I'm not going to talk about cars this week. The topic here is drivers and pedestrians. This is because I got a significant object lesson. Some months ago, I started walking 10,000 steps a day that I measure with a pedometer. This usually means that I take a walk after dinner to complete the daily required steps. Last Friday, the walk was proceeding normally until...
That night I chose to walk on the sidewalk on a busy four-lane street in a business area neare my home. As I approached a busy cross street with a signal and pedestrian signals, I heard a rather loud thump. As I looked up, across the traffic waiting at the light, I saw an object tossed in the air in front of a minivan turning right approaching me. My first thought was "what could be in the road that the car hit?" The drivers in the two cars stopped for the signal immediately jumped out of their cars, one with a cell phone. It didn't take too long for me to realize that the object that was hit (and tossed in the air) was a pedestrian!!! Fortunately it appeared that the car didn't run over him.
I decided not to proceed in that direction, instead turn and cross the main street I was walking on. I pushed the signal button and waited. When the walk signal turned on, I stepped off the curb and was almost run over myself by a car turning right. I really got angry, and I suppose that the woman driving the car thought I was insane. But I realized that if I had been walking just one signal ahead of where I was, it would have been me that was hit -- and now I was almost hit anyway.
There are two messages here.
The first is for drivers: When you are turning right, do not just look for approaching traffic. Also look to make sure that there are no pedestrians who might be crossing either directly in front of your car or across the intersection you are about to enter. As a driver, I can say that because of the fact that there are very few pedestrians in Los Angeles, you rarely need to watch out for them. But for those thousand times you forget to look where the car is going before you start your right-hand turn, that next time is when there will be a pedestrian there and you could hit him. Always look in the direction the car will move before you start the car moving. With all the high costs, particularly gasoline, there will be more pedestrians in Los Angeles. It is good exercise and lots cheaper than the gym.
The second is for pedestrians: When you approach an intersection, regardless of whether you have a signal that is green, always make sure you have eye contact with the drivers of cars that are moving or might be moving. Very often when I have been walking, I have approached an intersection and observed a car that will turn right and the driver is looking away from me. This is an almost certain sign that the driver won't look at you if you step off the curb in front of the car. This also applies to cars coming out of driveways. When in doubt always walk around in back of the car if that is possible -- or just wait.
Note that while pedestrians may have the right away, cars are bigger then you.
