The slower speed of a vehicle that hit a child in a marked crosswalk on Shelbourne Street Tuesday morning limited the severity of the child’s injuries, Saanich police say.
The child, who was under 12, was heading to school when hit by the southbound vehicle at San Juan Avenue shortly after 7 a.m., and is now recovering in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Shelbourne was closed in both directions for a couple of hours, reopening by 9:20 a.m.
Police said the driver remained at the scene and was co-operative. The investigation is ongoing, but early indications are that neither speed nor impairment were factors, police said.
“The speed of the vehicle, which we believe was being driven under the speed limit, limited the severity of the injuries sustained by the child,” said Const. Markus Anastasiades.
Anastasiades said the incident is a reminder to all road users to be extra vigilant when approaching intersections, noting there is often an uptick in the number of collisions involving pedestrians at this time of year.
Drivers and pedestrians making eye contact at intersections and crosswalks is strongly recommended, police said, and pedestrians and cyclists are encouraged to wear light-coloured or reflective clothing.
Some municipalities, including Saanich, are looking into lowering speed limits on side streets, citing research showing pedestrians hit by vehicles travelling at speeds of 30 km/h and under are much more likely to survive.
Victoria council gave the nod to lower speed limits on residential streets earlier this year, and asked staff to prepare the required changes to the streets and traffic bylaw.
A report by city staff said “collisions with vulnerable road users at 30 km/h or less correlate with a 10 per cent probability of death when compared with a 30 per cent probability of death at 40 km/h or 85 per cent at 50 km/h.”
There were renewed calls for improved road safety in Saanich in June after after a teenager was struck by a vehicle while crossing Burnside Road West at Wascana Street.
In another incident last December, 16-year-old Kaydence Bourque was hit in a Cedar Hill Cross Road crosswalk less than 30 metres from his home, and died later in hospital.
Eleven-year-old Leila Bui suffered severe brain damage in 2017 when she was truck in a crosswalk on Ash Road. She was thrown 26 metres and was wedged beneath an oncoming car.
Driver Tenessa Nikirk was sentenced in December 2020 to two years in prison for dangerous driving causing bodily harm and also received a three-year driving prohibition.
At her trial, the court heard that she was going 95 to 100 km/h in a 50 km/h zone.
She was granted full parole in August.
