To have shouted at the person who walked out in front of me?

[Biancadelrioisback]

I know I was really, but why do people do this?!
People who walked onto the road in without looking properly, or people who see you driving on the road or reversing out of a space and decide to walk there anyways? I've had to slam on my breaks so many times recently and today was the straw that broke the camels back.
Driving down the main street in my town and a lady with a young boy (around 8 maybe?) walk out in front of me. She clearly saw me, I saw her look at me, she just walked out with her hand raised as if to say thanks. I had to slam my breaks on so the stuff on the passenger seat fell into the footwell. There are crossings on the road for pedestrians so no need to walk out where she did. The child didn't event acknowledge my car, was just chatting away to his mum/the lady.
I had the window down anyways and I yelled out that she needs to look before crossing the road rather than just expecting cars to stop. She yelled back at me to fuck off but I drove off so no idea what followed. So frustrating!

As for pedestrians going behind you when you're reversing out of a space, yes, they are being daft.

However, you'll have fewer such incidents if you reverse into the space instead whenever possible. Foolish people can still manage to walk behind you just as you start to reverse. But once you've made a good start on the manoeuvre and the tail of your car is in the space, nobody is likely to want to go behind you, because you've created a cul-de-sac behind your car. By contrast, if you are reversing out, idiots might walk behind your car at any point in the whole manoevre.

@SlightAggrandising Well my child's life is more important than you getting to work, so fucking stand there and wait, or use a crossing.

I understand why you shouted and jesus I would have wanted to too, but, the best piece of advice I was given ever was as a driver (in advanced driver lessons) was always scan, scan and scan ahead for pedestrians and other drivers who are not following the rules of the road. When you feel fully in control of your vehicle you will not feel the need to shout or beep - it only causes even more glitches in your concentration or the other person's concentration. People get so upset driving because the car becomes like part of your own body.

The best way to deal with any car related incident is wind down emotionally, not look for the horn or shout. Pedestrians walking in front of you at busy junctions rather than walking across 2 cars behind is an example, as a pedestrian I would not do it, but the advice has helped me enormously, scan, scan (and assume everyone else is not doing the same).

Exactly- road rage is for losers

Ivy, why would you say that blasting your car horn means that you are angry? Surely its a case of telling the person there is a car on the road? (They may have earphones in!)

In my home country it is a common thing you hear about ‘English people’ - that they just step out and expect the traffic to stop. I have to explain it is courtesy of drivers that allows this and very few people get hit.

Callmeadoctor - because if you've already stopped there is no need to beep horn. That's purely to display your anger. That's not what horns are for.

I use my horn as a way of alerting them to my presence. I still do it but once someone actually hit my car. My car is bright blue. I think you can see it from space.

I find in a couple of different counties I've lived in the attitudes of both drivers and pedestrians have been noticeably different than the chilled out county I currently live in. The first two places everyone was in a rush, angry, full of arrogance and self importance and road rage and believing they're in the right. Here everyone is pretty much calm and pleasant and drives calmly, no where near the same arrogance and road rage levels. She shouldn't have just walked out, but you shouldn't have deliberately approved these crossings at such speed you need to slam your breaks every time when you know full well people are probably going to step out. My mum does the same, then is always full of self righteous anger and road rage and arrogant self importance. Such a stressful l and unnecessary way to live.

I’d walk out in front of a car if I thought I had enough time to cross and it wouldn’t hit me.

@youjustdoyou - I think the OP has made it abundantly clear but I will re-state it for you as you have inexplicably missed the fact that the woman and her child WERE NOT ON A CROSSING She was driving at a reasonable pace along the road. Even if someone was only going 10 miles an hour they would still have to slam on their brakes in order to stop when someone steps out right in front of their car or are you suggesting that people should crawl along the road just in case that happens?

Better that you speak or shout at a careless pedestrian than repeated horn blowing.

If we had the guts to take the 25% of people who in my opinion should not have a car licence, one consequence would be fewer pedestrians behaving like this.

I've noticed an awful lot of fathers ( and yes it is men) don't hold their child's hand when in car parks. They let their children run off and it is dangerous to not be in control of your child in a busy car park.

Just drive slowly in car parks then.

Where did anyone say they speed in car parks?

Vulpine you're a piece of work mind

i dont think you were wrong to shout at her at all, she needed to be told that her actions were stupid and fucken dangerous! you should have laid on the horn until you were at a complete stop also!
i was taught the road rules as a child, look right, look left, look right again and only if the way is clear cross the road, it wasnt holdup a hand and walk out without checking the way is clear
all she is doing is teaching her child how to get killed crossing the road

If you are driving in a town, you need to be aware that you are sharing the road with pedestrians, (adults, children, old people who can't easily make it to the crossing), dogs, cyclists, maybe horses, mobility scooters, prams etc etc

It is stressful, but you have to remember that the roads are not just for cars.

My town has pavements in most places, but there are many places where they disappear and everyone is on the road together. Car drivers don't seem to notice the change in context: until they have to slam their brakes on. It is impossible for people, animals, scooters etc to get out of their way, but they are oblivious to that.

Self aggrandising how the hell would someone else teaching their kid road safety affect YOU getting to work???

And OP you were totally right to shout at her for what she did.

We've just had a visit at school from road safety people. They absolutely drummed the Green Cross Code into the children (as Serendipity said: look right, left, and so on). They even had a giant projection screen showing a street with cars coming towards you and children had to wait until a safe space in the 'traffic' until they attempted to cross. It's still a thing!

I don't know what the fuck some posters are banging on about using words like entitlement etc. If you don't want to risk getting knocked over then don't step out in front of a moving car. It's quite simple.

Vulpline, I'm not sure if you are being deliberately obtuse but bore off lovey

Er, I agree with Vulpine

but I do think that shouting at someone stepping out in front of a moving vehicle does indeed achieve something. It may just make the suicidal idiots think next time

Nah - just makes us think you’re an angry car wanker

Why are t they using pedestrian crossings? They are everywhere!! Too lazy to walk another 5netrrs probably

Ha ha - if only pedestrian crossings were everywhere!

it used to be just the local teens walking across side roads without so much as a small glance behind to check if a car is about to turn into the road

The person who wrote this needs to read section 170 of the Highway Code.

If someone is crossing a side road the driver stops. And indicating doesn't give you priority.

However, just walking out in front of cars on a main road is not very sensible. I'm not overly fussed about whether people use crossings or not because they are not safe either. Just because you have a green man doesn't make it safe, you still have to hope a dozy texting driver has seen the red light and stops in time. So in a way it's safer to spot a gap in the traffic and go when you've assessed the risk for yourself.