If out walking, in the dark, on a moonless night

[hellhasnofurylikeahungrywoman]

Along an unlit road that you should take some responsibility for you safety and either walk facing on coming traffic or wear something with a hint of reflectiveness about it?

I grew up in the country and was taught to walk into the traffic not with it so that could see what was coming at me. Having your back to cars doing 60mph was considered unwise, has that advice changed?

WHY? This is common sense surely? What have you experienced?

I always walk facing oncoming traffic.

If there is cause to step off the pavement for whatever reason, I will only do it if I'm facing the oncoming traffic.

If not, I don't move out of the way I stay on the pavement and either stop and move to the side where the wall is, or hope the other person who can see what's coming would be the one to step out.

A bloke tonight, walking along the road in the pitch black, and wear all dark clothing. I saw him, albeit at the last minute, but the car a little way behind me didn't and had a narrow escape involving the walker and a juggernaut coming in the opposite direction.

It's common sense.

Also, without being alarmist about it, not everyone out driving at night is someone a lone pedestrian wants coming up behind them.

As a teenager walking home alone after nights out I learnt that there's something about a pedestrian with their back turned that apparently compels some drivers to shout abuse/throw stuff/swerve at you for the fun of seeing you jump. Never seemed to happen if I faced the oncoming traffic!

its in the highway code isn't it?

It really pisses me off when people haven't got the common sense to realise that not making themselves visible is putting their life at risk.

He's a twit. I bet he's 17, his mum lectures him about facing traffic, wearing something light and carrying a torch ... so he doesn't Let's hope drivers manage to avoid him until he grows up!

I thought it was in the highway code too but I see so many people not doing it, usually in daylight hours though not so much at night time.

Well he hasn't learned yet. DD has just come through the front door and said about him too, he's still going still on the wrong side of the road.

That would scare the fuck out of me.

The only time I think you should walk on the 'wrong' side of the road is if you're coming up to a blind summit or bend, where the cars coming towards you won't be able to see you but those coming up behind you will.

Not really applicable in this situation, just saying.

Glad she missed him, then!

Unlit roads often lack footpaths. Depending on your direction, you have to choose between facing the traffic and walking on the side with some kind of a verge to jump onto. I didn't realise this until I moved to the Back Of Beyond - one of the many things, like the need for a torch, city dwellers may happily ignore. I sometimes walk in the road, theorising the traffic should be able to see me, but that carries its own dangers

I've told this story before, but I nearly died from fright one night, when I was driving home down an unlit lane, and nearly hit someone.

All I saw was the whites of his eyes horribly close to me and his teeth. He was black, and wearing dark clothes too the tool. :(

You should ideally have a head torch pointing to the front and a hand-torch pointing to the rear and wear reflective clothing.

I should add that is what I do, rural village, no footpaths, no streetlights.

There should be a nice little pile of bouquets next to a tree by the end of the week. And he might even make the local news. How exciting for you.

Why exciting? It's the kind of exciting I could do without thanks very much.

"Like one who, on a lonely road,
Doth walk in fear and dread,
And having once looked back,
Walks on and turns no more his head,
Because he knows a fearsome thing
Doth close behind him tread"

And while we're at it, could people riding black horses at night in the road please wear something, I dunno, a bit brighter than a black* hacking jacket? Full headlights would be nice (still break into prickles of fright when i contemplate THAT near miss).

• Could have been green, I suppose. It was dark out there.

Yeah why do people do this? Cyclists too. The amount of cyclists I've seen in the dark without reflective clothing and no lights OR Helmets is mind boggling. They really don't care about themselves.

Not just teenagers. The number of dark haired, mature adults I see in their navy or black running gear with no reflective bands, torches, etc is ridiculous.

YY fakebook, big College in rural village and loads of students cycling down unlit roads with no fecking lights.