to actually start to hate car drivers? And yes, I mean ALL of them!

[Rhubarb0oooo]

I probably am being unreasonable as I'm sure many of you will point out but I used to think that the majority of car drivers were courteous and respectful, until I became a proper pedestrian.

I walk a mile to school with ds, then a mile back and again in the afternoon to pick him up. During this walk we have to walk down an A road, cross an entrance to a garden centre, cross a bypass and walk down a B road into the village centre.

Cars and lorries will often come speeding up the A road doing much more than the 40 mph limit and often spraying us both with water (the lorries) as they hurtle past.

Cars entering the garden centre think that it is their right of way and will often drive onto the pavement forcing ds and I to stop or back up and some have even swerved round us as we've been crossing ON OUR PAVEMENT.

Then we get to the bypass which has a pedestrian crossing. Drivers might be in a hurry to get to work but that is no excuse to run the red light whilst people are crossing. Or toot your horn (even though the light is red) or rev your engine. And the number of people on their phones, not looking at the lights, is scary.

Now for the B road into the village where the road is narrow and the pavement only allows for one single line pedestrians. It's a 30mph zone but I have been forced to throw ds onto the steep embankment as cars come flying down, clipping the kerb. I've also had cars hit his lunch bag that is over my shoulder (which gives you an idea of how close they drive to the pavement) and had horns blaring at us for daring to be on the pavement and in their way.

I'd like to think that these are isolated incidents, but this happens to us day after day. I've told the council who are not interested and the police say it is my word against the drivers (when I tried to report a van nearly ploughing into ds and I).

So what makes these reasonable people turn into arrogant bastards when they get behind a wheel and see a mother walking her child to school?

I take the silence as a general agreement all round - lovely! Knew I was right!

I'm a good driver and don't do this!

what about the lorries? or is it only car drivers?

Everyone turns into a bit of a fucker when they get in a car. So yanbu-ish. Sort of.

But your walk to school sounds vile and scary.

I'm sure those drivers also think they are good drivers. I honestly don't think that any of them pay any attention to speed limits, or think there is anything wrong with ploughing through lights that are on the change, or driving very close to the pavement on a narrow stretch of road.

It's not until you get out and start to experience life as a pedestrian that you realise just how ill-mannered all these drivers are.

The nice ones appear to be in a minority. The ones who give ds and I plenty of room, who wait whilst we cross the garden centre opening, who slow down when they see us walking on a narrow pavement. And I do make sure I give them my nicest smile.

Lorries too sixstring - lorries are the worst.

I do drive, but much less than I walk, and only ever feel (self-)righteous as a pedestrian. The majority of drivers are neither courteous nor careful. Yanbu.

Sounds like an awful walk to school for your ds. Could you not drive, or even walk in the fields?

Yanbu

I don't drive and have experienced similar things MANY times.
A lot of car drivers simply don't realize how unnerved they can make us pedestrians feel.
That saying,I know that lots of motorists aren't like this,so I'm not having a go.

As a fellow pedestrian, You Are Not Being Unreasonable!

just give in and get yourself a car.

Brrruuuummmm......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"... I used to think that the majority of car drivers were courteous and respectful ..."

That's not BU, that's simply insane!

The majority of car drivers courteous and respectful ?

That's awful.

I am a car driver and I hope I'm a good one (honking my horn is reserved for alerting suicidal cyclists to my presence when they haven't seen I'm coming towards them on a one-way street and they should not be there!). But threads like this make me angry that some people inconsiderate prats and makes me resolve not to be like them!

YABU to say all car drivers are like this however there are some aresholes on the road. I always keep to the speed limit no that I tend to drive these days. In the situation you describe if the road was so narrow I would probably drive slower, especially if there were pedestrians about.

YANBU to be irate at these particular drivers and I don't think the suggestion of getting a car yourself is particularly helpful. Not going to solve the real problem. If I was you I would carry a camera on the route to school I would where possible take a note of the number plates of these morons with photos, again where possible and contact your nearest police office. I think it sounds as if that stretch of road would benefit from a bit of a crack down from the police.

Yes, some car and lorry drivers can be unreasonable when on the road but, as both a pedestrian and a driver, what I dislike is stopping at a pedestrian crossing, with or without a Belisha beacon, for walkers and they don't acknowledge the fact that I have stopped for them. All right, they don't have to but I was brought up to nod my head or raise a hand to say thank you.

And I wish pedestrians would read the Highway Code for where pedestrians are walking along a road where there is no pavement. They should be walking on the side facing oncoming traffic - in other words facing the front of the cars coming towards them.

I also acknowledge people who wait at a miniroundabout for me to emerge (not big ones because they need a lot more concentration).

We can walk over fields but by the time we get to the school ds would be covered in wet grass and mud, not to mention adding 20mins to our journey.

Trouble is that we are walking at the time when everyone is going to work and the mums in their 4x4s taking their children to the SAME village school are the worst culprits. Everyone seems to leave it to the last minute which means they are in a mad rush and we are mere inconveniences using a pavement which is rarely used so they hurtle round the corner not expecting to see us and then act as though it is our fault for walking on the bloody pavement!

I had no idea how everyone rushes and is so impatient when behind the wheel. I do drive and from now on I'm going to make sure I'm very considerate to pedestrians because it is really is scary when you are in the path of a speeding ton of metal.

In those situations I'd probably feel the same. I'm starting to hate cyclists now I've moved to Brighton, they're everywhere on the roads, half of them don't have lights or visibility tags on them and cycle at night on busy roads, they swerve in front of you, etc etc. But that's life and the half who are good at being respectful of others and making sure that they're visible probably hate pedestrians and drivers! And don't get me started on pedestrians, car drivers, lorry drivers and bus drivers here!

Everyone has a death wish I'm sure

Don't even need to read the OP.

YANBU.

Plenty of twattish pedestrians around too! (not saying you are one).

You have to accept that some people drive like twats, but nit all.

So YABU

AnotherEmptyNest, yes those scummy prole pedestrians really ought to be more grateful to you for not running them over! Jesus, what a sense of entitlement.

AnotherEmptyNest
You would like me as I always thank drivers on crossings AND face oncoming traffic when having to walk on the road (often because cars are parked as to completely block the pavement)
That said,I am also good at pointing at indicators when people don't signal and mouth at people using their mobile whilst driving.Thing is,they look at me as if I'm completely bonkers.

YANBU. I live in Milan, and honestly I hate many car drivers. It's a nightmare here.

Such a negative emotion is hate.

I save hate for fascist dictators.

And lollipop ladies.

I am a bit boggled at the idea that if I stop to cross the road with the children, on top of trying to work our whether the cars are actually going to stop or not, and if on one side what's happening on the other, to control the 2yo to make sure she does not step out at the wrong moment or dawdle in case it is one of those drivers who starts to move after the time they have allocated whether you are over the road or not, with the other hand holding the 4yo, and talking to them encouragingly all the time while keeping my eyes peeled for danger both ways.... While all that is going on drivers are disliking us because we haven't stopped and waved? Stopped and waved and nodded to say thank you for following the highway code and deigning not to mow us down?

Some people.

Having sad that, actually I do nod or wave, as best I can. But the idea it would piss someone off if I didn't? That's just stupid.