The Vancouver Police Department has launched Project Vigilance to increase awareness of safety risks as daylight hours decline toward the winter solstice.
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The Vancouver Police Department says it is launching a traffic safety campaign called Project Vigilance to help people stay safe while driving, riding and walking during the longer hours of darkness this season.
VPD Sergeant Adam Donaldson said officers are seeing serious incidents on the roads, including a woman killed while riding an e-scooter over the weekend, a pedestrian killed, and a seven-year-old child hit by a vehicle.
Donaldson said the clocks are not turning back, adding that people need to be more aware of the darkness and their surroundings.
The department said there will be fewer daylight hours each day until the winter solstice on Dec. 21, described as the shortest day of the year.
Officers said they will target high-risk intersections and corridors, including school zones, and will focus on speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, jaywalking, and lack of helmets, among other behaviours.
Donaldson also encouraged residents to improve visibility, noting that in Vancouver people often wear black and carry black umbrellas and saying that clipping a reflector to a bag or clothing can help drivers see people.
The VPD said an e-scooter safety awareness campaign in September resulted in more than 1,275 warnings and tickets, with most issued as warnings, and that the Project Vigilance campaign may include fewer warnings and more tickets.
The VPD also provided reminders of rules of the road, including that e-scooters have a maximum speed of 25 km/h and that driving or riding under the influence and using a mobile device while driving or riding is illegal.
The department said helmets are mandatory for all ages while cycling on public roads and bike lanes, that riding on sidewalks is prohibited unless a traffic sign explicitly permits it, and that doubling is not allowed.
It said a white front light and a red rear light or reflector must be used on bikes between sunset and sunrise, and that e-scooters must have front and rear lights.
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