A recent string of motor vehicle accidents that claimed the lives of pedestrians is being called “concerning” by the Windsor Police Service.
Between April 15 and May 19 (34 days), there have been three motor vehicle accidents in Windsor where a pedestrian lost their life.
Windsor Police Acting Deputy Chief Ken Cribley says anytime anyone loses their life, it’s concerning.
Cribley says all three of these incidents had some similarities.
“They’ve all happened after the sun goes down, so it’s darker than daylight hours. They were all on multi-lane roadways with four lanes or more, four lanes plus a turning lane,” he says. “What the evidence does show is that the pedestrian crossing the road was crossing mid-block, not at a marked crosswalk.”
Cribley says the message for any pedestrian would be to be aware of your surroundings.
“Certainly, cross at a marked crosswalk. Things like eye contact: assuming that the driver of a motor vehicle sees you, don’t assume that. Try to make that eye contact before you cross the street in a marked crosswalk. Certainly, cross with the walk signal and not against it,” he says.
Cribley says the message to drivers is also clear, especially after the sun goes down.
“Be aware of your surroundings; be aware that environmental factors like background lights may obscure your vision of someone in the roadway. Really it boils down to everyone being aware and trying to be as safe as they can,” he says.
On the night of April 15, a 65-year-old woman was struck and killed by two vehicles while crossing the street in the 1600 block of Tecumseh Road East between Windermere Road and Lincoln Road.
Around 5 a.m. on May 2, a 69-year-old man was killed after being struck by a vehicle while trying to cross the road near Howard Avenue and Charles Street.
Around 11 p.m. on May 19, a 58-year-old man was killed while trying to cross the 2800-block of Howard Avenue near Capitol Street.