To think I can't trust a all drivers to stop at zebra crossings?

[pengwig]

Where I live there are 2 zebra crossings, once right outside a school and the other close by and so often drivers just don't stop for you. I go to cross and they don't slow down never mind stop. I am now in a situation where my trust in it is just gone and I feel like I am almost waiting until the driver has stopped before I even start to cross which I know annoys drivers but I'm fed up of being almost mowed down.

some drivers will prefer pedestrians start crossing, rather than them having to brake to a complete stop.

Surely you have always done this. I would never trust any driver enough to just step right infront of them that would be stupid

Sorry, I was thinking of India, Vietnam, Thailand - everywhere I've been travelling in the past year or so nobody even pauses. Obviously there are differences across the globe, and apparently across the UK too! This thread is making me think I should be more careful if I visit elsewhere in England as well as abroad as I do pretty much glance then walk straight out.

ETA in the countries they never seem to stop for zebra crossings, they do tend to stop if you walk straight out and put your hand up like traffic police, even nowhere near a crossing. So everywhere seems to have their own ways of crossing a road, just important to make sure I know what it is before I leap off the kerb!

Many crossings are so badly marked,poor lighting etc so as a driver I nearly always stop temporarily to check no one’s crossing.

I’ve always waited for the cars to stop before crossing. Why on earth would you put your life in someone else’s hands and assume they’ll always stop??

YANBU- my pals Mum and Sister were very very terribly injured (genuinely lucky to be alive) after being mown down on a zebra crossing (with the driver actually being prosecuted after the event).

They are both lucky to be alive but came away with lifelong injuries and severe PTSD.

Sometimes it is hard to know what pedestrians are doing. I’ve also been nearly mowed down by an idiot driver who didn’t see me, despite the other lane already being stopped and me being 1/4 of the way across.

SO many people are using phones now as well.

I no longer step out until the car noticeably slows or stops. Not worth risking your life for 2 seconds.

Just a comment- black and while lines do not mean cars can stop on a sixpence. Pedestrians would do well to remember that and stop walking out in front of cars

Tbf there is a set of traffic lights locally on the way to the school and the cars don’t always stop at the red light, this only happens in the morning before 8am though… lack of cars on the road and lack of cameras I think!

Nearly got run over (along with DD and another lady) just before Christmas by a very elderly driver who didn't even seem to register that the crossing or people were there at all. Not speeding or anything, just kept driving staring straight ahead as we all leapt to the side. The other lady took the numberplate to call 101 as we had a genuine concern for the standard of driving and the safety of both the driver and public. The driver could barely see over the steering wheel. I'm more cautious now.

DH got run over on a pedestrian crossing - he was halfway across when the driver hit him, the car wasn’t in sight when he started crossing due to the road layout. CCTV proved the driver was negligent and they were prosecuted.

He was lucky to get a glancing blow as the driver was travelling fast and a mid bonnet collision could have been catastrophic , although he was still knocked out of his shoes. Not so lucky to be left with lasting injuries.

A bus had stopped at the crossing an idiot decided to overtake the stationary bus at speed,I was so lucky I was only halfway across.

I always keep an eye out for anything coming up on the outside while I'm crossing.

But down south and in London, I've never noticed anyone not stop, either as a driver or pedestrian.

I've seen any number of cyclists not stopping down south and in London, either on a zebra crossing or lights controlled crossing. At the major junction near where I live, they very often having run the red lights then go the wrong way up the one way street.

Well this was me earlier this evening, in an unfamiliar built up area on a weird junction, was trying to figure out which of the 2 roads I was meant to be taking from sat nav that was orientating itself as i was coming over and going right....was starting to get dark and rush hour traffic. Wasnt my finest moment, however the pedestrian hesitated as I realised....thankfully!!

Yes I would never walk out unless I know they are stopping. One came straight through a pelican crossing when I was crossing once! Years ago .. I usually walk really quickly but I was really hungover and walking much slower than usual, it was a double road the first car had stopped and only because I was walking slowly did he old guy not hit me! Ever since then I don't even cross those unless they have all stopped

I stopped trusting drivers years ago way before the laws changed.

Had too many close calls from drivers who were in a daze, not paying attention to road signs, one reaching back in his car trying to reach something from the back seat running a red light while the green man was on, drivers who think that they don’t have to stop when other cars have when there is someone already crossing the road, etc. It’s ridiculous what I see drivers do especially when they know they’re in a residential area and the zebra crossings are right next to schools and daycares.

Until there are proper consequences, such drivers will continue to get away with it. Driving is a privilege and too many abuse it.

I’ve also had this happen driving in unfamiliar and stressful parts of London. I broke sharply and just put a hand up to say sorry. Luckily, they hadn’t started crossing. Human error happens which is exactly why I’m very cautious now as a pedestrian.

I wait too - as have seen drivers go straight through

Exactly which is what I thought the zigzags were for, if a car is within them (not exceeding the speed limit) they can’t be expected to stop. So many people just walk out, swerve across from looking like they were walking in a straight line and not towards the crossing, don’t look or are gawping at their phones. But I don’t disagree that many drivers aren’t respecting zebra crossings and are just determined to keep going

This is something me and my mum have argued about so much !

At zebra crossings I will always wait until the cars have stopped before I cross and the same with pedestrian crossings even if the lights are on red. My mum will just go . She then says to me “ they have to stop ! Just go” and I will say to her just because they are supposed to, doesn’t mean they will. She will always reply with “ well if they don’t they are the ones who will be in trouble ! “ and my response is - doesn’t compensate for being run over does it ?!

I work with students with disabilities and very recently took them out and the light was on red , green man telling us to go .., a car just ran the red light!

A few years back there was a horrendous incident in the news - a mother and her 5 year old daughter crossed at a pedestrian crossing and were hit by a driver who was elderly and later said he did not see that the light was on red. The poor little girl passed away and her mother was in a coma for a very long time . She woke up to find out her daughter had passed away and the funeral had already taken place. The most horrendous thing I have ever heard.

So, no. YANBU.

I always stop as a driver and wait until cars stop as a pedestrian.

Whenever I read posts like this I think of all the times I've been abroad where it's safest to wait until the vehicles are well and truly stationary before crossing as I've seen some very near misses with holiday makers assuming drivers will stop.

Recently in my city (Down Under), a disabled man was knocked off his mobility scooter on a pedestrian crossing, and died. Just awful.

I was in a car with someone recently who went straight through a crossing someone was stood at, I said “why didn’t you stop?!?” And she went “I don’t know why but I completely forgot just then that I’m meant to” and this is someone who’s been driving years. We all have days where our brains go elsewhere, not that that’s an excuse for breaking road rules of course but I do think pedestrians should be mindful of their own safety also and consider the fact that they may be crossing in front of 1) an arsehole 2) not an arsehole, but someone with a preoccupied mind

I always wait too, my kids know to wait. Too many idiot drivers that pretend they don’t see you and just plough straight through.

There’s a zebra crossing on my school run that is near another primary school - an actual lollipop lady was hired to help kids cross in the mornings because so many wankers wouldn’t stop.

Lol karma at its best 👌

Pedestrians should wait till it's safe to cross, not dart out like a whippet. See this time and time again.