Halifax Regional Police have announced a thorough review of all pedestrian/vehicle investigations through 2013 and into the future, and will release that information to the public. This is a very welcome move on the police department's part.
The police release is below:
In response to the spike in vehicle/pedestrian collisions this month, HRM Partners in Policing are closely examining each incident from 2013 to provide police and citizens with more contextual information about these collisions.Crime analysts have been assigned to examine all vehicle/pedestrian collisions for 2013, as well as incidents that occur on a go-forward basis. The analysts will look for various factors: time of day; whether the driver was turning right or left or going straight; the age and gender of the driver and pedestrian; weather conditions; ticket information; etc. This information will then be released to citizens.
Going forward, police will release all incidents involving a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle. This will include those incidents that occur in marked and unmarked crosswalks, in the roadway but not in a crosswalk and in parking lots. Currently, only those collisions that involve injuries are released to the public. Police have since conducted a thorough review of all motor vehicle collisions for the month of December and have determined that the below seven collisions involving pedestrians have not been released by police. This brings the total number of vehicle/pedestrian collisions to 18 for the month of December.
1. Dec 2, 2013, 6:20 a.m. – A 44-year-old woman contacted police after hitting a man in a marked crosswalk at the intersection of Old Sambro Road and Herring Cove Road in Spryfield. The pedestrian did not wait for police to arrive and he could not be located. (13-174460)
2. Dec 2, 2013, 10:45 a.m. - A 25-year-old woman crossing Locke Street in Bedford in a crosswalk was hit by a vehicle driven by an 84-year-old man turning from Locke Street onto the Bedford Highway. The pedestrian suffered minor injuries and was transported to hospital by EHS. The driver was issued a ticket for failing to yield to a pedestrian. (13-174488)
3. Dec 3, 2013, 4:32 p.m. - A 46-year-old man was hit by a vehicle at the intersection of Titus Street and Main Avenue in Fairview. The pedestrian suffered minor injuries and was issued a ticket for failing to obey a traffic signal. (13-175196)
4. Dec 4, 2013, 1:06 p.m. - A 63-year-old man was hit by a vehicle at low speed in a private parking lot on Ramsgate Lane in Spryfield. The pedestrian suffered minor injuries and was transported to hospital by EHS. Police determined there was no offence, therefore no ticket was issued. (13-175582)
5. Dec 4, 2013, 3:26 p.m. - A 50-year-old man reported that he had his foot run over by a vehicle while he was crossing Chebucto Road at Connolly Street in Halifax. The vehicle did not stop and the investigation is ongoing. (13-175650)
6. Dec 5, 2013, 8:26 p.m. - A 17-year-old female reported that she was hit by a black vehicle while crossing Charles Street at Agricola Street in Halifax in a crosswalk. She suffered minor injuries. The vehicle stopped and the driver spoke with the pedestrian, however no information was exchanged. The investigation is ongoing. (13-176632)
7. Dec 7, 2013, 1:17 p.m. – A 57-year-old woman was hit by a reversing vehicle in the parking lot of the Bloomfield Centre on Agricola Street in Halifax. The victim made her way to hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Police determined there was no offence, therefore no ticket was issued. (13-177086)
HRM Partners in Policing will also be trying a new awareness approach in the coming weeks targeted at changing the behaviour of both drivers and pedestrians. “We want our citizens to know that we recognize this is a problem in HRM and that we’re serious about tackling the issue,” says HRP Deputy Chief Bill Moore. “We’ve reached the point where we need to look beyond our typical approach and be open to trying something new.”
"It's time to think outside the box," says Chief Superintendent Roland Wells of Halifax District RCMP. "All I can say about the new awareness approach at this point is keep your eyes peeled at crosswalks while out and about in HRM over the next couple of weeks.”
