RCMP blasted for 'disgusting' pedestrian safety video: 'Victim blame much?'

The Richmond, B.C., RCMP posted a road safety video that quickly went viral this week — but for all the wrong reasons.

Elianna Lev
·5 min read
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RCMP blasted for 'disgusting' pedestrian safety video: 'Victim blame much?'

The Richmond, B.C., RCMP posted a road safety video that quickly went viral this week — but for all the wrong reasons.

The video shows a young woman wearing a black hoodie and earphones going for a walk. As she crosses the street, a man in a car is approaching. Inside the car, the man’s phone rings and he goes to answer it. The car comes to a screeching halt when he sees the person crossing the street, who appears to be invisible except for her shoes. As dramatic music swells, the man puts down the phone and the young woman takes out her earphone, both in a state of disbelief. Text then appears on the screen: “Pedestrian safety is a two way street.”

The video has racked up over 7 million views on X, formerly known as Twitter, and even nabbed a community note, which is added to posts on X when users feel added context is required.

“The province of British Columbia has a Distracted Driving Law that prohibits the use of hand held devices such as cell phones,” it reads, along with a link to the B.C. government’s transportation page on distracted driving. “No laws prohibit the use of headphones or hoodies while pedestrians use marked crosswalks. In this video, only the driver (is performing) an illegal act.”

The comments under the post lambast the RCMP for putting any blame on the pedestrian, who was following the law around a clearly distracted driver.

Richmond RCMP put out a statement shortly after, shared by CBC reporter Justin McElroy, that many felt didn’t take any accountability. Instead, the RCMP said it found the response to the video "extremely disheartening," as the video was made in house by a student volunteer. The statement said the actors were also volunteers.

“The purpose… of the video is to reduce harm, save lives, and create awareness…The video is not about X being more right than Y. That is not (its) purpose,” the statement reads.

Many in the comments of McElroy’s post were stunned that the Mounties would double down, and not acknowledge they were blaming the victim in the scenario.

While the intended messaging got lost in the flood of negative feedback, there were several additional tips included in the press release that accompanied the video on how pedestrians and drivers can avoid being involved in a collision.

For pedestrians, they suggest making eye contact with drivers, being particularly careful at intersections, using crosswalks, and to be as visible as possible.

For drivers, they suggest focusing on the road and not using your phone. Vehicles should also yield to pedestrians and to be very vigilant at crosswalks and intersections.