Darwinism

but they make up for it by leaving their high beams on 100% of the time...

 

or put the wipers on....

 

When we were young punks in the 70's we used to jump out at cars or pretend to be having a knock down drag out fight right on the side of the road..anything to get the cars to stop and then just look at them like they were idiots for stopping. We would pretend to throw things at the cars. All kinds of dumb stuff.

 

As someone who walks 2.5 miles each way to work, I see a lot of terrible driving, so it's kind of funny to me to read this thread. The fact of the matter is that 90% of drivers think they're god's gift to the road when in reality 90% of drivers are pretty terrible (not you of course, I'm sure).

Most drivers don't stop at stop signs, ignore crosswalks and don't even consider that someone might be trying to cross the street. And the worst are people turning right on red. Seriously, if you're walking, stay away from them because they pay attention to NOTHING except whether they can sneak out into traffic as fast as possible.

The sad fact of the matter is that it's safer to jaywalk than to cross at most crosswalks. At least when you jaywalk you can choose the circumstances of your crossing. When you get to a crosswalk you never know what idiot you're going to come across trying to shave that last 10 seconds off his commute.

I'm not defending people who walk out into traffic or anything (but honestly, most people I see doing that are mentally ill, not some dumb kids (but maybe that's just Baltimore)), but drivers need to be more cognizant in their interactions with pedestrians that one of us is driving a 3000 lb vehicle going really fast, and one is just out in the world with no protection. Don't zoom within inches of a pedestrian just because you know you can squeeze through, respect stop lines and crosswalks and just generally be aware that the street/sidewalk environment is meant for all types of travel, not just your car.

And seriously, all that crazy stuff you're doing is probably buying you a few minutes, tops, on your drive. Risk/reward, people.

[rant over]

 

Well, the cat IS in the cradle... (and even worse is when I see it at the playground)

As for turn signals, you need to understand the concept of turn signal energy. Turn signal energy exists in a field that surrounds us. But it's thin enough that just a single turn signal exhausts the local supply. So if someone has a turn signal on, no one else can. Fortunately, police cruisers emit turn signal energy. That's why you'll see more turn signals being used when the cops are around.

 

Walking around and reading this thread on my phone

 

Same here except I'm also walking around on some old coot's lawn.

 

I totally agree with all this.

A car behind me the other day laid on their horn because I stopped at a crosswalk to let someone walk. This happens to me a lot as a commuter. Maybe they just don't understand why I am not turning right on red, or stopping at the lines crossing the road... I guess most drivers only pay attention to the car directly in front of them? This might explain that one guy tailgating inches away from a car that is last in a line of 20 cars all going 80 miles an hour.

I think Baltimore and other Maryland cities might be getting slightly more bike and pedestrian friendly than they used to be 10-20 years ago, but it still needs to sink in for most of the drivers.

 

You're right about commuters trying to shave a few seconds off their drive. I see that behaviour all the time: weaving through traffic, trying to cut into line. What drives people to be aggressive drivers versus being mellow?

 

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X4. As someone who walks a dog daily through two busy intersections, some drivers don't have a clue. As they turn (right or left) they don't seem to understand that oncoming traffic, AND pedestrians have the right of way as they are going through the crosswalk.

The next aggressive driver that decides to cut in front of my dog, or honk at us, will be scraping freshly picked up doggie poo off of their windshield.

 

+1. Don't be messin' with us dog walkers!

 

That's all well and good, but in a contest between a 3,000 lb vehicle and a 150 lb person, I don't care what the law is. Common sense and a sense of self preservation tells me I need to look out for vehicles, and not step out in front of a moving one with no regard for that fact. I don't want my family standing over my coffin wailing, "But he had the right of way". In the end, the only one truly responsible for me, is me.
.

 

I remember as a kid my mom and dad telling me not to walk out in front of a moving car because I might get killed. Just this week my wife tells me it's now the law, we must stop for pedestrians. All these years I thought my folks were right, only to find out the law says it's ok to walk out in front of a moving car.

I guess that's progress .

 

Time to celebrate?

 

..

.

That scene was unscripted in the movie...the taxi driver drove through the blocked intersection, and Dustin gave him the " I'm walking here" line.

 

Yeah, whtz your problem man? I'm entitled!!!

 

I had some a-hole driver cross in front of me at a 4 way stop just because he got to the intersection first.







...that was a joke by the way.

 

"They were profiling. Turns out they stopped every car driving on that particular sidewalk that night." - Ron White

 

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You were lucky, my Dad would tell us kids to go play on the freeway.