To think I can't trust a all drivers to stop at zebra crossings?

My friend was half way across a crossing once when some idiot in a van came flying along the road and hit her. Brain injury, intensive care for months, had to learn to speak and walk again (along with other injuries like broken legs / ribs). Had to have half her skull reconstructed with metal. Didnt expect her to survive, for 6-9 months she was either unconscious or very unwell in and out of surgery etc.
10 years on and her life will never be the same again. Lost her job, personality and ability to function in normal day to day life totally changed. Requires living with someone full time.

Never trust a crossing, make sure there are either no cars or they are fully stopped.

Sorry misread, thought you said WITH a central island.

Yet that also says that traffic does not have to stop until a pedestrian has stepped onto the crossing...

Yes I don’t trust drivers. I’m also partial sighted (the reason I will never drive). I try to be very careful but literally may not see. (I don’t use a cane because other difficulties mean I would not be able to hold it properly.)

Can I check with drivers- on a zebra (just one with no island in the middle) is a driver allowed to cross their carriageway once I reach the middle. I suppose it’s safe but it’s very disconcerting having a car wizz past behind me.

My worst place is a junction nearby where cars can go straight ahead aren’t allowed to turn left. If they turn left I can get run over because that is my green man. Walking the crossing towards by house I have visual field and can stop. The other way I haven’t a prayer, just lucky so far. Council say nothing can be done as all the signs are there.

Some of them will be thanking (which is silly, but I guess better than nothing?).

Others might be saying sorry as they reacted too late and didn’t bother to stop, but are acknowledging the mistake.

Either way, not good

I always wait until the cars are stopped before i step on the crossing. I worked with a man whose son was killed as he used a zebra crossing.

On the zebra crossing near me, cars either do a wave of thanks as they fail to stop....

It does annoy me when they wave a thank you, when you weren't stopping for their convenience, you were stopping because the alternative would have been to be run over.

On the zebra crossing near me, cars either do a wave of thanks as they fail to stop, or stare rigidly straight ahead, as though they don’t have to stop as they can’t possibly have seen anyone waiting to cross.

I do too, far too many times I’ve seen drivers go through on red when the green man is lit. It was a regular occurrence at a crossing where we used to live.

The pedestrian crossing nearest our house is taken by drivers as more of a suggestion. I really wish they would do people for going through it because I’d say about 9/10 times I cross there a car goes through on red.

Years ago, my mother's elderly neighbours were knocked down on a zebra crossing by a drunk speeding driver. They had been out for the evening, got off the bus and were crossing the road right outside their own home. The man died a couple of days later in hospital, the woman was left disabled. I can't remember what punishment the driver got, but I do remember that everyone thought it was entirely inadequate.

Yanbu - I have come close to being mowed down twice in my town (both times at crossings right outside a preschool and when I had DC with me). I kicked one of the cars, who didn't stop... I think I gave the bloke driving a heart attack as he must have thought he hit me (not in the least bit sorry ) and he stopped to check what has happened to I gave him some choice words about his reckless driving.

The other car was going so very fast, and I was in the middle of the crossing. Traffic was queued on one side of the road, but the other side was clear and this car tore through without checking the crossing was clear. It was really quite scary (and I am not easily frightened).

Pedestrians should wait till it's safe to cross, not dart out like a whippet. See this time and time again.

Lol karma at its best 👌

I always wait too, my kids know to wait. Too many idiot drivers that pretend they don’t see you and just plough straight through.

There’s a zebra crossing on my school run that is near another primary school - an actual lollipop lady was hired to help kids cross in the mornings because so many wankers wouldn’t stop.

I was in a car with someone recently who went straight through a crossing someone was stood at, I said “why didn’t you stop?!?” And she went “I don’t know why but I completely forgot just then that I’m meant to” and this is someone who’s been driving years. We all have days where our brains go elsewhere, not that that’s an excuse for breaking road rules of course but I do think pedestrians should be mindful of their own safety also and consider the fact that they may be crossing in front of 1) an arsehole 2) not an arsehole, but someone with a preoccupied mind

Recently in my city (Down Under), a disabled man was knocked off his mobility scooter on a pedestrian crossing, and died. Just awful.

I always stop as a driver and wait until cars stop as a pedestrian.

Whenever I read posts like this I think of all the times I've been abroad where it's safest to wait until the vehicles are well and truly stationary before crossing as I've seen some very near misses with holiday makers assuming drivers will stop.

This is something me and my mum have argued about so much !

At zebra crossings I will always wait until the cars have stopped before I cross and the same with pedestrian crossings even if the lights are on red. My mum will just go . She then says to me “ they have to stop ! Just go” and I will say to her just because they are supposed to, doesn’t mean they will. She will always reply with “ well if they don’t they are the ones who will be in trouble ! “ and my response is - doesn’t compensate for being run over does it ?!

I work with students with disabilities and very recently took them out and the light was on red , green man telling us to go .., a car just ran the red light!

A few years back there was a horrendous incident in the news - a mother and her 5 year old daughter crossed at a pedestrian crossing and were hit by a driver who was elderly and later said he did not see that the light was on red. The poor little girl passed away and her mother was in a coma for a very long time . She woke up to find out her daughter had passed away and the funeral had already taken place. The most horrendous thing I have ever heard.

So, no. YANBU.

Exactly which is what I thought the zigzags were for, if a car is within them (not exceeding the speed limit) they can’t be expected to stop. So many people just walk out, swerve across from looking like they were walking in a straight line and not towards the crossing, don’t look or are gawping at their phones. But I don’t disagree that many drivers aren’t respecting zebra crossings and are just determined to keep going

I wait too - as have seen drivers go straight through

I’ve also had this happen driving in unfamiliar and stressful parts of London. I broke sharply and just put a hand up to say sorry. Luckily, they hadn’t started crossing. Human error happens which is exactly why I’m very cautious now as a pedestrian.

I stopped trusting drivers years ago way before the laws changed.

Had too many close calls from drivers who were in a daze, not paying attention to road signs, one reaching back in his car trying to reach something from the back seat running a red light while the green man was on, drivers who think that they don’t have to stop when other cars have when there is someone already crossing the road, etc. It’s ridiculous what I see drivers do especially when they know they’re in a residential area and the zebra crossings are right next to schools and daycares.

Until there are proper consequences, such drivers will continue to get away with it. Driving is a privilege and too many abuse it.

Yes I would never walk out unless I know they are stopping. One came straight through a pelican crossing when I was crossing once! Years ago .. I usually walk really quickly but I was really hungover and walking much slower than usual, it was a double road the first car had stopped and only because I was walking slowly did he old guy not hit me! Ever since then I don't even cross those unless they have all stopped

Well this was me earlier this evening, in an unfamiliar built up area on a weird junction, was trying to figure out which of the 2 roads I was meant to be taking from sat nav that was orientating itself as i was coming over and going right....was starting to get dark and rush hour traffic. Wasnt my finest moment, however the pedestrian hesitated as I realised....thankfully!!