas, Block said city crews have been working to cut back foliage on medians to help increase drivers’ visibility of those who may be crossing there.
Although it can be easy to become impatient behind the wheel, McKechnie said “we’re all pedestrians at some point.”
“More awareness, more patience on both sides can go a long way,” he said.
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