The "most wonderful time of the year" may be near according to the Christmas carols already floating around shopping malls, but we're already into the most dangerous time of the year on our roads.
The end of Daylight Saving Time – in most of the country – and the arrival of true fall weather have created a perfect storm that will almost surely increase the number of car-on-car and car-on-pedestrian incidents on Canada's streets.
Let us count the ways:
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- There are the reduced hours of daylight, meaning there are fewer hours when drivers and pedestrians can easily see each other.
- There’s the time change, which not only tends to upset people’s circadian rhythms and make them less mentally sharp, but also means the always-fraught-with-peril evening rush hour is mostly in darkness.
- Falling leaves added to all those other falling things – rain, snow, sleet – that make the roads slicker.
- Those bright summer wardrobes are replaced by dark clothing. Not only does that make them harder to see, but things such as hoods and toques added to earbuds and cellphones combine to detach pedestrians even further from their surroundings.
"November … has traditionally been the month when pedestrians are involved in the most collisions," Toronto Police traffic services constable Clinton Stibbe says.
Although studies have produced varying results on the time change's role in road safety, there certainly appears to be a connection.
A 2007 American study showed that people walking during rush hour after the return to standard time were more than three times as likely to be killed by a car than before the change. The most dangerous time of the day was after 6 p.m., it showed.
But most of us can't avoid driving, cycling or walking at that time, so drivers, cyclists and pedestrians need to be extra vigilant.
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It may sound a little Elmer the Safety Elephantish, but it's mostly a matter of slowing down and taking more care.
"There's been a lot of focus on what pedestrians are doing wrong," says Teresa Di Felice, Director of Government and Community Relations for the CAA, pointing to a recent proposal to make distracted walking illegal in Toronto. "But the fact is that the majority of these collisions are not the pedestrians' fault."
A recent report showed that in Toronto, 41 per cent of pedestrian-vehicle collisions happened at intersections – most often when the pedestrian had the right of way. In addition, 46 per cent of the 28 pedestrian fatalities in Toronto this year involved seniors.
"The ultimate responsibility falls on the driver to be aware and check their surroundings," Di Felice says.
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She offers several tips on how to protect yourself and others:
- Wear lighter clothing or add a few reflective strips to your backpack or briefcase to increase visibility when walking. Cyclists need as many reflective strips and lights as possible.
- Take extra care when driving, slowing when approaching high-traffic areas and double-checking before turning.
- Try to make eye contact with drivers when crossing at an intersection.
- Pay attention to car maintenance, particularly brakes and tires. Check your tire pressure regularly, make sure your windshield washer fluid is topped up and that your wipers are actually wiping.
- Take extra caution when nearing home. “People become more complacent when they’re in familiar territory, whether they’re driving or walking,” she says. “We know the area and let down our guard a bit. That complacency can create an incident.”
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