This isn’t exactly a list of “Things drivers wished pedestrians knew”, it’s more of a list of “Things anyone with common sense would already know”. You could call this a rant, you probably will, but there are enough idiots out there who don’t know this that I can probably call it informative.
It feels like almost every day that I’m out, I’ll be driving down a road minding my own business, and see some sort of idiot wandering in the middle of the road, or playing a game of frogger without any extra lives.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with people walking across the road without trekking to the nearest crossing. I don’t even have a problem doing the ridiculous tightrope act of balancing on the white line in the center of the road with cars whizzing past either side. Anyway, down to the problems with pedestrians.
Just because I am not currently in that lane, doesn’t mean it’s an extension of the pavement.
I see this all too often. You’re driving down in the outside lane, maybe because you’ve just pulled around a parked car or had to swerve around a pedestrian, and then out walks a guy deciding to cross the road. He knows you’re there, because he’s walking slowly into the inside lane watching you pass. As soon as you get just past the point of killing the guy, you’re now allowed to pull back into the inside lane.
If I was to drive with 2 wheels on the kerb just because the pedestrians were only using the inside of the pavement, I don’t think many people would be happy. If you walk out into the inside lane waiting for a car to pass, and they pull back into the inside lane and drive straight into you, it’s your fault. Get the hell out of the road while you can see cars coming.
Things behind you still exist.
This seems like an unusual thing to need to point out, but it arises a lot. I mentioned earlier the trick of walking half way across the road, then sucking in your stomach so you can fit within the confines of the little white line. It’s all well and good, if you’re not in a really stupid place and getting in everyones way, but you need to be ON the line. If you can see the line in front of you, you may well be safe from the cars in the lane you’re approaching, but you’re still standing in the way of traffic going the other way.
If you’re on the road, face the oncoming traffic.
If you absolutely have to walk down the road, and not the pavement, then do everyone a favour and face the oncoming traffic. That way you can see them, and it should hopefully stop you wandering out into their path like a drunk.
Genius Safety Campaign from Preston
The general attitude with regards to pedestrians is to tell cars to slow down incase they hit someone. I’ve not once seen a sign aimed at pedestrians saying “Don’t walk out into the road infront of cars”, but I’ve seen plenty of signs aimed at cars saying “Watch out for people walking out infront of cars”. The TV adverts produced by the Government as THINK! are all aimed at driving slower so that when someone does run aimlessly into the road flailing their arms and jibbering, you won’t kill them, just hurt them. This can only lead to more people flailing their way into the road, due to the lack of consequence.
I suggest more adverts are made from the point of view of the idiot who runs into the road. Showing them how painful it can be, and how sad their friends will be when they die etc, instead of trying to guilt trip people into driving slower. I don’t understand how someone decided it’s better to advertise “You’ll feel bad if you run someone over” over “You’ll be dead if you run in front of a car”. I know which one would motivate me more.
Stop using your child in it’s pram as some kind of blind man’s cane
Yes, I actually have to mention this one too. If there is an obstruction stopping you from seeing the traffic, it’s understandable that you would need to get closer to the edge of the road to look. If you’re pushing a pram, that’s already ahead of you, much closer to the edge of the road. When you step forwards to the curb, with the pram proudly shoved ahead of you, it’s in the road. You know, that road which you couldn’t see, that road who’s traffic levels you were unable to judge. That road with the fucking cars on it that you’re shoving your baby into. Yeah, that road.
Stand next to the pram, stand in front of the pram, turn around and pull the pram backwards for a few seconds, I don’t care, but don’t try using the unwitting child’s soft undeveloped skull to stop a car. It’s unlikely to work.
If you step out in front of my car, and dent it, I will expect you to pay to have it fixed
Now you may be more damaged than the car, and I understand it may take a little bit of time before you’re back on your feet, but I don’t want impression of your face in my near-side wing.
For some reason, I’d be seen as the bad guy for this. If I dived through your window head first, you wouldn’t be seen as the bad guy if you prosecuted or wanted the window replacing. I don’t understand why that doesn’t apply to someone diving head first into a moving car.
In the words of Douglas Adams;
“Have you any idea how much damage that bulldozer would suffer if I just let it roll straight over you?”
“How much?”
“None at all.”
So get out of the fucking road if you don’t know how to use it.
Like
