wibu to stop and give out to this woman

[spongebob13]

coming home last night from late night shopping on a dark windy country road and only for a car coming against me, with their headlights I spotted last second a woman walking in the dark in black. I swerved to avoid her and braked and the other car passed. I came to a stop. my heart was thumping and was shaking and i was so mad. I reversed and rolled down window. she stopped and looked in at me as if i was looking for directions not a bother on her. I said exactly "jesus Christ I nearly hit you. you are all in black! are you mad?" she said "what?" I said "I couldn't see you and it would be my fault if I hit you! " she said "fuck off" and walked on. I was in shock. haven't stopped thinking about it since. I swear if I knew who she was I'd report her but for what law she is breaking I don't know! selfish bint!

[Adeleh]

Who's assuming that, china? I'm a pedestrian and a cyclist and a driver? But only once I started driving did I appreciate just how difficult it can be to see cyclists and pedestrians if they're wearing dark clothes with no lights. Of course it's a driver's responsibility not to hit people, but all road users have a responsibility to try and keep things as safe as possible for themselves and for others.

[IamInvisible]

My car was brand new on Wednesday, it was filthy by Thursday evening. It had 37 miles on the clock.

[LaurieFairyCake]

That's why I asked if she was in the road.

I lived in the country the first 20 years of my life.

And there's no reason to be walking in the road without a way to make yourself visible and on the wrong side of the road. You don't walk where cars can come up behind you.
You walk where you can see them coming towards you and you flatten yourself against the hedge /bank when a car approaches.

You don't walk in the road where a car can hit you from behind

[spongebob13]

she was walking in the road (no pavements) on my side coming against me.

[spongebob13]

IamInvisible (ironic name for this post) i was answering the post that said if my headlights were clean i should have easily seen them.

[DameFanny]

Yabu

[Adeleh]

Well she's also thinking of he woman she'd prefer not to kill . . .

[spongebob13]

Chinachef you are right in a way .. it will always be the drivers fault in the case against pedestrians and cyclists even though they may step of a footpath into oncoming traffic, stick their buggy out first to test traffic (never understood that one) or be dressed like a feckin ninja they never get the blame. its not right.

[spongebob13]

thank you Adeleh ... that's it exactly!

[FabBakerGirl]

you do sound self absorbed, OP.

[IamInvisible]

she was walking in the road (no pavements) on my side coming against me.

That is what she is meant to do!

[gordyslovesheep]

it's not always the drivers fault either - if the driver is driving safely

[Electriclaundryland]

I've bought reflective bands for me and the dc. It is quite shocking how hard it can be to see people at night. I'm amazed there aren't more accidents.

I know it isn't the law to wear hi vis stuff but it's sensible. Hopefully it will be a warning to her.

[spongebob13]

IamInvisible i never said she was walking on the wrong side but made no attempt from what i could see to stop and step up onto ditch especially with another car coming the other way. self absorbed, how?

[SauvignonBlanche]

Was she walking towards you?

[spongebob13]

yes sauvingnon, the way i was also taught. like i said, i didn't say she was walking in the wrong direction.

[gordyslovesheep]

she should have jumped into a ditch?

[Logg1e]

A person finds herself out on a lonely road at night-time wearing a less than ideal outfit and there's no pavement. What do you want her to do?

[IamInvisible]

Why should she step on to the ditch? You don't own the road! When I see a pedestrian on the lanes round here, I slow right down and give them room then pass them. I don't force them into the ditch or on to the verge!

[Thetallesttower]

There was a really sad programme, one of those police accident ones, and I always remember about a cyclist all dressed in black without his lights on. Ideally you would be able to see, but I know myself, having been surprised once or twice, that sometimes you really really cannot see either a pedestrian or a cyclist all in black or dark clothes at night- especially if it is raining.

There is no law that says that you should wear something white (in the old days we used to use a hankie) and walk into oncoming traffic, but if you don't, it may just be too late for someone to see you.

I disagree that it is about driving safe enough and slow enough- I am often crawling along at night in my city, and I find cyclists who move quite fast without lights (students taking a chance) on at dusk the worst to spot, I have had a couple of near misses but don't think I am driving fast or without care. I would like all bikes to have a minimum bright light like cars, as some of the tiny blinking red lights at the back in particular are very hard to spot- and if you are in a queue in the rain, it's easy not to see them.

[spongebob13]

she looked to me like she was out power walking .. excercising. i expect her to wear hi vis gear! i was reared in the country even in the daytime you stopped walking turned sideways and even onto verge if there were 2 cars passing.

[ExitPursuedTheRoyalPrude]

This happened to me recently. Driving down unlit country road, swerved to avoid potholes and suddenly saw a walker dressed head to toe in black at the right hand side of the road. Made my heart miss a beat.

A bit of reflective clothing would have made all the difference.

YANBU

[SheherazadeSchadenfreude]

Laurie is right. I grew up in the middle of nowhere, and used to walk into the village at night, about a mile or so. You walk so that you are facing the traffic, not going in the same direction, you walk right in against the hedge/field/wall and flatten yourself against it when the cars come towards you.

[SheherazadeSchadenfreude]

And cyclists with no lights give me the rage.