Increase penalties for drivers who hit pedestrians

Stiffer penalties for drivers who hit pedestrians with their vehicles may be one way to help reduce collisions in the city, Toronto critical injury lawyer Patrick Brown tells CBC News.

On average, six pedestrians are hit by vehicles every day in Toronto, and on one recent dark and rainy morning, that number doubled, reports CBC.

Brown, a partner with McLeish Orlando LLP and lawyer with the Bike Law Network, representing a coalition of pedestrian and cycling safety groups, says more severe punishments for drivers may be the place to start in tackling the issue.

‘Harsher penalties’

“There has been a whole push in the U.S. where they’ve introduced this type of law — where if you hit any vulnerable road user, you will be subject to harsher penalties like licence suspension, community service or even jail for repeat offenders,” Brown tells CBC.

“There is incentive for a pedestrian to take care and pay attention, because they can be horribly injured or killed. The same factor doesn’t apply to someone in their car.”

Urban planning changes are also important, says Brown, noting building narrower streets with dedicated bike lanes or installing islands in the middle of multi-lane street crossings can keep pedestrians safer.

An Ontario coroner’s report, says the article, has suggested that intersections with high rates of collision should have leading pedestrian signal intervals, essentially giving pedestrians a head start before vehicles get a green light.

The report also looks at automobile technology, like self-driving cars, as a way to limit collisions.