The intersection of Granville and Georgia is one of Vancouver's busiest places for people on foot in the city, and this weekend the area will be the home of a temporary eight-foot tall banana peel installation.
Photo courtesy The Community Against Preventable Injuries
No, it's not there as part of a comedy act for ginormous pratfalling clowns. It's actually set up outside the London Drugs for June 21-23 by The Community Against Preventable Injuries to raise awareness about - you guessed it - the dangers of not being mindful and ending up having a preventable accident.
The Community Against Preventable Injuries explained via e-mail that the banana peel is "a cross-cultural, iconic symbol of 'the accident waiting to happen'" and that their huge installation is there to drive the point home "that 90% of the time, we can see 'accidents' coming, and we often choose to close our eyes to the risks that are right in front of us."
Yikes!
So while slipping on a banana peel can provoke giggles, injuries are no laughing matter. Some stats, again courtesy The Community Against Preventable Injuries:
"In B.C., it is estimated that there is 1 death from injury every 3 hours and 12 minutes. Each year, there are almost 100,000 visits to B.C. emergency departments for an injury by adults 25-54 years old. Leading causes of hospitalization for injury during the summer months include from motor vehicle crashes, cycling, motorcycling, falls, or being struck by objects."
Photo courtesy The Community Against Preventable Injuries
No word on how many banana peel-related injuries there are province-wide per year.
Anyhow, in case you're in the area this weekend and see that massive banana on the sidewalk, now you know what you're supposed to know about it. Also: Instagram!
