4.5 near-misses a day between vehicles, pedestrians in school crosswalks across Canada

Dozens of near-misses between vehicles and pedestrians were recorded at school-area crosswalks in Edmonton and Calgary as part of a national study commissioned by the Alberta Motor Association and its federal counterpart.

Researchers used video and artificial intelligence analysis to track the movement of pedestrians and vehicles.

The data released Thursday (scroll down to read the full study) came after 12 Alberta locations — six each in Edmonton and Calgary — were monitored and 72 near-misses recorded.

Seventeen happened between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., when students are leaving school — the highest number recorded during any single hour. This was followed by 12 conflicts between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., and another 12 between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., during morning drop-off.

The Alberta locations were among 30 school-area crosswalks monitored over five days in 11 Canadian cities: Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, St. Catharines, Ont., Montreal and Halifax.

Story continues below advertisement

The average school zone crosswalk in the study served 377 pedestrians and 7,600 vehicles a day, and perhaps not surprisingly, higher-volume spots have more conflicts.

Across Canada, the study recorded 660 near-misses, with an average of 4.5 per day. One in every 84 pedestrians crossing the monitored locations nationwide experienced one.

Near-misses were 2.6 times more likely when vehicles were exiting an intersection than when entering.

Nationally, the highest number recorded in any single hour was between 5 and 6 p.m., as many adults got off work, when the AMA said there were 94 near-misses. There were 242 combined during the morning (7–9 a.m.) and afternoon (3–5 p.m.) school travel periods.

1:54 Five pedestrians struck across GTA

Near-misses at crosswalks with traffic controls, such as flashing lights, were 20 times lower than at crossings without them.

Story continues below advertisement

Conversely, crosswalks without school zone signs or reduced speed zone signs had a 67 per cent higher conflict rate.

Get daily National news

Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you'll never miss the day's top stories.

The AMA calls the report the first study of its kind in North America.

“We use this data to help inform our partners, like municipalities, in creating safer road design and infrastructure,” said Hannah Hamilton, program manager of safe communities with AMA.

“We’re able to look at communities and help figure out what do they specifically need to have safer crossings around their school zone?”

Hamilton said most of the incidents in Alberta involved vehicles driving straight.

“Seventy per cent of near-misses happen with vehicles going straight through an intersection and about 20 per cent of conflicts happen when vehicles are turning through an intersection,” she told Global News.

1:45 Alberta Motor Association student patrollers return to province’s crosswalks

Drivers need to take particular care around children, Hamilton said, because their size can make them harder to see.

Story continues below advertisement

“Children are shorter and they’re less predictable with movement, so they can dart in and out of cars.

Edmonton mom Katie Vargas, who has a baby and toddler, said she is careful when approaching a road with her kids.

“We approach a crosswalk pretty cautiously, looking back and forth, making sure that the cars see us so they stop,” Vargas told Global News.

“Especially with her,” she said, motioning to her toddler. “I don’t want her to run across the road.”

1:43 City crews install traffic calming measures at schools across Calgary before classes are back this Fall

AMA is not identifying which crosswalks were monitored but said municipal staff in each city were consulted to select locations that reflected a range of road types, intersection layouts and traffic controls along established routes to nearby schools.

Story continues below advertisement

AMA officials say improving safety around school crossings requires action on several fronts.

“It involves driver attention, it involves pedestrian awareness, it involves school zones being retrofitted to fit the needs of that community, it involves legislation from the government,” Hamilton said.

The study was commissioned by CAA/AMA through a partnership with Miovision, a Canadian traffic data collection firm.

With files from Karen Bartko, Global News

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.