How do YOU cross the street?

Junkenpo

Junkenpo

Maui Strong...♥️
O.G.
Jan 23, 2007
9,830
4,182
#1
Okay... seriously... I was taught that when you want to cross the street, you STOP at the edge of the sidewalk (preferably at the crosswalk or on a corner-to-corner), look BOTH ways, and if there are cars coming--WAIT--make sure the driver SEES YOU AND SLOWS DOWN AND STOPS.

All this BEFORE attempting to cross the street. :tup:

And I always smile, or nod, or do that little "thanks" :flowers: wave as I cross the street in front of a vehicle that outweights me by a half-ton or more. :yes:

I really, really, REALLY don't understand pedestrians that step out onto the road without looking in either direction, or give me a dirty glare when I've edged into the crosswalk & have to abruptly stop bc they've gone from taking a picture of whatever & or saw the rest of their group across the street, and decide they need to cross w/o making sure I SAW them want to cross.

I'm venting now because today I had a guy lean in, spread his arms like "HEY!", and stare into my car because I didn't stop to let his group cross...nevermind they had just gotten to the crosswalk (two lane road) and if they waited another 10 seconds, it'd be clear & easy.

I also think he didn't notice my 200+lb, recently shaved head & newly goateed, and really quite intimidating DF sitting in the passenger seat till my car was almost past. He's lucky we're civilized....some of the shorter temper'd younger locals are spoiling to fight with tourists. :sweatdrop:

Anyway... pedestrian rights aside, I'd rather not get hit by a car.:police: Alive-and-healthy beats injured-and-right in my book any day. :rolleyes:
 
#2
Stop, wait, look, listen

The old look to the left, look to the right and look to the left again motto has always kept me safe!

Some people have no idea when it comes to crossing the road, they think just because they are a pedestrian they have right of way regardless of the dangerous situation they put themselves in - come on human body vs car I know what will win every time.
 
#4
Junkenpo - I'm like you - respect for the vehicles on the road - after all, the road is their territory!

I know what you mean though - is it just me or are people getting ruder and ruder? I'm finding that in carparks, people tend to amble in the middle of the road, or look you right in the eye just as the step out in front of your car, like they're DARING you to run them over!

I just hate it when people cross in front of you and walk r-e-a-l-l-y slowly, chatting to their friends and taking up the whole road and they don't even realise! Even worse is when they're fully aware of you and just don't give a damn. I swear it is happening more and more often!
 
#5
i do the safe look both ways and hurry my ass up across the street. i'd like to live and wouldn't put that in jeopardy cause i wanted to cross the street whenever i wanted.

worse than that i hate when people driving have a right on red and just go without looking. some jerk on a cell phone didn't even look once in my direction and i nearly slammed on the breaks.
 
#6
I live in Phoenix, so I stop, look both ways and listen. Then cross with the light very quickly just in case that driver did not think the red light or stop sign meant him (it's usually a him).
All those stories you hear about crazy drivers in Phoenix are true!
 
#7
Here in Seattle pedestrians have the right of way, no matter what. There are posted crosswalks with signals, but if you want to step right out in front of a car... There seems to be no real predictability, which makes things a little dangerous. Do whatever you want to do seems to be the attitude. This is very different from anywhere else I have lived where drivers and pedestrians coexisted in a more considerate way. Often time pedestrians have stepped out in front of me, even though there were no cars behind me and waiting a second would have been more considerate. It is much harder to stop a 3,000 pound car than to adjust the position of a body.
And don't get me started about the oblivious folks on cell phones...drivers and pedestrians.
 
#8
I think it has to be the responsibility of both the car and the pedestrian. Cars *should* always be cautious when driving through crosswalks or busy pedestrian intersections. At the same time, a human on foot can stop a lot faster than a car so they should be looking both ways before crossing. I always try to be very observant when walking.

Last week I was almost run over in the grocery store parking lot. A guy in a huge truck went from parking lights on to gunning it backwards in like .2 seconds!! I took two steps before realizing he never looked backwards and I was about to be roadkill. I screamed at the top of my lungs, threw my arms up, and braced to be hit (yes, in hindsight, I should have ran, but that didn't occur to me!!). Thankfully, he slammed on his brake just inches away from me. The worst part? Everyone in the parking ran over to make sure I was okay. Meanwhile, the driver simply sat in the car waiting for me to move. He never apologized or even rolled down the window to check on me. Grrrrr :cursing:
 
#9
I hate hate hate when pedestrians just hop out in the road out of nowhere.

I'm a college student, and there are little cross-walks all over campus where you're supposed to stop and let people walk across the street. A lot of cars ignore them, which is annoying, but what I hate is when someone is walking and then turns suddenly to go across the street. HELLO?! Drivers cannot read your mind. You have to make it apparent that you're going to cross the street if you want a car to stop for you. And don't get me started on the people that don't even use the cross-walks, but expect cars to wait all day for them. No wonder so many drivers ignore the cross-walks!

maggie7 said:
When I'm a pedestrian, I hate cars, when I'm in my car, I hate pedestrians...:graucho:
Click to expand...

haha, so true! But really, people just lack common sense. Even when I'm walking and have the right-of-way, I'm not going to ignore the fact that a rushed driver (or one that's simply not paying attention) could kill me with their car, and I'd rather not take that chance just to prove a point. Everyone needs to just PAY ATTENTION, and be respectful. It sucks how much everyone thinks they're more important than everyone else, especially on the road. People can be downright rude for no apparent reason.

What I hate is when the weather is crappy (rainy/snowy/freezing cold), and I'm waiting to cross the road at a cross-walk, and the people in their nice warm dry cars don't care enough about anyone but themselves to let me cross.
 
#10
I live in a college town that is quite pedestrian-friendly, so we've got a ton of people crossing the street willy nilly all the time. especially at night after the bars close, or during the school day when students are on campus. everyone's always on their cell phone or listening to their iPod (i'm also guilty), and some people don't even pretend to look and a lot of people pay no attention to whether they're crossing in a crosswalk or not. add to that all the people on bicycles and the insanely narrow roads (because the town is so old), it takes a while to get through certain parts of town!
 
#11
i look left and right and left and right and left and right as i'm walking. haha, better safe than sorry. thankfully, i'm usually crossing streets in campus... so the cars always slow down for a pedestrian. if i'm walking the streets with someone, i hold their hands!
 
#12
I sometimes realize I'll just walk and expect people to be stopping. How rude of me, right? And then when I am driving I am thinking "Gosh, how rude are these people not to acknowledge me!" LOL

I always try to give a wave though. It's common courtesy.
 
#13
jburgh said:
Here in Seattle pedestrians have the right of way, no matter what. There are posted crosswalks with signals, but if you want to step right out in front of a car... There seems to be no real predictability, which makes things a little dangerous. Do whatever you want to do seems to be the attitude. This is very different from anywhere else I have lived where drivers and pedestrians coexisted in a more considerate way. Often time pedestrians have stepped out in front of me, even though there were no cars behind me and waiting a second would have been more considerate. It is much harder to stop a 3,000 pound car than to adjust the position of a body.
And don't get me started about the oblivious folks on cell phones...drivers and pedestrians.
Click to expand...

I'll add to jburgh's post here as another fellow Seattle-ite ;). The Seattle area has literally exploded in growth over the past 15+ years. I LOVE IT. But, there is a price and it is a far more aggressive pace now. A good majority of the Seattle population comes from somewhere else...and that usually means more aggressive driving styles. I don't mean that as a criticism...there is just as much danger being too overly polite and yielding when driving as there is being too aggressive.

When I first started working downtown, as a pedestrian you just waited for the light to change and you could step right out in the crosswalk.

Nowadays, the light changes and you have wait a few seconds for people to stop running the red light and look one final time, then cross.

I agree that there is not a good relationship between drivers & pedestrians in general in the Seattle area. Pedestrians need to STOP JAYWALKING and be a little more conscious and not just assume the car is going to stop for you. Using the freakin' crosswalks is a good first step so we know where to potentially expect you. :P

In my suburb, especially in the summer, if you want to drive on the main drag along the lake when everyone is out walking, rollerblading, etc. you just can't be in a hurry as a driver. Peds lollygag when crossing like nothing I've ever seen and it's just absurd.

A few of our suburban crosswalks light up and flash when a ped is about to cross...this actually is pretty effective...but, nothing is 100%. Even with the lit up crosswalk, the ped has to be super careful, especially at night. And if the driver is distracted, on the phone, etc, look out! We now have laws here in WA against texting while driving, and later this summer a law will prohibit being on the phone while driving unless you have a headset. Baby steps.
 
#14
maggie7 said:
When I'm a pedestrian, I hate cars, when I'm in my car, I hate pedestrians...:graucho:
Click to expand...

LOL!! I agree!! But, when you are crossing the street, it's best to look both ways and make sure that the cars have come to a complete stop or make eye contact with the driver so that they see you before you step out into the crosswalk. You really can't argue with a 2,000 lb car (or whatever they weigh!) barreling down on you when you're trying to cross the street! Take precaution!!
 
#15
It's "look right, left, then right again and go" where I grew up. An old habit dies hard. I've been trying to look left first since I moved here though.

I think in NJ, pedestrians are invisible to most drivers, so I am extremely cautious when I cross a road.

I do let pedestrians go at crosswalks and such when I'm driving, then get honked by a car behind me, aagh.
 
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