Some musings on walking and safety

[merince]

Lately, I've been walking my DD to/from school. The one adjustment I had to make is to be hyper-vigilant when crossing the road.

I have found out that I need to make sure the vehicles are stopped before I even enter the intersection of a 4-way stop (yes, even if they are a block away). Crossing another street is a major pain, even though it has a pedestrian signal on it. I need to keep an eye on the people turning right on red (forbidden during school hours but everybody seems to miss that), and on the left turning people. Practically, I have to make a 360 degree sweep every time I cross.

I guess drivers are so focused on turning and making the light that pedestrians don't even register. I am wearing a red coat, too.

In the past week, I had a car blow the 4-way stop. It did not even slow down. Then 2 cars almost ran us over trying to make the left turn. I doubt that they even saw us.

[ToomuchStuff]

Drivers for the most part are insulated (deer do go through windshields though), so they tend to ignore/don't pay attention, because they are armored. Here about a month ago, a postal truck driver, blew through a four way stop that was at the post office (not a new stop sign) and hit a car and killed a kid.
Walking isn't the only thing that is dangerous. I see a lot of bikes out (no place besides along the highway, or the bad one, kids out at night, in dark colors with no lights), and see how older peoples vision starts to get worse as they age. Not a good combination.

[oldhat]

I do quite a bit of walking and I'm always hypervigilant, especially when I'm on a road with no sidewalk, which is common in my area. Always walk facing traffic, and never operate on the assumption that the driver is looking for pedestrians. Avoid altogether walking on roads without sidewalks after twilight. Even when crossing the street with a signal, be aware that turning cars may have a green light and are often not looking for pedestrians in the crosswalk.

It's definitely true that in less-populated areas, drivers just aren't as alert looking for pedestrians. That said, it never ceases to amaze me is how often I see people ignoring common sense practices. It's not uncommon to see people walking on roads with barely any shoulder, with their back to traffic, wearing dark clothes, after dark. It's no wonder people get run over.

[lessisbest]

We always walked at 4 in the morning thinking we would avoid traffic and inattentive drivers, but now we walk in our basement, ride a stationary bike, do resistance training, and run up and down the steps for exercise to avoid the inattentive drivers, skunks, foxes, coyotes, at-large dogs (in a city with a leash law), bikes and other toys left out on sidewalks..... We would wear a flashing stick light around our neck on a lanyard, a head light on our hats, as well as reflective clothing in neon colors, and we'd still think we must be a target, and always assumed we were.

It's amazing how many people wear dark clothes to run/walk in. If it wasn't for a small piece of reflective material on their shoes picked up by our lights, we wouldn't see them at all. And to top it off, they have their earbud headphones in and hear nothing.

[goldensmom]

I walk every day on our property and on the road. Some days I can walk for an hour and not see a vehicle. Usually when a car does approach me it slows down, veers to the opposite side of the road (rural road), the driver waves and on we go. Strangely, however, recently a utility truck approached me, did not slow down nor did it give me any space which I thought was unusual for a utility company vehicle. I wear red when I walk, orange in hunting season and will not venture out of the house the first few days of rifle deer hunting season. Most of the walkers around here wear reflective clothing, walk against traffic as per law and drivers are courteous.

[oldhat]

...And to top it off, they have their earbud headphones in and hear nothing.

Yeah, I forgot about the earbuds. Just a couple of weeks ago, on my way home from work I saw a guy walking on a road with essentially no shoulder, at twilight, wearing dark clothes, back to traffic, wearing earbuds.

In general, it's been my observation that most people seem to have a heck of a lot more confidence in others' driving skills than I do. This pertains to parking lots as well as roads; I routinely see people wandering around in parking lots with no evident concern about anything going on around them.

[CathyA]

Maybe those cars that make all the choices for us that they are talking about being in the future are a good thing? I worry about all the elderly now too. I see so many that shouldn't be driving.
You really need to be a defensive driver...........and walker!

[Miss Cellane]

I live in a small city. After nearly getting hit twice at the same intersection on my early morning walk, I've switched to walking in the cemetery across the street. And I'm not alone--there are always joggers and dog walkers there. Many of the side streets in town do not have sidewalks, because back in 1750 no one was thinking about sidewalks, so the streets are narrow and there's no place to get out of the way of the cars.

[awakenedsoul]

I have to be really careful here, too. I no longer run my dogs on the bike along our sidewalked hwy. The smaller dog started acting like she was afraid to go. She's sensitive, and she's right. The drivers were always texting, and their cars would roll forward at the intersection. Now I walk in the late morning after rush hour. I just walk in my neighborhood or around the track at the school. I avoid that highway. If I'm on it, I take the bus. We recently had two pedestrians hit by a car there and they both died...
When I bike, I make sure to make eye contact with drivers and smile at intersections. They'll usually wave me on...if they seem distracted, I wait. It's not worth it to me to take a chance. A lot of them are friendly and responsible. I try not to rush. That's when accidents happen.

[merince]

I've noticed some of the reckless pedestrian behavior when I was driving through the big city - people dresses all in black, walking at dark with their backs to the traffic on a very busy street. There are several memorial crosses on that street even though the shoulder is fairly wide (about the width of a car lane) and there are sidewalks. This road goes by the local high school, so I fairly often see teens "horsing" and pushing each other.

Just like awakenedsoul, I prefer to wait if I don't make eye contact with the driver.

[Gardenarian]

I feel quite safe walking in my small town, as the roads are narrow and curved and drivers have to be very alert. There are always a lot of kids and dogs and cats out too, so most people drive quite slowly. There are few sidewalks so everyone is on the street. It's one of those situations where everyone recognizes the dangers, so that makes it safer.

I'll be moving to a small city soon, and have already scoped out the walks - there are lots of alleys that are very quiet and seldom used, and most streets have sidewalks on both sides as well as wide bike lanes. There are a couple of dedicated bike paths, and many pedestrian trails. I've noticed that everyone is scrupulous about only crossing at crosswalks and corners, so I'll have to get used to that. Because it's a tourist destination, the main danger is out of towners sightseeing rather than focusing on the road.

[miradoblackwarrior]

I get afraid of people pulling out of their driveways. They almost NEVER look at the sidewalk when they pull out--just at oncoming traffic. Since I live in the Big City (Boston-area, home of some of the WORST drivers!), I, too, am hyper-vigilent. I never wear ear-buds, or talk on the phone. Just walking the mile to work and back is fraught with dangerous, inattentive, aggressive drivers. When I retire, I am so out of here! I love to walk, but the stress of just getting to and from work each day is taking its toll.
Susan

[ctg492]

Yes you need to be on the look out always when walking, running or biking for that matter. I have done more miles then imaginable over the years. School start and stop hours are the most dangerous I have found no mater where I have lived. Count the Mommies and Daddies with cell phone, coffee cups and kids rushing to beat the bell. Dare I say it, the worst drivers out there, too much going on at the given moment.

[awakenedsoul]

I get afraid of people pulling out of their driveways. They almost NEVER look at the sidewalk when they pull out--just at oncoming traffic. Since I live in the Big City (Boston-area, home of some of the WORST drivers!), I, too, am hyper-vigilent. I never wear ear-buds, or talk on the phone. Just walking the mile to work and back is fraught with dangerous, inattentive, aggressive drivers. When I retire, I am so out of here! I love to walk, but the stress of just getting to and from work each day is taking its toll.
Susan

I've had that happen here in my neighborhood, too. There are so many distracted drivers. I actually hit and killed our dashhound when I was zooming out of the driveway, rushing to school, at age 16. It was awful. What a traumatic lesson.

When people here do that, I wait for them to go first. Sometimes they want me to go ahead, but I won't. I'd rather be behind them than in their path.

[ctg492]

Sidewalks are very dangerous actually. Bikes in most cities are not allowed on sidewalks because of cars backing up, yet try to tell someone that who is not a biker. They will come back with that is where bikes are suppose to be.

Awakenedsoul, gosh that must have been so terrible at that age for you:(

[awakenedsoul]

ctg492, It was. My mom tried to make me feel better by saying that he shouldn't have been out. She thought he was wandering because he needed to be neutered. It still always stuck with me. Now I have two front gates that I tie with dog leashes, just to be sure. That way the dogs are secured in the back yard when I back out of the driveway. They can't get out. I also don't rush...I leave early.

It also makes me a little more understanding with the people who are doing this. I was the same way in high school. I would wait till the last minute. It wasn't really a conscious thing. It was a bad habit.

I drive really slowly in the neighborhood, too. A child could dart out...

[jp1]

I guess this is one of the benefits of living in a dense urban environment. Drivers here are used to seeing pedestrians. It would be depressing if I couldn't feel safe walking down the street.

[Lainey]

One good thing is that starting May 2018, I believe, all new cars are required to be equipped with rear view cameras. That should cut down on some of the driveway/pedestrian or bicyclist accidents.

[ToomuchStuff]

One good thing is that starting May 2018, I believe, all new cars are required to be equipped with rear view cameras. That should cut down on some of the driveway/pedestrian or bicyclist accidents.

The camera's only look behind you. (not different then mirror use) Part of the issue is not looking side to side (you can have a car coming down the street and still be clear behind you, same with bikes/pedistrian's etc).
Also, they may be installed, but that doesn't mean people automatically use them.

[awakenedsoul]

One good thing is that starting May 2018, I believe, all new cars are required to be equipped with rear view cameras. That should cut down on some of the driveway/pedestrian or bicyclist accidents.

Lainey, I hope so, too.

[Tradd]

I'm always amazed at the number of pedestrians/cyclists who are out very early or late and have no reflective gear or appropriate lights (in the case of cyclists). And dark clothing seems to be the norm. I live in a suburb where sidewalks don't exist in some areas, so people will walk in the street, next to the curb.

[profnot]

I saw a guy walking on a road with essentially no shoulder, at twilight, wearing dark clothes, back to traffic, wearing earbuds.

I just saw this a half hour ago and it was DARK. I barely saw all 4 navy clothed ppl in time to move my car a bit to the left.

There are NO sidewalks in my little town.

Holy moly! Even my little dog has a flashing red light on her halter. I carry a powerful little flashlight and wave it around horizontally at any car approaching. I also wave it at myself so the driver can see me.