But most drivers are just too ignorant to know the rules of the road. Not completely their fault–driver’s ed. in the US is a joke. “Don’t attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by ignorance” am I right?
no
attribute malice because they do indeed know the very simple rules of the road, they just don’t give a fuck about anyone but their own selfs
shArTMO
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that would make me want to do a rampage so I cannot do that I’m sorry.
I think every driver at least subconsciously is aware of the damage vehicles can cause. That’s why they avoid the other ones.
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sir I can tell you have not driven in the vicinity of new york city
hard disagree after years of living in Portland and seeing people wearing all dark clothing jump out at mid block at nighttime on poorly lit streets. people have no idea how invisible they are or just don’t care
in Spanish cities pedestrians have no spatial awareness and routinely block the whole sidewalk or walk 4 abreast, jump out in front of bikes on clearly marked paths, etc
I notice that you haven’t mentioned people jumping out in front of cars, because generally the euros have reined cars in, separated walking areas from high speed traffic, etc. To me the lack of attention paid to your surroundings is part of the je ne sais quoi of NOT feeling like you may be shot (by police or otherwise) or run over at any moment. Soak it in!
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It’s interesting to consider what is normal versus what is learned behavior.
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that’s kind of my point though… American pedestrians act as though they won’t get creamed by a car
This is bullshit and you’re better than that. Maybe you’re remembering the few who walk out in the street like they own it but on the whole, ‘merican peds are running scared because they know that when they drive they’re only paying half attention. Also its your duty as a driver to drive in such a way you don’t cream any peds.
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I don’t see many oblivious pedestrians tbh. And when I do, I slow down? New Yorkers kind of take pride in getting in the way of cars. It’s been a cultural thing for as long as there have been cars!
ok stick with me here. i was in Rome NY on Saturday night. there was a pedestrian walking in the street, in the rain, at night, wearing all dark clothing.
luckily when it’s raining and dark and I’m in a new area i drive slower than the speed limit and use extra caution. i even paused the conversation with my passenger.
it would be good if everyone was like “hey, you know what would make a better experience for everyone is wearing visible clothing AND slowing down in cars AND being predictable AND using sidewalks AND having good windshield wipers” because then everyone would be doing their part to improve the entire dynamic.
so I am opposed to this whole notion of cars v. peds as if by being a pedestrian you are automatically abdicated from any social responsibility AT THE SAME TIME AS I am opposed to giving cars preference because they kill people
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car brain
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I still don’t really see anybody ever saying this? My beef remains that “Pedestrians need to be responsible for their own safety” is essentially the “All Lives Matter” of traffic safety discourse.
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You should all wear bulletproof vests so I can carry all my guns everywhere I go
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I am here to scare drivers.
I will never put myself in front of a car that I cant get away from…. but they dont know that. The more often I scare a driver in my neighborhood… maybe the more often they will slow down when they are using it as a short cut.
I wish my kid could walk to the park by himself. Its 4 blocks away.
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I wasn’t a pedestrian until you built a road under me
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We all know driving is dangerous and stressful and driver helmets are the obvious answer
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Wearing visible clothing in an urban or suburban environment because you fear being hit by a car is to me twisted thinking. No I am not having my sartorial choices dictated by cars. There should be infrastructure in place to separate cars/peds and make the situation safe.
If I’m going to be walking down a country road in the dark, sure, I will accept the responsibility for wearing something reflective, having a light, etc.
why do they sell black raincoats then