WATCH: 50 kilometers an hour is the statutory speed limit in urban areas, but now B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer wants to lower it to 30 km/hour.
“Most of the pedestrian fatalities, the vast majority happen, in urban areas and the vast majority happen in that gap, that 30 to 50 km per hour,” said Dr. Perry Kendall.
In his report, it states the chance of a pedestrian surviving a crash in the 50 zone is about 20 per cent, but if the speed is lowered to 30 km/hour then their chance of survival increases to 90 per cent.
The recommendation is one of 28 coming from B.C.’s first report on road safety, aimed at reducing deaths among pedestrians and cyclists.
Kendall is also asking for a zero-tolerance alcohol policy for drivers under the age of 25.
His report states teenaged drivers are 87 times more likely to be killed while driving over the legal alcohol limit, compared to someone over 30.
Vehicle crash fatalities have dropped by two-thirds across B.C. since 1996, but the provincial medical health officer said those rates could still go much lower.
Kendall is calling for all levels of government and non-government partners to work together to implement all of his 28 recommendations.
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