Spring 2025 Safety Tips
Pedestrian look-out: Warm weather means more people outside
- Slow down and be extra cautious in pedestrian corridors, playground zones and school zones.
- If a yellow pedestrian-activated traffic light is flashing, slow to 30 km/h and yield to pedestrians wanting to cross the street.
- Be wary of pedestrians who may be fixated on their electronic devices and aren’t paying due attention to traffic.
Wildlife: Animals are on the move
- Be aware that it’s the time of year when animals come out of hibernation and are foraging for food.
- Many animals are more active at dawn and dusk.
- Watch for animal-crossing signs, reduce your speed, look well ahead and scan aggressively.
- Animals often move in groups. If you pass one animal, slow down because there may be more.
- If it looks like you’re going to hit a large animal, try to strike it at an angle to reduce the chance of it coming through your windshield. Let up on the brakes just before hitting the animal. The latest Alberta crash statistics show 56% of crashes on Alberta rural highways involve an animal, and 5% of those crashes result in human casualties.
- In urban areas, you still need to be on the lookout for animals. You may encounter animals roaming near parks, wooded areas, river valleys, open green space, or city outskirts.
Melting: Meltwater combined with spring rain can cause localized flooding
- Never try to cross the flooded section of a road, as the pavement underneath may be washed out. Instead, turn around and look for an alternate route.
- Avoid driving through large puddles. Deep water can stall your engine, impede your brakes, impair your vision, and even cause the vehicle to hydroplane.
- When conditions are wet or slushy, drive at a speed whereby you can easily control your vehicle, and maintain a following distance of four to six seconds.
- Never use cruise control on wet or slippery roads.
- To reduce the risk of hydroplaning, avoid hard braking or turning sharply, and try to drive in the tracks of the vehicle ahead of you.
Share the road: Spring means road maintenance crews, cyclists and motorcyclists
- Give maintenance crews plenty of space and adhere to all posted speed limit signs in those areas. In construction zones, always obey the flag person’s signal and be prepared to slow down and/or stop when entering work zones. (When workers are present, fines for speeding in construction zones are double.)
- Mirror check, and check your blind spot, prior to all horizontal movement.
- When turning left, scan for oncoming motorcycles. Motorcyclists can be hard to see, especially in heavy traffic or at night, and are often moving at a faster speed than it appears.
