

Inshaal Badar, cp24.com





Peel Regional police are calling out people for acting like “zombies” on the road.

“The zombie is someone as a pedestrian who might be listening to their music, not paying attention, looking down at their phone,” said Const. Heather Cannon. “We’re just trying to get the message out there.”

Cannon and other officers across several units, including 22 Division, stood at the corner of Queen and Kennedy Road in Brampton Thursday and talked to pedestrians about their dangerous behaviours.

Improving pedestrian safety is a high priority, police said in a news release distributed Thursday.

They are also encouraging drivers to not only follow the rules of the road, but to adjust their awareness when driving through areas that have a higher concentration of pedestrians such as transit and school stops.

Cannon suggested pedestrians may even want to wear reflective vests to make themselves more visible in the dark.

According to numbers released by the police, there were 13 pedestrian-related accidents in 2015.

“Look up, be alert, be seen so that you’re a part of the solution for road safety,” she said.

Peel police encourage both pedestrians and drivers to remember that road safety is a shared responsibility.