British ColumbiaOfficials are cautioning road users to slow down and be attentive during a time of year when crashes spike due to darkness and road conditions.Latest pedestrian death happened Sunday night at East Hastings Street and Jackson AvenueChad Pawson · CBC News · Posted: Dec 08, 2025 5:29 PM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Police investigate a fatal pedestrian collision on East Hastings Street and Jackson Avenue in Vancouver on Sunday Dec. 7, 2025. (Ryan Stelting)B.C. officials are cautioning road users to slow down and be attentive during a time of year when crashes spike due to darkness and road conditions.The messaging comes after six people were killed in crashes across the Lower Mainland over the course of three days, the latest of them a pedestrian fatality in Vancouver Sunday night.Vancouver police said the 62-year-old male victim was crossing mid-block near East Hastings Street and Jackson Avenue when he was struck by a red Kia SUV around 7:23 p.m. PT.He died despite life-saving efforts from first responders, Vancouver police said in a news release.The driver of the Kia remained at the scene and the cause of the collision is still being investigated, according to police.The fatal accident is the latest in a string of troubling deaths on Lower Mainland roads.On Friday, a nine-year-old child was struck by a cube van in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, near an elementary school. They later died of their injuries, the Surrey Police Service said Sunday. Evidence from Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood where a nine-year-old child was struck by a vehicle on Friday Dec. 5, 2025. (Shane MacKichan)Friday also saw two people killed in Burnaby crashes. A 46-year-old cyclist died in a collision with a semi-truck and a second person died after being involved in a vehicle crash.A fourth Friday crash saw a pedestrian killed in Abbotsford. On Saturday, Ridge Meadows RCMP said a woman died in a single-vehicle crash at the foot of the Golden Ears Bridge around 8:30 p.m. Police said speed appeared to be a contributing factor in the crash.Investigations continue for all the incidents, with drivers cooperating with police, who have ruled out impairment in some of the crashes, but say darkness and dark clothing may have played a part in several of them.In late November, ICBC issued a warning about winter driving conditions, saying the number of crashes caused by driving too fast for the conditions “jump dramatically” during this time of year.It said those kinds of crashes are 79 per cent higher in December and 64 per cent higher in January compared to October.“The conditions on our roads can change very quickly this time of year,” said Kathleen Nadalin, ICBC road safety manager, in the release. “We urge drivers to slow down, watch for pedestrians, and make sure your vehicle is ready for winter driving.” ICBC statistics show that in December 2024 there were 82 crashes involving pedestrians in Vancouver, compared to 67 in July.Insurer asks for focused driving“Nearly half of all crashes involving pedestrians happen between October and January in B.C.,” said the ICBC release. “As a driver, look for pedestrians, especially at intersections and near transit stops, and stay focused by keeping your phone out of sight.”ICBC also recommends drivers have winter tires, or ones with a mountain/snowflake or M+S symbol with a thread depth of at least 3.5 millimetres because they perform better on roads in temperatures of 7 C or lower.ABOUT THE AUTHORChad Pawson is a CBC News reporter in Vancouver. Please contact him at chad.pawson@cbc.ca.
Road caution urged as 6 people die in Lower Mainland crashes over 3 days
