A 76-year old female pedestrian walking across Cassells Street at Fifth Avenue West, at approximately 11:30 a.m. yesterday is in hospital after being hit by a car.
Police says the woman was heading towards a Tim Horton's coffee shop, believing it was safe to do so.
A 20-year old male driver of a car, who was leaving the coffee shop drive-thru at the time, headed northbound on Cassells and struck the pedestrian.
As a result, the pedestrian sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital. No charges have been laid to date although North Bay Police are still investigating.
Here's some stats on motor vehicle collisions involving pedestrians in North Bay provided by police.
North Bay Police and North Bay’s Collision Reporting Centre report that between June 1st 2014 and June 1st 2015, there were 24 motor vehicle collisions involving pedestrians.
All were single-vehicle collisions with pedestrians. Six of the 24 motorists were found to be not at fault; they were driving properly.
19 of the 24 motorists were issues provincial offence notices.
Of these motorists:
- 15 failed to yield the right of way to pedestrians;
- Two disobeyed traffic signals;
- One was reversing the vehicle in an unsafe manner.
The locations where these collisions occurred were:
- Lakeshore Drive at Howard Avenue (three collisions);
- Lakeshore Drive at Marshall Avenue;
- Lakeshore Drive restaurant parking on 300 block;
- Front Street at Algonquin Avenue (two collisions);
- Cassells Street at Second Avenue West;
- Cassells Street at Fourth Avenue West;
- Cassells Street at Chippewa Street West;
- Cassells Street at Worthington Street West;
- Algonquin at Lansdowne Avenues;
- Algonquin Avenue at Copeland Street.
- Ferguson Street at Main Street West;
- Ferguson Street at Chippewa Street East;
- Oakwood Avenue at Burns Street;
- Champlain Street;
- Jane at Clarence Streets;
- Seymour Street at Hwy 11;
- 900 block of McKeown Avenue;
- McIntyre Street East at Ferguson Street;
- Fisher Street mall parking lot;
- Wyld Street at Fifth Avenue East; and
- York Street at Fisher Street.
Safety tips for drivers:
- Always look for pedestrians, especially when turning.
- Watch for children. Drive slowly and cautiously through school zones, residential areas, or any other area where children could be walking or playing.
- Watch out for Community Safety Zone signs that indicate areas where there is a special risk to pedestrians.
- Be patient, especially with seniors or pedestrians with disabilities who need more time to cross the road.
- Drive carefully near bus stops when passengers are getting on and off the bus. Always be ready in case pedestrians make sudden or unexpected moves.
Safety tips for pedestrians:
- Cross only at marked crosswalks or traffic lights. Don't cross in the middle of the block or between parked cars.
- Make sure drivers see you before you cross. If the driver is stopped, make eye contact before you step into the road.
- Wear bright or light-coloured clothing or reflective strips, especially at dusk or when it's dark.
When at a traffic light:
- Cross when traffic has come to a complete stop.
- Cross at the start of a green light.
- Don't cross once the “Don't Walk” signal starts to flash or the light turns yellow
- Never cross on a red light.
- Watch for traffic turning at intersections or turning into and leaving driveways or drive-throughs.
