Have people stopped giving a shit when crossing the road?

[whywei]

Twice in a matter of days I've had to slam my breaks on to avoid hitting a pedestrian crossing the road whilst on the phone. Both times neither were looking at traffic but just in their own bubble walkng as slow as possible (guy today was even smiling to himself). I'm talking big roads - in fact, I remember an old man dying in the exact spot I came across today (when I was a child).

I'm usually a live and let live kind of person but this seems to be happening more and more.

Do people have no self-preservation instinct?

They look me dead in the eye when I've had to put the brakes on coming around a corner

If they are already in the middle of the road when you turn into it, they have right of way. Cars don't have right of way because they are bigger.

We have that problem here every September as the foreign students arrive at the university, I'm guessing in China (where the majority are from) you walk in front of cars. I'm hoarse from yelling at idiot students (I drive past the main halls and university to get to work

saywhatwhatnow, I think the Highway Code states that a pedestrian crossing a side road has priority over a car turning into that road - rule 8.

None of you seem to realise that once a pedestrian has started crossing the road they have right of way. I'm currently learning the Highway Code for my theory test and it's one of the key points - pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users no matter how dickishly they behave.

Maybe you should refresh your memories.

Try cycling in London

Oh cyclists in London. The number of times you have to dodge them on a pedestrian crossing because they can't be arsed to stop at a red light.

It's only a 'should' not a 'must' give way for the car, and it's only if they've already started crossing, but the principle is there

They just know you have to stop for them. I love just pressing on horn solidly for a few seconds when they do this because it makes everyone look at them and then they don’t feel so clever!

Every time you cross a road you should stop, look, and listen.

You should not wander out glued to your phone and assume that there's no danger.

Even the most alert drivers cannot stop in time if you step out when they are too close.

Pedestrians as well as drivers need to exercise appropriate caution around roads.

FWIW I don't currently drive or own a car or a bike, I'm currently 100% pedestrian.

@Lockheart it doesn’t always even seem to be people on phones that are the problem. It’s people who look out, see you closeish and think fuck it they’ve seen me and they’ll have to stop.

The number of cars that ignore the 20mph zones in my town is unbelievable - these are in place on roads near schools etc. and should make it easier to cross, but many seem to zoom along as if they were on a dual carriageway.

Pedestrians should use common sense but drivers need to be aware that some pedestrians may be vulnerable, with poor judgement as to how to cross a road safely.

Drivers have passed a test to prove they are safe on the roads - and shouldn't be driving if for some reason their capabilities are impaired - there's no such test for pedestrians, no guarantee that they are capable, so the onus is on the driver to be cautious.

I live near a busy 4 lane road. It’s 30 mph but a major thoroughfare but with several places to cross. That doesn’t stop people often with small children just run across it often dragging said child. Amazing noones been more hurt

Last year two teenagers in my area were killed by getting run over.

In both cases they'd got off a bus, crossed the road behind it and were hit by drivers who couldn't possibly have seen them. Both drivers were cleared of any wrongdoing by the police and coroners.

Did it have any affect on road safety awareness for their peers? Did it fuck.

I was a cyclist and pedestrian for thirty years before moving to an area where I need to drive more often. I agree that we all need to learn how to share the roads better.

But it filled me with rage when I drove past a roadside shrine to one of the killed teenagers and not even 100m down the road I had to slam on the brakes to avoid a boy who walked out into the road while looking at his phone.

I lost my sister in a RTA. I've been to an inquest. I never want to do that again.

I'm well aware pedestrians have right of way but as the OP says there is a deterioration of manners all round on the roads and pavements in general.People who veer suddenly off the pavement and walk diagonally onto a zebra crossing at the last minute especially frustrate.I slow down even more now as there's no guarantee the person striding purposefully ahead will bother to go to the actual crossing end and indicate their intention to cross.That makes them a selfish pedestrian IMO.

Thing is, all drivers are adults and have passed a test to drive their car. All pedestrians are not adult, there is no minimum standard that has to be reached in order to walk. Drivers do have a responsibility to look out for and anticipate the unexpected (this is part of the driving test). As a driver it is you who are responsible for the 1 tonne heap of lethal weapon hurtling down the road, drive it like you know it could kill someone and start to appreciate that the roads are a shared space.

@xraydog

Our town has a speed limit of 30mph although in heavy traffic 20 is more realistic. If a child steps out and I have to break suddenly, there is a chance a car will go into the back of me, which in our town could easily be a suv with a fully loaded caravan.

There are several crossing with traffic lights in the town but pedestrians often don’t use them.

I had this last year. I was doing 24mph (according to GPS in dash-cam) when a woman walked out in front of me, on her phone and not looking. No chance for me to stop and I hit her. I was accused of doing 60mph by onlookers! She suffered a broken pelvis and the dash-cam proved I was not at fault. People, please be aware!

Yes, all drivers have passed a test, and yes, pedestrians DO have right of way.

The problem is the laws of physics give not one tiny shit about either of those. If a pedestrian steps out when a car is too close (this depends on speed, weight of the car, road conditions etc), whether the car is doing 5mph or 100mph, the likelihood is the car cannot stop in time, even if it's being driven by the most perfect driver in the world.

So stop, look, listen, and don't end up as a statistic.

I live in a touristy part of London that has a one way road system, partly fenced off and with traffic lights at about 50 yards intervals.
People walk all over the place, including past the fences at a spot where 2 roads join and as a driver you have to keep an eye on cars coming from your sides and behind.

It's beyond frustrating as I am well aware I am responsible for pedestrian safety- but when they can't be arsed to walk an extra 2mns to cross at a safe pedestrian crossing? Gives me the rage.

transform your point does not strengthen the argument.
Look up defensive driving and stop trying to justify your inadequate control of a lethal weapon

Stop, look, listen, think, seems to have gone out of fashion. Yesterday a woman started pulling a child to cross the road without looking. The child was resisting and pointing at me driving along- slowly, as it was a residential road - and it was only then that the woman looked

@Walkacrossthesand that might be so and I was planning on letting her cross anyway but she literally didn't even look and just pushed her baby out into the road! Mad!

It's not bad where I live (rural) but a nightmare in the busy cities.

I work in a city centre. Nearby there is a busy crossroads of two major roads which you need to cross to walk to the shops.

The light sequencing is frustrating for sure, and prioritises the cars over people crossing. However, I see people literally every lunchtime running across the road. Sometimes they don't look properly and don't see the cars turning across the junction, some times its plain pigheadedness and refusing to wait I think. I just find it odd that you'd risk your life rather than wait another 30 sec / 1 minute for the green man?

In the school holidays I saw parents with young children and buggies doing the same.

I wonder if we are losing awareness of road crossing rules? To see parents pulling their kids across a busy road when the red man is lit sends a really dangerous message out.

If we are talking about zebra crossings it is 1000% the drivers responsibility to slow down and check that no one is about to cross. Round us (zone 2 London) you get drivers accelerating as they come up to crossings to avoid stopping - as if they own the road and are not required to be considerate.

I don't think it's anything new.
The first thing I notice when I move to particular lovely tiny town, was the inhabitants seem to have death wish. Driving down the main road people would just ambal out in front of the car like it was a pedestrian street (this was pre smart phones). After a year or so I got use to it and it didn't even register as a problem. It wasn't until a friend came to visit, and turned up white as sheet and saying "what's wrong with people here!"