Almost got knocked over at a zebra crossing

[UsernameRandom19]

I have attached a badly drawn picture I did in paint. I was walking out of a Mcdonald's car park and walking across a zebra crossing and was half way across the zebra crossing (im the yellow dot in the picture). There was a big SUV (red car in picture) so I stopped a second to make sure nothing was coming, and it is a good thing I did because just passed the zebra crossing without stopping. I was half way on the crossing and she did not notice me even when she drove past me. If I did not stop I would have been run hit.

Peoples driving seems to be alot worse nowadays, surely if there is a zebra crossing and reduced visibility due to other cars you be careful and make sure no one is crossing.
I was mentioning it to my mum and she said I should contact Mcdonald's for CCTV footage to report to the police for dangerous driving - should I or is that silly?

Sorry to hear that op.
"zebra crossings" on private land are often lethal, they are usually substandard often to the extent that they are just stripes on the road.
The stripes suggest to pedestrians that it's safe to cross but the drivers need the flashing lights etc too make it suitably visible according to the standards required.
Also there would have been bars on the road to mark a no parking area which is there to prevent visibility issues.

I can’t tell if you’re joking or not, isn’t that the whole point of situational awareness when driving?

If you are driving and you don’t see someone on a zebra crossing or worse didn’t even see the zebra crossing then you’re driving dangerously and shouldn’t be on the road simple.

No driver should be unaware of a zebra crossing. They are distinctive for a reason!

I drilled it into my kids to wait for the car to stop and lock eyes with the driver before stepping onto a zebra crossing. You've got to assume the driver hasn't seen you unless you know for sure they have. I've also had loads of instances lately where pedestrians have turned 90 degrees and immediately walked out over a zebra crossing like it's a magic portal.

They were acting dangerously by not stopping at a crossing that someone was using. And saying a driver may not have seen that it was a crossing is even more dangerous and shouldn't be driving.

Agreed. None standard formats, might have poor visibility for both driver and pedestrian, no parking limits to enforce visibility etc.

They probably lull people into a false sense of security as pedestrians think they have the right of way on a "crossing" that in reality has no status in law.

You should report it for sure. If someone couldn't see well, that's on them! Even still, if they saw you, abruptly stopped and waved to apologise I can see past it.

These are the types of idiots who drive like this and nearly cause accidents, and think it'll never be them involved (until they do hit a person/ car). They should be reported as they make it more dangerous for everyone.

If you can’t see potential hazards, it’s your legal responsibility as a driver to slow down. You don’t just blithely carry on going “well, I can’t see so it’s fine!”

this attitude is a big part of the problem

If you can't see clearly at a zebra crossing, you slow down and approach with caution. You don't plough on ahead and hope for the best.

If a driver can't spot massive stripes on the floor right in front of them, they shouldn't bloody be driving.
Christ alive. So many shit drivers making excuses for their shit driving. So pig headed and selfish they'd rather run someone over than have to slow down for 5 seconds.

https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/rules-for-pedestrians-crossings.html#:~:text=Wait%20until%20traffic%20has%20stopped,(see%20%E2%80%8BRule%20H2).

Remember though, cars Do Not have to stop at zebra crossings. You shouldn’t ever assume cars will just stop. They only have to stop if someone is on the crossing not just waiting to cross. But cars would stop if someone was already crossing any part of the road so they always seem a bit pointless. If you are just at crossing on path waiting cars only stop as curtesy.

‘’Wait until traffic has stopped from both directions or the road is clear before crossing. Remember that traffic does not have to stop until someone has moved onto the crossing. Drivers and riders should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross and MUST give way to pedestrians on a zebra crossing (see Rule H2)‘’

Please do report it.

No.
If you cannot see a zebra crossing fully then you slow right down and prepare to stop.
The fact that there was another vehicle obstructing the view means they should have slowed right down, and would be able to stop if there was someone waiting to cross who was out of their line of sight.

You entered a zebra crossing when you knew visibility was poor which you shouldn't have done. You stopped to check around the SUV and waited because something was coming that wouldn't have seen you.

Don't see what the big deal is really?

Any pedestrian that didn't stop to check the road was clear in these circumstances would be very dead unwise.

I contacted our local PC years ago about a notorious local zebra crossing. They told me there was nothing they could do as apparently not stopping at a zebra crossing is not against the law.

Years ago an ex boyfriend got fined by the police for not stopping at a zebra crossing

I always slow down and err on the side of caution when driving towards a zebra crossing. Sometimes people do step out

Get CCTV proof and chase the fucker down.
I am sick of people and their shitty driving. The number of times I have to stand with one foot on the pavement, one on the road, and stare drivers down until they (usually grudgingly) stop at the crossing.
Idiots who scuttle across and wave apologetically annoy me too; they're feeding the idea that we pedestrians should be pathetically grateful when the car-driving overlords deign to stop.

MaryBethMayfair, I join the chorus of people saying we very much hope you don't drive. You will kill someone if you behave like your post suggests.

Absolutely try and report. Common sense as a driver that if coming up to a zebra crossing if another car is stopped, it likely means there's a ped crossing, so you slow right down to check.

Bloody idiot!

And anyone who can't see giant black and white stripes on a road shouldn't be driving in the first place.

Yes, the thing is that there are a lot of unwise pedestrians out there and many unwisely take a zebra crossing as a sign that they can just step out without checking. Spaced out teens, people on phones, non-drivers, groups too busy chatting amongst themselves. Both parties need to check and the car driver is the one with the potential to kill.

Exactly a zebra crossing does not mean cars have to stop

As car has to stop if they see someone already in crossing. As you were crossing out of visibility it’s actually on the pedestrian to assume the driver cannot see and wait or look.

A driver should not have to assume people are jumping out behind cars on a crossing without any chance of being seen. A car would still hit you even if they slowed right down.

"there are a lot of unwise pedestrians" - not for long if they keep stepping out into the road from behind parked/idle cars.

No. A car has to stop if a person is on the crossing. If the driver cannot see the whole crossing then they need to stop as a precaution.

When I was learning to drive last year (not in the UK) my instructor told me that when approaching a two lane zebra crossing, if a car has stopped at the other lane, I have to stop too, check the crossing for pedestrians, then carry on if clear. If I failed to stop during the test I would fail (happened to my neighbour). It seems the UK doesn't have as clear a rule as this, just a more vague 'approach carefully' rule, and perhaps that's the issue. But that driver definitely didn't even slow and down and approach carefully so that's dangerous driving. Glad you were careful OP and managed to avoid getting hit.

My DS almost got hit the other day and the driver didn't even have the excuse of poor visibility. Zebra crossing with island in the middle, DS had started crossing so was clearly on the road and the car just zoomed in between him and the island (so on the same side of the road that DS was on, missing him by inches). DS froze which is what saved him, because there was just enough space for the car to fit through (wide road)

Actually no. It is on both. OP stopped and checked before continuing. The car should have done the same. Pedestrians and drivers have obligations, and these obligations are not dependent upon the party fulfilling theirs. Poor visibility is not a green light to run people over.

@TimeandMotion no they don’t. A driver has to stop if they see someone on crossing. Out of cutesy it’s nice if they see someone waiting and stop to let cross. They do not have to slow down or stop at every crossing for potential people they haven’t seen (who aren’t even visible)