59 communities receive funding for Vision Zero projects
59 communities across British Columbia (BC), including a number of rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, have received funding to implement various road safety projects. In total, over $1 million in funding was disbursed through the 2023/2024 BC Vision Zero in Road Safety for Vulnerable Road Users Grant Program.
The Program is provided by the BC Ministry of Health and Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. The BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit coordinates the administration of the Program with the BC Government and regional health authorities.
Of the funded projects, 20 will be carried out in Indigenous communities through a dedicated grant stream in the program that enables Indigenous communities and governments to set and direct their own road safety priorities. Projects include improving crosswalk infrastructure, installing traffic calming interventions, speed limit reduction pilots, speed reader boards, improved lighting, road safety planning and many more.
The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure contributed $600,000 in base grant funding, with the health authorities providing financial top-ups to maximize the number of projects funded. Organizations can receive up to $20,000 per project.
This is the second year Vision Zero grant funding has been provided province-wide. In its inaugural year, a total of $564,147 was awarded to 32 communities. The Grant Program was established with the goal of generating immediate and long-term injury reduction benefits for vulnerable road users, especially in underserved populations. It will also help to advance the implementation of innovative, technology-driven, proven and low-cost road safety crash countermeasures.
Read the BC Government News Release.
View current and past funded projects at visionzerobc.ca.
- distress when a child was in pain and when a family was grieving; and
- sadness in the event they were not able to save a child in their care.
- concern for the injured child and the child’s family;
Particularly traumatic events, such as those involving vivid sights and sounds (e.g., families holding each other and having extreme reactions), stuck with the practitioners, having long-lasting impressions on them and causing them to re-live these events in the years following their exposure.
Even after their shift was over, practitioners said that they changed how they approached parenting and how they perceived safety during play as a result of witnessing these traumatic events. They reported having more knowledge of the causes and consequences of severe injuries, such as those that require hospitalization or emergency care. For example, practitioners were more likely to enforce boundaries around where their children could play, such as by forbidding their child to play near busy streets. They also were more likely to tell their child about safe play environments and equipment, and put this equipment on their child before play, such as explaining the benefits of using helmets while riding bikes.
Practitioners were more likely to enforce boundaries around where their children could play, and use safety equipment, such as bike helmets.
Practitioners also described being concerned about their children’s play near open windows, around large bodies of water unsupervised, and in environments where firearms were present. They also expressed worry about their children’s play on trampolines and on motorized vehicles, such as ATVs. Findings related to trampoline play safety concerns were published in the journal Injury Prevention.
Observing family grief due to child injury or death affected the mental well-being of health care practitioners, drawing attention to the need for mental health supports for those involved in caring for severely injured and dying patients.
"Raise more resilient children through play...watch and see how your child handles challenging tasks without intervening right away." —Dr. Michelle Bauer
Building resilience through play
How can parents help their children build resilience? By letting them play!
The experiences that practitioners witnessed encouraged them to support their children in building resilience through play; specifically, by supporting children in learning to cope with failure, overcome fear, build self-confidence, develop distress tolerance, and regulate negative emotions. Findings related to building resilience through play were published in the journal Child: Care, Health, and Development.
Parents fostered resilience in their kids by:
- helping their kids get back on bikes after they fell off and wanted to try again;
- sitting on their hands so they did not instinctively reach for their children when their children fell down; and
- encouraging participation in challenging and thrilling activities in forests and water while safety equipment was used.
"There are a few ways that parents can raise more resilient children through play that are supported by literature and our study findings," said Dr. Bauer. "One: watch and see how your child handles challenging tasks without intervening right away."
"Two: Ask your child how they want you to help—let them tell you what makes them feel safe and happy during play. Let them lead. And three: make play both safe and exciting by encouraging risk-taking, teaching them how to avoid hazards, and using safety equipment.”
This research was supported through Drs. Bauer’s and Gilley’s receipt of a clinical and translational research seed grant from the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR), Dr. Bauer’s BCCHR postdoctoral fellowship award, and additional training provided to Dr. Bauer through her participation in the Programs and Institutions Looking to Launch Academic Researchers (PILLAR) program through ENRICH, a national organization training perinatal and child health researchers.
Learn more about the study through two infographic posters:
Graphics and posters by Milica Radosavljevic
