About 150,000 crashes took place in or near parking lots last year in BC, resulting in 5,400 injuries.
According to ICBC, most happen in December on Fridays or Saturday from 12pm to 3pm. ICBC is calling on drivers and holiday shoppers to be careful in parking lots over the holiday shopping season, set to begin on Black Friday.
“Give yourself lots of extra time so you can enjoy the shopping experience, use some good sense when you’re out there, watch out for the pedestrians that could be out there carrying all their parcels as you will be doing the same thing, and it’s also important to make sure of the fact that you’re out there scanning because there may be some younger kids that are out there,” explained Doug MacDonald, ICBC Road Safety and Community Coordinator.
Drivers face unique challenges in parking lots including increased congestion and heavy pedestrian activity. During the holiday shopping season, this can be made even more dangerous when drivers are keen on finding a nearby parking spot rather than surveying the area.
ICBC is going to three communities in BC on Friday, including Prince George at Pine Centre Mall, for a shopping bag giveaway. They will be with Rudy the Reindeer from Operation Red Nose, handing out a limited quantity of reusable shopping bags and talking about driver safety.
“The idea behind it is just to remind people to adjust their driving habits, there are lots of people out, lots of cars, lots of people enjoying the shopping season,” MacDonald said.
“We have to use our good etiquette to make sure everyone has a safe holiday season.”
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
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