We are all pedestrians at one point or another. We step out onto crosswalks when the signal light tells us to and we put our trust in others to see us and to respect our right to be there. In contrast to the machines made of steel and rubber whizzing by us, our bodies are frail, fleshy things that are easily bruised, torn and broken. We are innocent travellers on asphalt, assuming the best intentions from the travellers in cars near us. Increasingly, something is amiss though. We hear on the news about other pedestrians struck and killed and at first we think, “well, they must have been jaywalking,” “they must have done something to deserve it,” or “they were being reckless.” But no, we hear they were on the crosswalk. A senior crossing to her grocery store. A young boy coming home from school. An Indigenous man coming back from the Friendship Centre. At first I had a general sense from the news that more pedestrians on crosswalks were being struck. Then, in less than a year, it wasn’t just a sense any more and it wasn’t something I only heard about on the news. I’ve lived it and I don’t think I’m alone. I think these stories need to be shared so something can change. Something must change. Too many of us are being hurt by weapons of moving metal. Instead of just being a statistic, these pedestrians have lives of value and deserve to not just be another quiet ICBC case to be settled. Here are some of their personal examples: • On July 20, 2024, my husband and I were returning from biking in Kekuli Bay near Vernon. We were the first ones waiting at a stop light at 30th Avenue and 32nd Street when a beautiful young girl named Lynza Henke was struck in front of our eyes as she was crossing the crosswalk as a large truck taking a right plowed her over. She later died of her injuries. A young life snuffed out. • On Oct. 9, 2024, my aunt was struck by a vehicle while crossing a street outside of Spruceland Mall in Prince George. Her granddaughter received minor injuries but my aunt had a fractured fibula in her left foot, partial tears and soft tissue damage in her right knee and lleft side of her body. She is still unable to return to work four months later. • On Dec. 16, 2024, my mom and brother were on the crosswalk by the Orchard Park Mall and a car made a left turn, striking my brother, who rolled onto the hood of the car and fell to the ground. An ambulance took him to the hospital where he was diagnosed with soft tissue damage. • On Feb. 6, 2025, I was the first one waiting at a stop light by the Village Green Mall in Vernon when I witnessed my good friend and her young son walking across the crosswalk when a large SUV turned into them and struck my friend, with her son narrowly missing being hit. I rushed over to them, with my friend laying on the ground holding her side and rubbing her face and head where she had hit the ground. She received extensive facial bruising, soft tissue damage on the left side of her body and damage to her left knee ligament. All those incidents happened in the last seven months, not to mention the countless others. Why is it happening? Distracted driving? An aging population of drivers? The increase in illegally tinted front windows that seem to be on every other car, limiting visibility? Whatever the cause, it needs to stop. Lawmakers need to mandate pedestrian safety courses for every driver renewing their driver’s licence in B.C. Crosswalk paint needs to be well maintained and highly visible. Flashing lights need to be added to every crosswalk and harsher penalties need to be handed down to drivers involved. Does all that seem extreme or too much to ask? If it does, watch out because you could be the next one lying on a crosswalk, staring up to the sky wondering how something like this could have happened to you. Amanda Bloomfield