Dumb pedestrian(s) - a rant

[rajagra]

Today I was walking down the street behind a guy with headphones on. Not earbuds, full on padded headphones that cover the whole ear. As he crossed a side road, I noticed he didn't look to see if a car was turning into that road - despite the fact we were moving with the flow of traffic so he'd have no chance of seeing it coming from behind without turning his head.

Idiot, I thought.

I then watched him do the same thing at five more junctions. He made no attempt to look at all. None. Despite being unable to hear traffic because of his headphones.

What the hell is wrong with people nowadays?

I know why this happens. We've developed a society where someone else is always to blame. In particular, motorists are always held responsible for accidents involving pedestrians, even when the pedestrian's stupidity directly caused the accident. In some EU countries the law specifically says the motorist is always to blame - unless he can prove his innocence.

This is done "to make things safer for pedestrians."

So tell me. Is that stupid pedestrian safer, now that he believes he is entitled to cross roads without looking or listening?

Rant over. Thanks for listening.

 

[Toothpick]

I don't care who would be to blame, I would rather not get hit by a car.

That guy probably thinks the world owes him something. Stop, look, and listen and let other people play the blame game.

 

[Doc4]

Not paying attention.

That, to me, is the problem here and so often. Not thinking of consequences ... not anticipating what could be around the corner or whatever ... we live in a world where increasingly there is no fear of danger or risk, and no worry about getting hurt, because everything is so ... safe. Not that a safe world is a "bad thing", but it has let too many people turn off their personal radar and just coast blindly.

I don't care who would be to blame, I would rather not get hit by a car.

Winning a lawsuit from a wheelchair is not a good life plan.

 

[mretzloff]

Or maybe his peripheral vision is good. I have several friends who never do the "stop and look" thing that our mothers taught us because they can see just fine by looking straight ahead.

 

[AABCDS]

I see pedestrians jaywalking all the time in Atlanta. I'm surprised I haven't seen someone get run over yet. There certainly is not a lack of bad drivers here.

 

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

Sooooo if the motorist is to blame for having hit a pedestrian who may likely have been crossing the street at the wrong time - I have a question.

Who is to blame when the pedestrian is hit when crossing these:

 

[mrb7]

Pedestrians always have the right of way. Ask Jerry Rubin.

http://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/30/o...-yippies-founder-and-chicago-7-defendant.html

 

[Darkbulb]

Pedestrians are not so bad...but don't get me started on San Francisco bicyclists.....ugh....

 

[rockviper]

When I used to ride a bike (not the pedal kind), my thought process was along the lines of : It doesn't matter who's right. It's who's left that counts.
I apply the same thinking when I drive and walk today.

 

[Galengwath]

I completely agree. As I sometimes say to my wife, people have no self-preservation instincts anymore. It's downright pathetic, and really makes no sense. And to be fair, it's not limited to pedestrians. I frequently see cyclists doing things that are just as inane, and lose count of the times tiny little sports cars have pulled out in front of my large SUV. The fact that I avoided colliding with them by no means justifies their idiotic recklessness, particularly when they're also endangering others such as the four young children sitting in the back of my vehicle.

Yeah, this is a topic that really bothers me as well. Really if it only endangeredthe fool walking along with his headphones, that would be one thing, but it affects and threatens thnsafety of other people as well, and that is unconscionable.

 

[August West]

Not paying attention.

That, to me, is the problem here and so often. Not thinking of consequences ... not anticipating what could be around the corner or whatever ... we live in a world where increasingly there is no fear of danger or risk, and no worry about getting hurt, because everything is so ... safe. Not that a safe world is a "bad thing", but it has let too many people turn off their personal radar and just coast blindly.



Winning a lawsuit from a wheelchair is not a good life plan.

With one exception:

View attachment 375031

 

[Member357]

Here in Japan drivers don't look either. They switch lanes without indicating and turn corners without checking to see if pedestrians are crossing. They never check their blind spots. I could go on.

Some people are stupid. When I drive or cycle here, I always remember that fact and so far (touch wood) it has kept me and everyone around me alive.

 

[ArNav]

You may be wrong about him not hearing traffic. He might have listened to traffic sound on the earphones.

 

[August West]

You may be wrong about him not hearing traffic. He might have listened to traffic sound on the earphones.

I often walk jamming to whale song.

 

[rajagra]

Or maybe his peripheral vision is good. I have several friends who never do the "stop and look" thing that our mothers taught us because they can see just fine by looking straight ahead.

I have good peripheral vision - more than 180° field of view. It doesn't help in seeing what's behind you.
As I said, we were walking with the flow of traffic (along a main road) and to see a car on our side about to turn into the road he was crossing he would need to have eyes in the back of his head. I promise you, I watched him like a hawk as he approached and crossed each road. His head did not turn a fraction, nor did he slow down or show any alteration in behaviour.

I forgot to mention. He wasn't some dumb teenager. He looked to be in his thirties.

I wanted to tap on his shoulder and tell him how dangerously he was behaving. But what's the point? People like that don't listen. He'd be more likely to feel insulted and start a fight.

I was half expecting him to get run down. I'd have been glad to act as a witness for the motorist if that happened.

 

[Eeyore]

In some EU countries the law specifically says the motorist is always to blame - unless he can prove his innocence.

This is done "to make things safer for pedestrians."

That is the case in the Netherlands, not only for pedestrians, but also for cyclists. As a consequence, they seem to think they "own" the street.

I wonder if it really leads to less accidents.

 

[Eeyore]

Sooooo if the motorist is to blame for having hit a pedestrian who may likely have been crossing the street at the wrong time - I have a question.

Who is to blame when the pedestrian is hit when crossing these:

There was a case like this in the Netherlands, with a city line. IIRC the train driver (probably the company) was largely to blame, according to the court, because pedestrians are seen as "weak" in Dutch law. With large intercity trains, the crossings are all secured, so anyone who crosses there made a conscious decision to take the risk.

Edit: I looked it up; the train driver was held responsible indeed.

 

[Commander Quan]

I am a firm believer in natural selection.

 

[rajagra]

because pedestrians are seen as "weak" in Dutch law.

This is my beef. Safety campaigners want to shift responsibility away away from the people who cause accidents, to other people whose only failure is to not compensate for the other person's mistake.

They claim this is justified to reduce accidents, and they trot out statistics to show it works. But we know stats can be manipulated or carefully chosen. And even if it does work ... it's just plain wrong!

The person most responsible for an accident is the person whose actions tip the balance from a safe situation - where an accident is avoidable - to one where the accident can no longer be prevented. That person should be blamed, whoever it is. And it's ridiculous that laws do not follow this logic.

Watch the video here of a cyclist ignoring warning lights and barriers and nearly getting hit by a train:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-24473905
They've identified the woman and are interviewing her. Will they charge her with anything? Of course not. Pedestrians and cyclists are always let off. Madness.

 

[the_edski]

I hate clueless pedestrians. One time I was pulling out of a parking garage in downtown Chicago and there was a pedestrian with the full headphones on like the OP's pedestrian had AND staring intently at his phone right in front of the exit! I honked 3 times, the guy didn't even realize there was a car 3 feet behind him! And this is with the garage exit lights flashing and a buzzer going! I was incredulous! I had to put the car in park, get out and tap him on the shoulder! He looked pained to take off his headphones and said "Can I help you?". I let him know he was standing in front of an exit. He shrugged and moved over the minimum distance to allow me to exit. Some people!