BC Seniors Advocate, Isobel Mackenzie, is calling on municipal governments in BC to consider initiatives targeted at ensuring safety for senior pedestrians.
In a letter to municipal councils citing a report by Dr. Perry Kendall — titled Where Rubber Meets the Road: Reducing the Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes on Health and Well-being in BC — Mackenzie notes that the fatality rate for people aged 76 and up is more than twice the MVC fatality rate for pedestrians 66-75 and that overall, those over 76 had the highest rate of fatalities per 100,000 population.
Mackenzie goes on to ask, “I would like to personally encourage you to consider pedestrian-focused enhancements in your communities that help ensure the safety of older citizens is a priority and these enhancements include: mechanisms to decrease crossing distances, increasing crossing times, improving pedestrian lighting, and modifying roadways, especially intersections, where most pedestrian accidents occur.
“The continued education of both drivers and pedestrians is something I will continue to encourage. Age-friendly initiatives should continue to focus on as much safe pedestrian access as possible, ultimately improving the overall health and well-being of our elderly population.”
