DRIVING HAZARDS

[Hollow 1977]

I just had an incident where I nearly hit a pedestrian who was daring to cross the street. I was inches from hitting him. It's amazing to me how risky some people can be. Is it really worth it to try to jaywalk thru traffic. This street also has a number of crosswalks. Push a button, wait for the signal and then cross. On the other side I see cars turning right not yielding to the pedestrians and if you stop and wait you get honked at. Also the fact that if we do hit someone, most of us will be reliving that incident maybe even blaming ourselves for it. It will never be forgotten and burden us for the rest of our lives.

Any incidents like this happen to you? Maybe you have a different story.

 

[Ms Littlefish]

The entire state of Michigan is a driving hazard. Hmm. The right lane is ending. I can either merge left into a pot hole the size of Toledo or just let myself careen slowly into this right shoulder.

 

[Hollow 1977]

Sounds bad. Not so many large pot holes here but lots of flooding when it rains especially the back roads. And of course typical idiots cutting you off now and then. And of course pedestrians thinking they have the right of away crossing the road.

 

[Poryg]

As a pedestrian I have been endangered by a car five times. Two times it was my fault, two times it was not my fault and once it was neither's fault.

My fault: Once I got excited from visiting a friend. The cars were going rather slowly, so I waited for the right moment and ran across the road. Received a rightful honk, but nothing happened in the end. I still call it "endangered" though, because even though it was a calculated risk, it was still a risk I did not need to undergo. My brother crossed the road when the situation cleared up a bit.

I have written about the other one here. Went home from work and tried to cross the road where it widens thanks to a tram stop. Unfortunately though the intelligent system of crossroads has created a traffic jam in there (there are two lanes there, one goes straight/to the left, which not that many people use, and the other to the right, which is used more frequently). So since one of the lanes was free, those who wanted to go there, often tried to overtake some cars that wanted to go right and fit in there.
Unfortunately it was not the best time to cross the road, because there were vehicles blocking my sight... So I could not see a mid size vehicle wanting to go straight. Nothing happened here, since there had still been enough distance between us and he went rather slowly, it was just a shock for both of us. Had he gone faster, I'd end up under his wheels. Since then when I can't see, I go to the crosswalk.

The one where neither of us were responsible, that was a stupid design of the road. A steep uphill road, sharp right turn, a crosswalk right behind it... And no mirror to show the road.
If a car is alone, you can hear it coming from distance before it even shows up. But this time my hearing was blocked by a rather loud vehicle. So I crossed the road... But not without a nasty encounter with a car. I managed to get out of the way in time, since I could hear it at the last second... But was more than glad to never cross the road there again.

The remaining two were unreasonable drivers. One of them did not bother to slow down as people were crossing the road on a crosswalk in accordance with the rules. And another one was someone who did the same... Except other car that let me through blocked my view, so if I hadn't heard him, it wouldn't be my shoelace that hit his car, but my hip (low kicks are my favorite, because they're not too visible on a camera if you do it smart... Also, I can kick stronger than punch).

 

[Hollow 1977]

@Poryg Scary stuff. These days traffic just continues even across a crosswalk. I can see why some people do not use them. You are risking it even if you cross at the appropriate time cause the right turning vehicles just keep going. I see them all the time with people having to stop in the middle of the road and wait till it clears. So feel for these folk. Glad you are okay. They did create some places across one of the busy streets to accommodate pedestrians but they are few in number.

 

[Poryg]

Well, people get more reckless and ignorant. The times are fast, dynamic and stressful. We are said to be in the best times we've ever had, yet poverty now has much stronger consequences than ever before and we use much more antidepressants than we've ever used. And violence that, in the right amounts, used to be a great way to vent out stress and solve communication troubles, is now banned. So in all honesty, what you'd expect?

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

I really hate it when drivers dont yield and/or hog the pedestrian lane during traffic/stop...

But I hate motor riders the most... They even use the freaking sidewalk and I actually got hit by one (just their sidemirror and it was them who almost fell down not me), on the sidewalk... Why the heck are they even on the sidewalk???

 

[Poryg]

I'll be honest, here I've never had a problem with motobikers on the sidewalks. Regular bikers are a different question, but motobikers, if I encounter one on a sidewalk on a rare occasion, they usually use it to bypass a closed road and always behave themselves pretty well. It is illegal and sometimes they get punished for it, but as a chess player I've never been against breaking the rules as long as this breaking the rules is in a reasonable manner

 

[tale]

I think it was 4 years ago, my family and I went on a Schuylkill Expressway to visit a sibling.
Non-stop driving till a driver reaches their destination.
Ride was sort of uneasy after a quick sight of an accident of a car from the side flipped upside down towards the trees.
There was snow flurries afterwards but then stopped shortly after, the scene was so surreal yet that could've happen to the group.
Seriously I made a suggestion that it's better off to take a safer route next time if we're going to continue to visit there.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

@Poryg - motorbikers in your area must be really good people then, motorbikers here feel like they are the kings of the roads and apparently, sidewalks too..

 

[Windows i7]

In my area, pedestrians sometimes even dart across the road at night while wearing dark clothes. I almost hit someone once because of that.

 

[Hollow 1977]

@Windows i7 Same thing happened to me. I was driving on a main street attempting a right turn and at the last second I saw a person crossing the street in dark clothing. I don't think some of them understand the dangers or just do not prepare. Some would probably blame us claiming pedestrians always have the right away. I know if end up actually hitting someone even though it would not be my fault inside I would be messed up and possibly reliving the incident in my nightmares.

 

[gstv87]

I know if end up actually hitting someone even though it would not be my fault inside I would be messed up and possibly reliving the incident in my nightmares.

that's why I make it my life rule to always know the situation and the rules at hand.
is it my fault if I run somebody over when it's clear that they shouldn't jaywalk? no? then I have nothing to worry about.

........sadly, the government doesn't always agree, so my worries lay elsewhere.

 

[Hollow 1977]

@gstv87 True but still I would ask what if I did this or what if I did that and the horror is never forgotten easily even if I was not at fault.

 

[Windows i7]

@gstv87 True but still I would ask what if I did this or what if I did that and the horror is never forgotten easily even if I was not at fault.

PTSD is what you'd likely end up with, and recovery would be long, slow, and emotionally extremely painful. Emotionally, you'd be in hell.

 

[Hollow 1977]

Yeah, you're right. It's sad that these risky pedestrians and risky drivers only think of themselves and never consider others. Like when I drive on a rural street I watch continually for people trying to cross the street. But I see people speed thru and even ride my bumper and I am doing the 30 mile speed limit for this area. They never consider what a child may dart into the street. Its a wonder too how kids getting onto a bus get hit because a driver simply cannot wait for the bus to pick up the kids or drop them off.

EDIT: Just yesterday had a car cut across my lane when making turn. They cut so that the turn was so sharp I had to stop of I would have hit them. Were they just showing off? I had to stop about 50 feet from the stop sign to avoid them.

 

[Mr. Detective]

I recall a similar thread.

I have two that are fresh on my mind:
- I was at a stop sign, checking traffic on the left to see if there's any car. Seeing it was clear, I prepared to make a right turn, only to see a biker right in front of me. Idiot was riding his bike against the flow of traffic, and somehow thought it was a good idea to ride right in front of me. My car was already turning in the right direction, not hard for anyone to see that I was trying to make a right turn. I almost hit him, had I not swerve to the right enough. I honked him and continued driving away.

- This one happened right outside my house. I was about to turn right, but I saw an old woman walking her two dogs on the other side of the sidewalk. She seemed to hesitate a little, so I thought I could just turn without waiting for her. As I turned, she walked her dog down the crosswalk, almost walked right into my car. I think there was a good enough distance between my car and her dogs, still. She knocked on my car's window after I parked. She said I almost hit her dogs and that I was driving dangerously. I told her I saw her but I thought she let me go. She continued to repeat the same thing, that I could have killed her dogs or hit them. In my defense, I think we were a bit close, but no way I could have hit her dogs. I was pretty tired after a day of work, so I just rolled my eyes, sighed, and said OK a few times. Now, I probably could have explained myself a bit better. But I wasn't thinking straight, and I didn't feel like prolonging the conversation. Tch. I still think about that every now and then. I probably looked like an idiot. XD

 

[mazzy-elf]

Last year I was on the way to the cinema my bf's dad was driving and we got on the A12 and not even a minute later the car in front one of its tires blew up and they went out of control my bf's dad's reflexes were so fast (he used to be a road safety police officer) he avoided the mess completely if he had like a second delayed reflex we'd all be dead and there would probably have been a massive pileup.

 

[Hollow 1977]

Raining here today, but people drive like idiots still. Some 50-60mph as it pours. I get splashed and cannot see for a couple of seconds. Top it off with it being pitch black and the roads soaked. It's like they have to get somewhere fast. Thank goodness we don't have snow here. If it does I am taking the day off and staying home. Don't want to see how these folk drive in that. XD

 

[Windows i7]

Raining here today, but people drive like idiots still. Some 50-60mph as it pours. I get splashed and cannot see for a couple of seconds. Top it off with it being pitch black and the roads soaked. It's like they have to get somewhere fast. Thank goodness we don't have snow here. If it does I am taking the day off and staying home. Don't want to see how these folk drive in that. XD

Imagine how they'd drive in snow while listening to eurobeat.