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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be very wary at zebra crossings because of very bad drivers

93 replies

lazyglazy · 01/10/2015 22:21

I really am sick and tired of drivers (sorry to say but nearly always women) who refuse to stop at zebra crossings. It's like I'm invisible. So bloody ignorant, not to mention dangerous. Has anyone else come across this?

OP posts:

fulldutypaid · 02/10/2015 00:23

In my day a lolipop lady was there to make sure children crossed the road safely and was never near a zebra?

fulldutypaid · 02/10/2015 00:24

She was near a school.

WorraLiberty · 02/10/2015 00:31

A lollipop lady and a zebra is probably conflicting and confusing and they probably laugh and sail past due to a double meaning? I'd do the same? Its sort of saying I dont trust you to stop? negative.

Thankfully I've never yet come across a motorist who thinks that way. They all stop when told to (whereas beforehand a lot of them didn't).

Cyclists however are the number one complaint WRT not stopping, from the majority of lollipop people in this borough.

And that goes for all crossings, not just zebras as the majority of crossings aren't zebras anyway.

Original poster

lazyglazy · 02/10/2015 00:33

I agree more stop than don't. It's the ones who don't stop that are the problem. I wish they had cameras up at zebra crossings.

OP posts:

WorraLiberty · 02/10/2015 00:36

But I meant to add...

There is no 'double meaning'. Lollipop people are there to reinforce the singular 'Stop at the crossing, because there are people wanting to cross'.

Of course they're not trusted to stop. If they were, the local council wouldn't be spending money on putting lollipop people in place.

They would have spent time surveying and observing the traffic/crossing before deciding one was needed there.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 02/10/2015 00:42

YANBU - I nearly got taken out on a zebra crossing a few years ago by a woman in a large 4wd car who had her head turned to her friend and was yapping. She was so close to me that I could have hit her car with my hand - I was halfway across the crossing when she sped past. One more step and she'd have hit me.

RaspberryOverload · 02/10/2015 01:47

I agree the lollipop people are there to reinforce drivers stopping at a zebra crossong.

DD walks to school and uses a zebra to cross thats outside a primary school on the way. She says even with the lollipop lady, there are still some wankers who don't stop.

Lweji · 02/10/2015 06:16

When I was taught to drive, I was taught to expect that every other road user was an idiot. So if they were signalling, to expect them NOT to turn, etc. It has worked well, and I continue to use it!

Yes to this.

I'd expect, how shall I put it, only an idiot would be confused by a lollipop lady on a zebra crossing and decide not to stop because of it. Those conflicting messages: stop and stop. Oh what shall I do? Stop? I'm sure it's speed up. Sure.

BertPuttocks · 02/10/2015 06:29

YANBU.

I use a zebra crossing every day on the school run. A lot of drivers seem to actually speed up when they approach them, presumably to put people off attempting to cross.

I've also had drivers go around me when I'm actually on the crossing - including one who narrowly missed a head-on collision with a car coming from the opposite direction. The road had been clear when I started to cross , so it wasn't even a case of me suddenly stepping out in front of them.

Egosumquisum · 02/10/2015 06:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Lweji · 02/10/2015 06:37

Otoh it pisses me off when I stop to let someone cross because they are stopped at a crossing and they tell me to go through.
A) what are you doing there then?
B) I've already stopped, you might as well cross.

Thebirdsneedseeds · 02/10/2015 06:38

I'm a woman and I drive an Audi (what a absolute bastard I must be) and I always always always slow down and carefully check before driving over the crossing in our town.

Several times cars have raced through and I'm always cautious about crossing, especially with my toddler.

We tragically did have a fatality on the crossing a few months ago. And folk still drive through it quickly. I don't understand it, it's a long, straight street so it's clearly visible, there's plenty time to check as you approach, just slow down!!

hazeyjane · 02/10/2015 06:42

Yanbu

Ds nearly got hit the other day as a car whizzed past us as we had just started crossing the road, it was bloody terrifying.

Worra - I am a little bit in awe! I haven't seen a lollipop lady in years - do you get to wear the big long coat?

Solina · 02/10/2015 06:46

I find it men here in the cars that dont stop but I think it ptobably is equal amount.

Anyways I always stop to wait for a car to stop. But once I was already half way on the crossing when a car turned up and I had to jump out of the way because the driver was hunched down to look for something! when he saw me few inches next to his window as he got up he looked very surprised. It was really close that I didnt get hit.

Another time car did stop but then went around me because the guy couldnt wait for 2 more seconds for me to be out of his way. I dont walk slowly so he was just being very impatient

exLtEveDallas · 02/10/2015 06:49

Our school is on a blind bend on a rat run through the village. The council won't put in a zebra crossing because of the site (too dangerous). We have a lollipop man who takes his life into his hands every morning.

I was almost squished on Tuesday. The road leading up to the school is 60mph. There is a 30mph warning system 100yds from when it changes - 50 yds from the school drive. I crossed exactly at the drive so the wanker beemer bloke had 150 yds notice in which to slow down. He skidded to a stop about 4 ft from me leaving about 30 yds worth of tyre on the road.

And then he shouted at ME!

Thankfully there were no children about when I smashed my rucksack against the bonnet of his car and called him every name under the sun.

CrohnicallyAspie · 02/10/2015 06:51

I always stop if I see a pedestrian waiting to cross. However, near me there is a street with shops each side and a couple of zebra crossings. There are usually crowds of people milling around the shops. The number of pedestrians that just suddenly step out of the crowd and straight onto the crossing without any warning! Even travelling at 10mph or so I've had to emergency stop a couple of times.

WingMirrorSpider · 02/10/2015 07:07

As a driver I hate approaching zebra crossings. I'm probably a bit too cautious as I slow right down even if there's no one nearby.

There's a particularly nasty one near me which is outside a school. The school is on a corner and there's a mini roundabout on the corner, so if you approach from a particular direction you can't see the crossing until you're right on top of it. It's ok for people who know the road, but I'm sure some idiot one day will come hurtling round the roundabout and kill someone.

SoupDragon · 02/10/2015 07:21

According to the Highway Code, drivers only have to stop if the pedestrian has actually started to cross.

I do think a driver would be a twat if they didn't stop for someone waiting though.

Instead of just slowing down in plenty of time, indicating that they have seen me and intend on letting me cross safely

How do you think they should indicate this? Personally I slow down and let them make their own decision about whether it is safe to cross. It's not sensible to do something that might be taken as "yeah, go ahead, it's safe to cross" when there might be a reason it isn't safe. I am not prepared to take that responsibility.

CigarsofthePharoahs · 02/10/2015 07:21

I'm so glad my son has left preschool for this very reason!
It was in part of a school next to a shopping precinct, you needed to use a zebra crossing to get there. I always felt safer when his start time co-incided with the school as there was a lollipop lady, but actually it made little difference.
Twice a car went through when the lollipop lady was in the road and we weren't far behind. One of those occasions the driver lifted a hand and smiled at us! Huh? What? You nearly hit us, but you smiled so that makes it ok?? No.
Another occasion, I was just about to step out when a car some distance away decided to speed up and attempt to run me down. I gesticulated at her that I was less than happy about this and she slowed down to give me a mouthful of abuse. Might as well have just stopped love.
Thankfully my sons new school is in a different location and no zebra crossings!
When I'm driving I slow down automatically if I see a zebra crossing.

Mistigri · 02/10/2015 07:33

Like ego said some countries are much worse! (France)

You have to be pretty assertive here - I step into the road and look right at the driver, and I don't start crossing until I'm sure s/he has seen me. This is despite the fact that you can now theoretically get points for not stopping. I'm sometimes tempted to take photos of number plates and start a name-and-shame campaign!

It's bloody stupid because as someone pointed out above, if drivers were to routinely slow down for pedestrians, we'd get across the road more quickly and drivers would lose less time, not more.

ScottishDiblet · 02/10/2015 07:34

In London I find the biggest problem is cyclists who merrily speed through a line of cars waiting at a zebra crossing with no thought that someone might be crossing. I was hit and had a very bad fall because of a cyclist a few years ago. I am such a nervous crosser now, especially with our DD.

Becles · 02/10/2015 07:36

Cars generally stop round here. The ones that whizz through especially when there's a queue of stopped traffic are cyclists.

lilyb84 · 02/10/2015 07:41

I'm in London too. Central London is generally fine as traffic is so slow anyway (cyclists aside). But where I live in SE it's common for cars not to stop at crossings, even to speed up to drive over them even when people are waiting to cross.

There's one crossing in particular directly outside a station at which probably 1 in 5 cars actually stop when people are waiting or even on the crossing. I'm always doubly careful at those!

I'm a recent driver so am hyper aware of crossings and approaching with caution and ready to stop but get the impression many other drivers just consider them an inconvenience or are overly confident in their abilities so will only brake at the last minute if they absolutely need to.

It annoys me as a pedestrain but I was always taught to be careful crossing even at a zebra or lights as you just don't know what drivers will do.

Enb76 · 02/10/2015 07:45

We have a problem with the pelican crossing here. The junction is awkward which means drivers have to wait quite a long time for the lights to be in their favour. Pedestrians have to wait even longer however as cars will always run the red in the morning so they don't have to sit for the lights again. Around here it seems to be 4x4 drivers. It makes me really cross and there are a few near misses involving children every couple of weeks however until there's a fatality it's not considered to be dangerous.

Senpai · 02/10/2015 07:57

It took me a moment to realize you were all talking about a pedestrian crossing and not literal zebras. This thread is not nearly as interesting as I first hoped.

I always wait until the cars are completely stopped. I've almost gotten hit at red lights because cars weren't paying attention.

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