Road safety video causes controversy

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The video produced by the Richmond RCMP which features a pedestrian and a motorist was viewed 4.1 million times as of Tuesday morning on the social networkA pedestrian safety awareness video produced by the Richmond Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and posted on the Internet is generating a lot of reaction. Many Internet users believe that the police point the finger at the behavior of pedestrians during accidents, rather than that of motorists.

The video, published Friday on X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, has been viewed more than 4 million times. Its publication was accompanied by numerous comments. Shame on you, delete this, or else it's cruel.

Many netizens believe that the video focuses on the efforts that pedestrians must make to avoid collisions with vehicles. They regret that the responsibility of motorists is not highlighted more in the video.

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Every year there are road safety campaigns that blame the victims. They point the finger at vulnerable road users, that is, everyone besides motorists, says Lucy Maloney of Vision Zero, a group that aims to end fatal road accidents. .

The video, which is 41 seconds long, comes with a message: Pedestrian safety is a two-way street. We see a young woman going out for a walk. She wears dark clothes and has headphones on her ears. She presses the pedestrian crossing button then crosses when the light signals go off.

In the video, the pedestrian becomes invisible. A driver handling his cell phone suddenly brakes and stops right in front of the young woman.

The young woman crossing has not done anything illegal, comments Lucy Maloney, who believes that better road design to slow down vehicles and respect for driving rules would contribute to safety.

The driver was looking at his phone. The pedestrian could have danced on the pedestrian crossing in a neon ball gown, the driver would not have seen her!

A quote from Lucy Maloney, member of the group Vision Zero

In the description accompanying the video, the Richmond RCMP reminds that pedestrians must cross at crosswalks, make eye contact with drivers when crossing the street, remove their headphones and not look at their phone when crossing the road. They should also wear reflective clothing wherever possible.

In a statement, Richmond RCMP said the response to his video was extremely discouraging. The police explain that they do a road safety campaign every year aimed at pedestrians, cyclists and motorists and that this is the first time they have made a video.

The goal of the video is to reduce prejudice, save lives, raise awareness… and not to say that X acted better that Y.

A quote from the Richmond Royal Canadian Mounted Police

We have investigated numerous collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists. They can be horrible. They can have consequences for everyone involved. Many of them can be avoided, the press release reads.

With information from Liam Britten.