Pedestrian Safety Crisis in Calgary: One Collision Daily, 20% Are Hit-and-Runs

With city hall poised to implement its first pedestrian strategy this year, my colleague Annalise Klingbeil and I examined a decades’ worth of traffic collision data and spoke with Calgarians whose lives were forever changed after their loved ones were hit by a vehicle.

The figures speak for themselves. Every day (on average), at least one person is hit on Calgary’s streets, over 85 per cent resulting in injury. Nearly 10 people are killed each year. 

Shockingly, drivers fled the scene almost one-fifth of the time. Further, police report pedestrians had the right of way more than half the time (53 per cent) compared to 21 per cent where the driver had the right of way. 

These figures don’t include collisions on private property or the dozens, perhaps hundreds, or more minor incidents that go unreported each year. While the city data is based on police records, different reporting methods resulted in minor discrepancies.

Read the full stories in the Calgary Herald:

• Data reveals pedestrian danger: One hit per day, and most had the right of way
• Meet the victims: Calgarians speak about lives changed by pedestrian collisions