November is collision season for pedestrians, Sudbury police say
Despite spike of pedestrians being struck this fall, collisions are generally on the way down
Sudbury police say the fall is the most dangerous time of year for pedestrians.
Staff sergeant Rick Waugh is pointing to the 15 collisions involving pedestrians in Sudbury in October and November, which amounts to nearly a third of the collisions for the entire year.
Waugh said drivers and pedestrians both have a responsibility to prevent these accidents.
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But he said daylight savings also plays a part, since rush hour happens in the dark.
"Just the fact that we're in longer nights and less daylight … is definitely showing up in the stats that we've looked at," he said.
"Even though we're not into full winter, we want drivers to be aware that they need to change their driving habits from summer into fall, especially during daylight savings time."
Waugh also said warmer weather means there are still many pedestrians walking around.
Police plan to patrol certain problem intersections in the city to help deal with the problem.
Despite an alarming spike this fall, the number of pedestrians in the city being hit by cars is going down.
So far in 2015, there have been 53 collisions involving pedestrians, compared to 90 collisions in 2013.
Waugh says police are planning a campaign for next November to make people more aware of the issue.