Christmas shoppers rushing to and from the mall with their treasures need to take care.
According to accident figures from ICBC it showed two Richmond malls -Richmond Centre and Yaohan Centre - among the top dozen in the Lower Mainland with the most incidents involving crashes and injuries between 2008 and 2012.
At Richmond Centre, fourth among the malls for incidents, there were 1,820 crashes, and 64 injuries that included 15 pedestrians.
Yaohan Centre's numbers - 352 crashes with 13 injured, including four pedestrians - put it in ninth place.
To address that Richmond Centre officials said to help monitor the safety of pedestrian and vehicle traffic there are security patrols on foot and bike dedicated to cruising the parking lots.
In an email, mall officials said shoppers should remember that during the holidays the volume of traffic can be higher than normal.
"We recommend that if possible, guests try and leave themselves some extra time in order to safely find a parking space," the email stated.
Meanwhile, at Lansdowne Centre, which did not appear among the top 12 malls for incidents, the number of security staff is increased to help with the rise in shopping traffic, said Jason Roberts, the mall's general manager.
"We do that starting in mid-November and carry it through until the end of December," Roberts said, adding that is some occasions that extra help can be used to direct traffic around the 3,500 parking stall lot.
"In the past we've had a third party company do that, as well," he said.
One of the reasons why Lansdowne does not show up among the malls with a higher number of incidents is owed to the expansive parking lot that has not only generous stall spaces, but wider than usual connecting roadways, Roberts said. Plus, changes to the exterior lighting has made navigating the lot better when darkness falls.
"We have changed all of our exterior lighting to these very bright LEDs, and I think that makes a big difference in terms of safety," Roberts said.
At Aberdeen Centre, mall spokesperson Joey Kwan said traffic through the mall is usually quite steady during the holiday shopping, unlike some other malls which experience a significant spike in traffic at this time of the year.
"Because of that, we don't see much in the way of many problems," Kwan said.
The mall is open through the Christmas holidays, even on Dec. 25 when most other outlets are closed.
"That way we can cater to the really late Christmas shoppers," Kwan quipped.
Aberdeen Centre's busiest time of the year, though, is at Chinese New Year, which in 2014 is on Jan. 30 and 31.
Top 10 malls for accidents
1. Metropolis at Metrotown, Burnaby - 3,590 crashes with 231 injured, including 32 pedestrians 2. Coquitlam Centre, Coquitlam - 1,610 crashes with 99 injured, including 17 pedestrians 3. Park Royal Mall, West Vancouver - 2,490 crashes with 182 injured, including 17 pedestrians 4. Richmond Centre, Richmond - 1,820 crashes with 64 injured, including 15 pedestrians 5. Guildford Mall, Surrey - 1,840 crashes with 134 injured, including 14 pedestrians 6. Willowbrook Mall, Langley - 1,540 crashes with 160 injured, including 11 pedestrians 7. Oakridge Mall, Vancouver - 1,490 crashes with 89 injured, including 10 pedestrians 8. Brentwood Mall, Burnaby - 1,090 crashes with 53 injured, including five pedestrians 9. Yaohan Centre, Richmond - 352 crashes with 13 injured, including four pedestrians 10. Meadowtown Centre, Pitt Meadows - 156 crashes with 50 injured, including four pedestrians Source: ICBC
