Pedestrians

[MardyBra]

Please do not "nip in front" of my car as I am pulling out of a junction.

Oh, and a quick cheeky cross of the road just as the lights are changing and I've been waiting for ages isn't great either.

I don't want to kill you.

I know I'll be flamed as an imperialist gas-guzzling car driver even though my business couldn't function with a car but some of you have been getting on my tits this week.

Yeah how ridiculous that pedestrians expect car users to follow the highway code.

Cyclists - it's really daft to jump red lights at a crossroad.

gosh yes a pedestrian thread that starts bashing cyclists - at every opportunity they need to be bashed and then bashed some more regardless.

Possibly some people don't know the difference between pedestrians and cyclists

Pedestrians generally walk or are possibly pushed around and cyclists are on bikes.

I always thank drivers at crossings. I have taught my children to do it too. Just manners I suppose. I have also already made a point of making eye contact to be sure the driver has seen me before crossing.

it's pretty much inevitable that it will happen somewhere in such a thread.

Don't usually have to wait so long though.

We are all pedestrians. Pedestrians are not a different tribe to car owners.

I drive and I do see people do daft things - when walking, driving and cycling. I particularly recognise the irritation with pedestrians who nip behind my reversing car (and no, you can't see them before you creep back because they are on the pavement until the second that they leap into the road! But by the same token, they don't see you at the wheel - they think you are just a parked car and they don't know that you are about to reverse).

Just don't make it a war between pedestrians and drivers. And as a general rule of society, the more vulnerable take precedence over the protected so the flesh and blood people who move at 4mph should be shown a bit of patience by the people in the metal boxes who move at 30mnph.

patpig it seems cyclists are the mode of transport to be despised by motorist and pedestrians, it is what bonds them together to be vile and derogatory about.

Motorsist jump lights and I have seen plenty of jay walking, I just drove home and had a woman walk straight out in front of me and an old man driving towards me on the wrong side of the road. But of course some how it will be the invisible cyclists fault

Motorists jump lights and kill quite a few people doing so.

It doesn't make them public hate figures though for some reason.

I can't believe how many people will walk behind a reversing car already in motion. Of course you wait if someone is there, but deliberately doing it when as a driver you are trying to look in several directions is just stupid. Even if you have right of way, it won't stop you getting clobbered if I can't see you!

And what is it about school kids that makes them think they are immortal?

Gosh if you want to murder someone just do it with a car - you will get 300 hours community service and a ban from driving a car for 5 years.

MIL is always stepping out behind cars that are already reversing, she's just totally unaware of anything around her. So many times either me or DH have had to drag her out of harm's way.

And yet she still doesn't get why I wont let DS walk with her around roads/cars.

I'm with bees -
As a driver and as a pedestrian and as a cyclist we all do stupid things ...
lets all take a deep breath and give some people the benefit of the doubt...I think I must be in a smile and the world smiles with you mood today
The person that doesn't smile/thank you at a zebra crossing - might just be having a really terrible day ....tomorrow they might smile!...
the inconsiderate driver might just have messed up - and be kicking themselves for being an idiot...
the person who didn't indicate may just have forgotten ... distracted looking at road signs etc...
Driving for 20+ years, never had an accident, try to be considerate - I will stop even if I have right of way if it makes the traffic flow better if that makes sense -

However I will confess ...
I have gone through a red light (thankfully nothing was coming) - my brain for some reason decided in that split second red means go!!! - my dad has done the same - so I know I'm not the only one..
I also once (after driving in the country with no lights for a while) gave way at traffic lights so very considerately went through a red light...
I have not seem someone on a zebra and had to an emergency stop...
I misjudge timing sometimes - I have not stopped for someone with right of way ...just got it wrong ...usually I will then shake my head and tut at myself and hold my hand up - (only I recently realised that may look like I am shaking my head at the other driver who has done nothing wrong )
I have stepped out in front of a car (as an adult) - just didn't see it - and I did look twice -luckily I looked three times and could jump back just in time...
I have wobbled out on my bike in front of a car ...still getting used to bike riding again after ages and lost control...(must have freaked the car overtaking me out though)

I parked really closed to another car the other day - I was late, I knew I was going to be two minutes and had to get DD2 out of the other side, spaces aren't that big, I was probably over the white line because the car on the other side of me was too....
(this did actually piss me off a little - as the other driver and his passenger arrived back at their car the same time as me ...I raced up saying really sorry etc - and dived in through the passenger side to get out of the way asap - other driver's passenger didn't acknowledge me - just gave me the evil eye...)
(I will say I have had stupoid things done to me too - and not always felt generous about it ...but thinking I'm going to try ...(for today at least)

Now come on ivykaty don't exaggerate.

Three points and £200 fine is more common.

www.standard.co.uk/news/dead-cyclists-family-angered-by-200-fine-for-lorry-driver-6523449.html

He did get put in prison when he subsequently killed a pedestrian however.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2182587/Short-sighted-lorry-driver-killed-pedestrian-93-ignoring-warnings-wear-glasses-causing-death-cyclist-years-ago.html

BTW I think pedestrians should give way to drivers who are reversing ...and that's what we should teach children...
Because that will stop them thinking they can walk out in front of a reversing car ....and being small just not being seen....

agree unlucky. Excellent post. I'm an ok driver (no accidents in thirty years almost of driving - touch wood) but I'm mainly ok because I'm aware of my limitations. I'm not brilliant and multi-aware at all times. So I try to drive slowly and defensively to compensate for my shortcomings.

Likewise as a pedestrian I'm sometimes distracted - because I'm human. All I can hope is that drivers are making allowances for my humanity. But some of the posts on here suggest that they do not.

As for bemoaning the behaviour of school children around roads - they simply do not have the road skill, experience or neural pathways laid down to make sensible choices all the time. That's why we, as drivers, have to compensate for them. I hope someone will take account of my DCs inexperience on the road when they start walking themselves to school in a few years.

yes unlucky my children now know to watch out particularly for white lights on the back of the car means the vehicle is reversing.

unlucky: it's a good idea to get out of the way of motor vehicles in general, because they are big and hard and heavy and you are small and squashy.

But reversing motorists don't have right of way over pedestrians. Not at all.

I hate the fact that when, as a pedestrian, I cross a side street and am half way across, a car comes, tries to turn into the road and beeps at me! Clearly I started crossing the road before they appeared and have right of way (I checked the highway code). People have fuck all patience.

It's not really about right of way with reversing though - more using common sense and being safe.

Most cars here think zebra crossings are optional stop I approach with caution.

Few weeks ago my 4 year old was clipped by speeding driver at school crossing at school pickup time.There was bin lorry stopped further up rd so dident cross as could not see so pretty clear driver couldent see. we stepped out onto our side of rd literally just off pavement when speeding woman goes past bin lorry then veers wrong side of rd very close to us. I pulled daughter back she dropped her scooter in rd lady came screeching half least 2cars distance away.She wouldent have been able to stop scares me now she was late and was rushing dident see us or think to slow down. some try and drive around a lollypop man for god sake.

my biggest pet hate is so many cars and vans park close to junctions making dangerous to cross or parking on pavements making me veer into rd.Many of them have perfectly good driveways.
They don't care about splashing you. They rarly like to wait.

I reserve some annoyance for cyclists who think they own the entire cycle path and don't look where they going.

I think the pedestrian in uk has rough time personally.

being a good driver is about being prepared.

expecting lights may change
that someone might cross.
being careful around schools/residential areas.
considerate legal parking.
yes when reversing pedestrian has right of way.

I actually teach the theories of human error (at a very basic level) and it is a fact, an absolute fact, that we all make mistakes and slips, even in the simplest of tasks. Anyone who says they have never made an error when driving, cycling or walking is lying. Some of those slips and mistakes will cause hazardous situations, many of which only be prevented from escalating to accidents by the actions of others. Why not give people the benefit of the doubt and assume they largely don't deliberately do the wrong thing? Drive in such a way that your driving can accommodate other people's errors.

Having said this we all have a responsibility to reduce our error rate by avoiding distraction (phones, eating, fiddling with radios and sat navs etc).

Some things, however, not using indicators being my pet hate, are unforgivable and we should be allowed to shoot on sight (when safe to do so). These are technically violations rather than mistakes and are a result of a decision to disobey a known rule.

I teach my children to make way for cars because "they won't make way for you" and they don't. They are six and three and cars will routinely turn into roads that we are crossing because they are bigger and badder than us. It's a shame - but yes I teach them defensive walking.

"Do drivers really expect pedestrians to thank them for obeying the highway code?"

I am of the opinion that gratitude, even when not technically necessary, makes the world a better place - it makes the person whom you are thanking feel appreciated and noticed.

Thanking someone for doing something - even when they legally had to do it - takes almost no time or effort, and spreads a little bit of good feeling - I genuinely can't see what is wrong with saying that is a good thing, and people should thank other people.

I agree that gratitude, smiling and waving are all wonderful, but SDTG if you're at lights, and they are in your favour, do you wave and say thank you to the cars that are stopped?

i'm 70% certain that big new bmws, audis et al come with the wonderful directional advance warning thingummyjigs

Optional extras on BMWs - they come as part of the 'Visibility Package'.