To think it is 100% this runner’s fault that I almost hit him?!

The horn is there to raise awareness of your presence... thats what it did.

"It seems to be a new thing this but happens all the time, to the point it feels like there should be some kind of awareness campaign."

I'm old enough to remember that there was a "Wear Something Bright At Night" campaign many years ago, and I know from years of sports training that clubs encourage people running after dusk to wear something reflective.

From my time living in Scandinavia, I remember every child had small plastic reflectors on a string (in the shape of snowflakes, animals, stars etc) that were attached to the inside of their coat pockets so in the evenings they just took them out and let them dangle. Banks, shops and schools used to give these away as advertising gifts every autumn. Kids and adults also carried backpacks with reflective panels - e.g. the fox logo on the Fjallräven backpack - stripes and more reflectors attached.

He was an entitled idiot expecting all other road users to be aware of him, stop for him and not bash into him! Everyone should take full responsibility for themselves when crossing a road to make sure there are no vehicles moving towards you. If you were just a normal pedestrian walking along and crossing the road this probably wouldn't happen as you'd wait for vehicles to pass and then cross so why is it acceptable for runners?

I bet they are knocked off their cycles all the time.

I had a friend who commuted in London on a cycle 20 odd years ago. He just accepted that he'd get knocked off his bike several times a year 😳

YANBU. Only last night (i was driving slowly because of traffic) I came close to running over a pedestrian who had decided to choose a poor place to cross the road, and wear entirely dark clothes. Ridiculous!

I was driving on the M6, it was speed restricted into 3 narrow lanes for the never ending "smart motorway" so 50mph in the far outside lane.

11pm a pedestrian walking towards me wearing all black.

I will never know how I missed him as he wasn't visible until the last few seconds. Still feel sick thinking about it.

I assume he was stoned or attempting suicide.

It's not just the high viz but the behaviour of some people - pedestrians, cyclists, people pushing buggies or with small children. Look, the default is that I am extremely keen to avoid hitting you, but please for the love of god people try not to put your squishy breakable self (or my favourite, your small child in a buggy!) into the path of a moving lump of metal! The amount of people who will walk directly behind a reversing car in a dark car park is unreal. The runner sounds like he could do with a couple of extra braincells and an ounce or two of self-preservation. No amount of smugness around "it's always the car driver's fault" makes up for being dead.

I'm in London and the people who are most in danger of being hit are the delivery cyclists, Uber eats etc.
The vast majority of them won't have a single light on their bikes and they are dodging in and out of traffic rushing to their next destination.

I'm kinda amazed more of them haven't been knocked down or killed... maybe they have and we don't hear about it.

I live between two junior/ infant schools and have never seen any pedestrians wearing hi viz

Nor the parents of children, tbh ive not ever seen pedestrians wearing hi viz unless they are working in a industry that requires it

Not necessarily. A pedestrian in the road got killed near me a few years ago, walking on the edge of an A road (but in the carriageway) at 4am in the pitch black wearing dark clothes. The police took no action against the car driver, said he couldn’t have seen him in time to react.

Most people use the term high viz as shorthand for neon AND reflective gear.

i completely agree with you - can’t tell you the numpties round here who run, cycle & horse ride even(!) without any reflectors, lights, high viz etc. Let’s hope after his experience this evening this idiot invests in some!! Horrible experience for you too.

Maybe not al the time, just every time they cross the road without looking.

is fake

He was an idiot it sounds but your reaction was wrong too to beep the horn. But I like your diagram so for that reason it can be all his fault 😂😂

Of course pedestrians should not always wear high-vis or reflectives. Though I too as a nineties kid remember our parents putting reflective armbands on us 😁but if you are not a child or a runner and are careful it hardly seems necessary or practical.

The proviz stuff is really good.

I watched a just eat bike peddler nearly got took out as well recently. No lights, just a little strip on the back of his box.

But it would have been the drivers fault for hitting him. There's no personal accountability at all now.

Dh runs. He has flashing light armbands, a head torch, a flashing harness and a proviz reflective vest. His running tights have reflective bits in them. He also wouldn’t dash out between cars.

Or just something light. Years ago there were govt. TV ads saying Wear Something Light At Night!

Yes, a clip on light and reflective band.

I nearly hit a runner as well recently, just ran out in front of me at a side street in the dark. Just a dark shape. Luckily I've fast reflexes. Since they changed the rules about letting people across the road in dodgy places, people seem to think that means no personal care at all many people just walk across without looking now, but at least when they're walking you've got a bit extra time rather than a dark flash..

I've just remembered I bollocked a man cycling without lights a couple of years ago. I was a pedestrian and realised he was almost invisible. I told him if he could afford a Brompton he can afford lights and someone will kill him if he's not careful. He got off his bike and walked on the pavement 😂.

Modern streetlights are crap too. They aren't helping.

All pedestrians should wear hi-vis

do you? Does anyone on this thread wear hi-vis as a pedestrian?

He was a dick. It’s all very well the law being on his side but that’s not going to help if he’s dead or paralysed from being hit by a car is it.

I can never understand why so many schools specify black or navy coats and bags for school children, I know it looks smart but again, you can’t see them in the dark winter nights.

Best coats are those proviz ones for runners and cyclists