Ontario’s Chief Coroner has released the Pedestrian Death Review, and the results paint an interesting portrait of the most common pedestrian fatalities across the area. Toronto proved to be the deadliest city for pedestrians, with 308 fatalities recorded between 2000 and 2009. It was followed by Mississauga and Ottawa.
Although these statistics pertain to Ontario, some of the trends could be used to aid pedestrian safety in any locale. For instance, the beginning of the year is apparently also the deadliest, as more than half of fatalities occur before April, and January involves the highest number of deaths. The reason for this is because daylight hours are not as long, as so visibility is diminished at those times when pedestrians are more likely to be out and about.
Urban areas are not surprisingly more dangerous than rural areas; however, because vehicles tend to be going faster on rural roads, if a pedestrian is struck on such a road, he or she is more likely to killed because of the crash. Weekdays between 2 and 10 at night tend to be more dangerous given the increased vehicle and foot traffic at those times.
The report also shows that males are slightly more likely to be struck, and they’re also more likely to collide with pedestrians when behind the wheel. Adults make up 97% of pedestrian fatalities, and senior citizens are considered to be particularly at risk for being struck by a motor vehicle.