Drivers, pedestrians must be vigilant, police remind Calgarians

Calgary police are warning drivers and pedestrians to be more careful after a skateboarder was seriously injured in a crosswalk earlier this week.

• Skateboarder hit near U of C seriously injured

A 20-year-old man was struck by a car Wednesday morning while crossing 33rd Street at32nd Avenue in the city's northwest near the University of Calgary.

Four other vehicles had stopped for him at the illuminated crosswalk, but police say the 43-year-old woman who hit the pedestrian had failed to stop. Charges are pending against her.

So far this year there have been 135 pedestrian collisionsfour of whichwere fatal.

There were 10 pedestrian fatalities in 2013 out of 535 accidents, said Sgt. Mike ter Kuile with the Calgary Police Service traffic section

Part of the problem is that drivers need to pay closer attention, he said.

Yesterdays collision was a very clear example of that. The driver of the vehicle that was involved in the collision with the pedestrian had ample opportunity to see what was taking place prior to their arrival at that intersection, he said.

You have to be vigilant at all times. A distance of 100 metres can change everything in an instant.

Pedestrians in particular should be extra careful, since they are more vulnerable, ter Kuile said.

If you look at the statistics, almost 50 per cent of the pedestrian-related collisions in the city are not even at crosswalks. So that tells us that people are crossing at places that are clearly unsafe, he said.