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> it is vastly safer than crossing at intersections Why is it safer?

• macintux 2y ago
  Other comments have pointed out that intersections are difficult to cross safely because cars are coming from multiple directions, often in non-obvious ways. Between the intersections you only have two directions to worry about.
  • throwaway313373 2y ago
    Yes, but at intersections drivers are forced to slow down and look for traffic and maybe prepare to make a turn, so you can expect them to move slower and have more situational awareness. Am I wrong?
    • Schiendelman 2y ago
      You should be right! But you are misidentifying the problem. The problem here is not the norm, it's the exceptions. Some drivers don't slow down or pay attention. Those are the ones that cause all the risk. While normal drivers behave better at intersections, a pedestrian can't trust that every driver will do that. In a mid block crossing, you don't have to rely on drivers behaving a certain way, so the predictability is increased and the overall result is safer.
      • macintux 2y ago
        I witnessed a driver make an aggressive left turn as soon as a light turned green, to beat the first car going the other way. Unfortunately that aggressive left turn ended abruptly when they hit a pedestrian crossing the street on that same green light. Thankfully the pedestrian seemed mostly shaken up, but I have to imagine there were long-term consequences of that.