Protecting our children: an opportunity to address hazardous speeding on Rossland streets
By Rossland Telegraph
On September 8, 2026, Rosslanders can find out about how an ICBC program can help community members take action to curb speeding.
Interested? Be at Rossland City Hall at 1:00 PM on September 8. Christine Kirby, Road Safety and Community Coordinator for ICBC, will be in the Council Chamber there to outline the program, and explain what equipment is available to help volunteers be more effective.
The ICBC website explains,
“For many children, getting to and from school is the riskiest part of their day. ICBC data shows minors are more than twice as likely to be involved in a crash during the morning and afternoon school commute periods than other times of day.*
“The risk is even greater in September, when crashes involving minors are 37% higher than the monthly average.”
Higher vehicular speeds are known to greatly increase the severity of injuries, and the probability of death, for a pedestrian struck by a vehicle.
Past research (Tefft, B.C. (2011). Impact Speed and a Pedestrian’s Risk of Severe Injury or Death (Technical Report). Washington, D.C.: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety) has shown that “the average risk of severe injury for a pedestrian struck by a vehicle reaches 10% at an impact speed of 16 mph, 25% at 23 mph, 50% at 31 mph, 75% at 39 mph, and 90% at 46 mph. The average risk of death for a pedestrian reaches 10% at an impact speed of 23 mph, 25% at 32 mph, 50% at 42 mph, 75% at 50 mph, and 90% at 58 mph. Risks vary significantly by age. For example, the average risk of severe injury or death for a 70‐year old pedestrian struck by a car traveling at 25 mph is similar to the risk for a 30‐year‐old pedestrian struck at 35 mph.”
Note that the speeds given in this quote are in miles per hour; as an example, where the study refers to a vehicle traveling at 23 mile per hours (mph), that speed is just over 37 kilometres per hour (km/h).
For some of us, the numbers are numbing and hard to translate into real effects on real people; an actual injury can cause lifelong crippling. A death caused by an impatient driver with a heavy foot on the accelerator is life-shattering and brings endless pain and grief. And the more people speed, the more likely they are to hurt or kill someone.
