3 ms·

You should slow down. Those people you are describing sound like they want to cross the street, and they probably have right of way, so yield for them. Also, m

by c22 8y ago

You should slow down. Those people you are describing sound like they want to cross the street, and they probably have right of way, so yield for them. Also, my two year old will sometimes walk towards the curb, but she is very good with streets, so I am not worried. She always stops and waits to hold someone's hand before crossing. This behavior freaks some drivers out, causing them to slow or come to a complete stop, which is the nicest outcome because then I can take her hand and cross the street. When I am walking by myself drivers rarely yield even as I am stepping into the street, even at marked crossings. I guess my point is if my two year old exhibits the behavior you ascribe to a hypothetical non-child pedestrian then how can you be sure your hypothetical pedestrian won't just "keep walking"? What if they are blind, or drunk, or reckless? Perhaps you have been lucky before and never struck a pedestrian but I strongly urge you to assess your behavior. Stop for pedestrians, it's the nice thing to do and it's probably the law where you live.

maxxxxx 8y ago
You make me sound like a crazy driver :). Just watch the traffic along a busy road with pedestrians on the side. Nobody slows down if they pedestrians behave the usual way. You also often have pedestrians walk into the road to just stop right before the zone where cars are. Nobody slows down because they see that the pedestrian is observing traffic.
- c22 8y ago
  I have made this observation, I even mentioned it in my comment. I am urging you and anyone else who reads my words to assess your behavior so as to affect a change in the status quo. Sometimes pedestrians do walk into the road and they do get struck. The only foolproof way to prevent this is to change driver behavior which is why the requirement to yield to pedestrians at intersections is codified into most laws. When I am driving I often see people standing at the curb just staring at their smartphone. Usually these people are wasting time because they don't expect traffic to stop. When I stop for them they are usually pleased, they cross the road and get on with their life. Sometimes these people are just waiting for an Uber or something, when I stop for them they get confused and look at me funny. I don't mind, I just smile at them and resume driving. I am in a car, so I can accelerate and travel very quickly with almost no effort. It is no trouble for me to spend a few seconds stopping for a false positive.
  - maxxxxx 8y ago
    This only works if you don't have other cars run into you when you slow down unexpectedly. I am not saying that current traffic is sane but just saying "always also down when you see pedestrians " just doesn't reflect reality. In CA you often have speed limits of 45 right next to houses with driveways. Either you play it safe and go 20 or less and get cursed at by other cars or you go way too fast to respond to unexpected obstacles.
    - c22 8y ago
      When I am driving I routinely check my rearview mirror and assess the following distance of the cars behind me, so I usually know I will not be rear-ended when I am stopping for pedestrians or for any other reason. If I am driving and I notice someone is following too close for our speed I will tap the brake lights so as to encourage them to increase their following distance. If this fails I will slow down to a speed where their following distance becomes appropriate. If they are an uncommonly aggressive driver I might even pull over or change lanes and allow them to pass, I certainly don't want to be rear-ended! That said, even if I were to fail at this, I would prefer to be rear-ended stopping for a pedestrian that would have stopped than to strike a pedestrian who failed to stop walking into the path of my vehicle. The speed limit is a reference to the maximum allowable speed of the roadway, not the minimum, only, or even recommended speed.
      - maxxxxx 8y ago
        You clearly never have driven a busy four lane street in LA with bicycles and pedestrians mixed in. What you are saying makes sense in theory but nobody drives that way.
        c22 8y ago
        I do drive this way, most often in Seattle which has no shortage of the behaviors you're referencing. You can drive safely too because you are in control of your vehicle. I didn't always drive like this, but I was in an accident that was my fault that totally upended my life, so I made an effort to change my ways. You can do it too, before you get in an accident that sets your life back, or irreparably shatters it... I recommend taking an advanced drivers education course if you seriously decide you want to improve your driving. A lot of this stuff is covered.
- carapace 8y ago
  > You make me sound like a crazy driver No, you did that: > I often have pedestrians walk towards the street and I assume they will stop so I don't slow down unless they are children or similar. Almost every day I could hit pedestrians if they kept walking. With respect, I don't know what you meant to say but that sounds like a description of a bad (or at least inconsiderate) driver to me. In any case, when I think about how I would design a self driving car, an "auto-auto", the first principle I came up with was that it should never travel so fast that it couldn't safely slow down or break to avoid a possible collision. This is the bedrock, foundational principal.

by c22 8y ago

maxxxxx 8y ago

You make me sound like a crazy driver :). Just watch the traffic along a busy road with pedestrians on the side. Nobody slows down if they pedestrians behave the usual way. You also often have pedestrians walk into the road to just stop right before the zone where cars are. Nobody slows down because they see that the pedestrian is observing traffic.

c22 8y ago
I have made this observation, I even mentioned it in my comment. I am urging you and anyone else who reads my words to assess your behavior so as to affect a change in the status quo. Sometimes pedestrians do walk into the road and they do get struck. The only foolproof way to prevent this is to change driver behavior which is why the requirement to yield to pedestrians at intersections is codified into most laws. When I am driving I often see people standing at the curb just staring at their smartphone. Usually these people are wasting time because they don't expect traffic to stop. When I stop for them they are usually pleased, they cross the road and get on with their life. Sometimes these people are just waiting for an Uber or something, when I stop for them they get confused and look at me funny. I don't mind, I just smile at them and resume driving. I am in a car, so I can accelerate and travel very quickly with almost no effort. It is no trouble for me to spend a few seconds stopping for a false positive.
- maxxxxx 8y ago
  This only works if you don't have other cars run into you when you slow down unexpectedly. I am not saying that current traffic is sane but just saying "always also down when you see pedestrians " just doesn't reflect reality. In CA you often have speed limits of 45 right next to houses with driveways. Either you play it safe and go 20 or less and get cursed at by other cars or you go way too fast to respond to unexpected obstacles.
  - c22 8y ago
    When I am driving I routinely check my rearview mirror and assess the following distance of the cars behind me, so I usually know I will not be rear-ended when I am stopping for pedestrians or for any other reason. If I am driving and I notice someone is following too close for our speed I will tap the brake lights so as to encourage them to increase their following distance. If this fails I will slow down to a speed where their following distance becomes appropriate. If they are an uncommonly aggressive driver I might even pull over or change lanes and allow them to pass, I certainly don't want to be rear-ended! That said, even if I were to fail at this, I would prefer to be rear-ended stopping for a pedestrian that would have stopped than to strike a pedestrian who failed to stop walking into the path of my vehicle. The speed limit is a reference to the maximum allowable speed of the roadway, not the minimum, only, or even recommended speed.
    - maxxxxx 8y ago
      You clearly never have driven a busy four lane street in LA with bicycles and pedestrians mixed in. What you are saying makes sense in theory but nobody drives that way.
      - c22 8y ago
        I do drive this way, most often in Seattle which has no shortage of the behaviors you're referencing. You can drive safely too because you are in control of your vehicle. I didn't always drive like this, but I was in an accident that was my fault that totally upended my life, so I made an effort to change my ways. You can do it too, before you get in an accident that sets your life back, or irreparably shatters it... I recommend taking an advanced drivers education course if you seriously decide you want to improve your driving. A lot of this stuff is covered.
carapace 8y ago
> You make me sound like a crazy driver No, you did that: > I often have pedestrians walk towards the street and I assume they will stop so I don't slow down unless they are children or similar. Almost every day I could hit pedestrians if they kept walking. With respect, I don't know what you meant to say but that sounds like a description of a bad (or at least inconsiderate) driver to me. In any case, when I think about how I would design a self driving car, an "auto-auto", the first principle I came up with was that it should never travel so fast that it couldn't safely slow down or break to avoid a possible collision. This is the bedrock, foundational principal.