Would you report this?

[RainbowSparkles]

I was walking home from school pick up when a car reversed into the curb and brushed me, the driver then moved forward, looked at me, laughed and drove off. The driver was the only person in the car. I am not sure if they realised that the car touched me.

I am not hurt but it is a road that a junior school is on and full of school children at drop off and pick up times.

I'm not sure whether to report it to 101/online or not as I'm not hurt but they did reverse without looking and could have hit/touched a child.

Would you report this? I took a picture of the car as it drove away.

Correct, and of course in an ideal world no driver would ever make a small error of judgement.

Of course anyone can make an error of judgement. All I am saying is that you shouldn't assume that because you have reversing lights on, any passers-by will know you intend to reverse, and you shouldn't rely on people 'reacting accordingly'. Pedestrians shouldn't have to move out of your way if they are on the pavement.

@Hurdygurdy24 I was talking to my DC not looking at the road as I was walking along the pavement towards my house, not waiting to cross the road.

• @Hurdygurdy24 I was talking to my DC not looking at the road as I was walking along the pavement towards my house, not waiting to cross the road.*

Then you should have been paying more attention to the road that you were walking along. The cars engine must have been running (even if electric they make a noise) and you must have seen it moving.

Even the fact that someone is sitting in the drivers seat should make you more wary.

It’s worth reaching kids these things, especially given the fact that cars will be electric and much quoted in the next few years.

If a moving vehicle (at low speed) touches you then technically it’s the drivers fault.

However, you can also be aware of your surroundings and avoid it.

I expect the laugh was because they thought you were looking at them because of their rubbish driving, not because they thought it was funny that they almost knocked you down.

I wouldn't report it, not because it wasn't dangerous, but because no one will do anything.

I was nearly hit in a carpark recently. I was crossing the 'road' and a car parked a bit further up started to reverse out. For some reason they reversed a lot further along the road than normal, so initially I wasn't concerned, then I changed course slightly, then I skittered sideways a bit, in the end I had to shout and bang the back of the car. They were just randomly reversing straight down the road, well after they had straightened up from coming out of the space. Luckily my 3yoDD was on her dad's shoulders ahead of me, not walking holding my hand, or I would have struggled to move us both as fast as I had to to avoid them. The driver just looked at me like had two heads and sped off.

I was really shaken up for a couple of hours, so I get it was a bit scary OP.

Then you should have been paying more attention to the road that you were walking along.

No - the OP was walking along the pavement. She had every right to expect the car to stay on the road where it belonged.

It's unreasonable to expect pedestrians - who may, perfectly legally, be under the weather, under the influence of medication, under the influence of alcohol, distracted, ill, upset, physically or mentally impaired - to scan all cars in the vicinity in case they stray onto the pavement.

Yes report.

No - the OP was walking along the pavement. She had every right to expect the car to stay on the road where it belonged.

Yeah she did.

I have every right to expect cars to stop at a pedestrian crossing if the man is green. Doesn’t mean I blindly step out without checking and then constantly monitoring the situation as I cross though.

Likewise in a car at traffic lights. You would be perfectly within your rights to assume you can just proceed through a green light. Common sense means you still check both ways when passing through though.

You shouldn’t have to watch what others are doing as you walk down a pavement, but to complain someone bumped you at low speed and take zero responsibility for the fact that it’s sensible to also be aware of your own surroundings and potential dangers is a bit nuts

@Hurdygurdy24 I was about a foot away from the kerb, not next to it as you have assumed. I would think that is far enough away to not be touched by the boot of a reversing car but sadly not.
Again, it isn’t my responsibility when walking on the path to avoid cars except when crossing over driveways.

I think the driver's reaction is the key. If it was a mistake surely the driver would have said sorry or at least acknowledged the error with the customary hand up? The way you describe the driver's reaction sounds like it was more of a sneer which is quite worrying.

I’m struggling to understand why anyone thinks it’s ok for a car to touch/brush against - however lightly - whilst they’re on a pavement ??

Nobody is saying it's ok. There is a massive world between it being ok and it being something you want to report to the police though.

It's not a police matter.

Nobody is saying it's ok.

There are people saying it's partly the OP's fault, though - e.g. "to complain someone bumped you at low speed and take zero responsibility for the fact that it’s sensible to also be aware of your own surroundings and potential dangers is a bit nuts".

Some people are unable to understand that pedestrians have no obligation to be responsible for what people do in their vehicles. If you take on the responsibility of driving a car, you take on responsibility for not hitting pedestrians when they are on the pavement - no matter if the pedestrian is paying attention or not; no matter if the pedestrian is completely oblivious.

Because as a pedestrian you are allowed to be on the pavement whether or not you've studied which flashing light indicates which forthcoming manoeuvre on a car and whether or not your reactions are impaired.

If you were a foot into the pavement, then the tailgate must have been a foot onto the pavement which suggests a 4x4 and these usually now have tail cameras,

so actually I think this is an issue and I would have called 101 when the man laughed as he clearly was not in control of the vehicle and if it was a child it could have caused damage or a buggy could have been caught on the underside and dragged onto the road.