Look before you step out in traffic!

[bhskittykatt]

I was driving home the other day on a 45mph road. There was a woman walking down the shoulder with her back to me. She was pushing a stroller and had headphones on.

As I was about to pass her, she suddenly without warning stepped out into the road as she bent over and adjusted something in the stroller. I had to swerve to avoid hitting her!

Lady, if you keep that habit up, you're kid isn't gonna have a momma for much longer!

[MadMike]

I had someone step right in front of me, not watching where she was going because she had her face in her phone. She's lucky I wasn't also one of those idiots doing the same thing.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

A couple weeks ago, I was going in to work. It was still dark out and I nearly ran over a group of people, all wearing dark clothes, who decided to step out into the middle of the street.

And they all glared at me like I was the idiot.

[notalwaysright]

Today driving home was a lady pushing a rolling shopping basket. In the street. I had to drive in the other lane to avoid her. As I got closer to home, on a one way street, there was two people walking. In the street. Since this is a one way street, they had their backs to traffic.

I do not get this. There are sidewalks in all these places. Not busy sidewalks. Not muddy. Maybe a bit cracked in places, but not bad. (and the roads are not better than the sidewalk by any means) Why risk death by walking in the street?

[EricKei]

There have been reports lately in the local "community" groups of kids dressed in all-black/all-dark colors hanging out near major streets at night and intentionally jumping out whenever they see a car coming, only to jump right back -- in such a way as to make sure the drivers know they're doing it intentionally.

[Racket_Man]

Yes a tired old saying I have used way to often lately but

Welcome to my world as a pizza delivery driver. who dodges skateboarders, scooters (Razor type and motorized type), wayward pedestrians with bonus animals, headphone wearing texting yapping to someone totally oblivious to the REAL world around them idiots, cars on auto-pilot with zombies on phones (headsets or Bluetooth or hands-free OR the newest thing glancing at the DVD playing on the video equipment) or bicycles with headphones (phone or mp3 player) and NO reflective equipment or clothing, and just plain people who even WITHOUT any of the above "equipment" just plain being oblivious to their surroundings.

[iradney]

Here in South Africa, you HAVE to check both ways before crossing. And you HAVE to cross at a pedestrian crossing.
When I visited my parents in Canada, my mind just about blew up when people would see you waiting to cross the street (without crossing markings) and STOP FOR YOU. That NEVER happens here....
Still, regardless of whether I'm at a crossing or not, I always look and make sure the car is stopping. Because while I might have right of way at a crossing, the laws of physics overrule the laws of the road. Failed brakes = very sore and unhappy iradney.

[pudddykat]

Awhile back I lived off a certain freeway exit. I exit and turn right. There are four lanes on each side of this particular road. There is street parking. There is also a median with bushes and small trees. In the late afternoon during certain times of the year it is dim to dark. Instead of using the crosswalk a half a block away or less they like to cross the first four lanes then pop out of the bushes, in dark clothing more than half the time, and cross four more lanes. Sometimes I think people WANT to be roadkill.

[Seanette]

My theory is they're attempting to play "insurance settlement lotto".

[otter]

Yesterday I saw two ladies walking in the street... Mere feet away from a perfectly good SIDEWALK!!

Its also the norm to walk around wearing all black gear on streets where there is absolutely no light. One night I only avoided street-pizza'ing someone because of his reflective shoes, which I only saw just in front of my bumper! Its a curvy hilly road, I am so thankful there wasn't anyone in the next lane when I swerved so suddenly.

[siskaren]

People who walk in the street when there's a sidewalk available drive. me. nuts! On the other hand, I've been about to step into the crosswalk in front of a store, only to have a car blow past me (and pedestrians have the right of way in a crosswalk even without a stop sign.)

[wolfie]

My theory is they're attempting to play "insurance settlement lotto".

Of course, with the weight mismatch between pedestrians and vehicles, there is a VERY narrow "window" for winning that lotto. If there's no contact, there's nothing for them to sue over. If there's more than minimal contact, their next of kin will be the ones suing, so even if they win the lotto they've lost.

[Aria]

Here in South Africa, you HAVE to check both ways before crossing. And you HAVE to cross at a pedestrian crossing.
When I visited my parents in Canada, my mind just about blew up when people would see you waiting to cross the street (without crossing markings) and STOP FOR YOU. That NEVER happens here....

I live in Canada and that's actually my pet peeve. I wish they wouldn't do that because what about the car in the other lane? Is he going to stop too or not? I don't know. I can jaywalk without help, really..

[bhskittykatt]

A couple weeks ago, I was going in to work. It was still dark out and I nearly ran over a group of people, all wearing dark clothes, who decided to step out into the middle of the street.

There's a group of 3-4 gals who jog early morning when it is still dark out. They wear dark non-reflective clothing, and they run abreast in the street so they take up the whole lane. They have headlamps, but they run WITH the direction of traffic and have no lights or reflectors on their backs. I've almost hit them a couple times because I don't see them until my headlights hit them RIGHT in front of me. They make ZERO effort to move out of your way at all, so you have to always go into the oncoming lane to get around them (though when there's all four of them one of them is taking up part of that lane as well). Speed limit is 30mph, most people do 35 or higher. One of these days a car that's speeding and not paying attention is going to mow the whole group down!

[EricKei]

bhs -- If they tend to take the same route every day, perhaps an anonymous complaint could be sent in to the local traffic cops? They are disrupting traffic in addition to jaywalking, after all.