Richmond RCMP pedestrian safety video accused of victim blaming draws online ire

More than 1.5 million views on a road safety video might be considered good, if they weren't accompanied by comments such as "delete this," "shame on you" and "this is brutal."

Richmond RCMP posted a public service announcement video Friday morning on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that received such a response. 

Mounties said the video, also posted to Youtube, and accompanying release are intended to share tips for drivers and pedestrians to avoid crashes. 

But advocates and many commenters on X argue the video unhelpfully focuses on pedestrian behaviour when drivers and road design ought to be the focus of safety efforts.

"Every year we get public safety campaigns that effectively victim blame. They put blame on vulnerable road users — outside cars," said Lucy Maloney with Vision Zero, a group which aims to stop traffic deaths.

The video was posted with a message: "Pedestrian safety is a two-way street."

The 41-second video shows a young woman going out for a walk. She's wearing dark clothes and wireless earbud headphones.

She pushes the button at a pedestrian-controlled crosswalk, which flashes bright amber lights.

But speeding toward her is a driver looking at his phone, not the road.

Despite being in a crosswalk with lights flashing, the pedestrian turns invisible. The driver stops just in time.

"The girl who's crossing the road hasn't done anything illegal," Maloney said. 

"The driver is looking at their phone. So this girl could've been dancing across the crosswalk in a neon ball frock and this guy would not have seen her."

WATCH | Road safety advocate reacts to RCMP video:

Backlash over police video teaching road users about pedestrian safety

1 year ago

Duration 3:43

Lucy Maloney with Vision Zero Vancouver explains why a Richmond RCMP video on pedestrian safety is receiving backlash online, and how the campaign could have been better executed.

Maloney said advice on pedestrian behaviour often misses the mark, especially when children, those in wheelchairs or hearing or vision impaired are at play, as they might not be able to navigate as easily.

She said better road design to slow down drivers and enforcement of driving rules would go much further for safety.

Richmond RCMP, in a statement, said the response to the video has been "extremely disheartening."

Mounties said they put out a road safety message every year with advice for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. This was the first year they made a video.

Mounties said the video was "conceived in-house" and relied on the efforts of volunteer actors and donated time from a student filmmaker.

"The purpose of the video is to reduce harm, save lives, and create awareness … The video is not about X being more right than Y," the statement read.

"We have investigated many, many pedestrian and cyclist collisions throughout the years. They can be gruesome. They can take their toll mentally on everyone involved. Many of them are entirely preventable."

In the release accompanying the video, Mounties said pedestrians should cross at crosswalks, make eye contact with drivers when crossing and remove headphones and not look at phones when crossing the road. They should also wear reflective clothing whenever possible.

Drivers should leave their phones alone, look out for pedestrians and be ready to stop at any time.