I almost ran a kid over today(unintentionally)

[iwannadie]

I was driving home from work this morning and I was coming up to an intersection, the light was red when I was a good 150(guess I am bad with judging distance) feet away. Right as I was about to start braking the light turned green so I moved my foot from the brake to hover over the gas. I am not one that likes to time lights perfectly incase another car is trying to beat the light...

I am coasting going 40ish about to start accelerating to go through the intersection. I notice a mini van and an SUV sitting at the green light not moving. I decide since they are not moving something is not right and I brake just to slow down. As I am braking I see a girl through the mini van windshield walking across the street from my right. I get harder on the brakes and come to a stop right before the cross walk when she casually walks in front of me totally unaware I am there.

Now mind you, I had the green light for a good 8-10 seconds, that is a Long time. She must had literally started walking across the street when I got the green light and it put her directly in front of my lane had I not stopped I would have ran her down at 45 mph. She also was not a little kid who maybe didn't know better but I would say 15 or somewhere in that age range. Head down the whole time, ear phones in and totally unaware or could careless she was walking across a street.

I've never come that close to hitting some one like that before and it is really unnerving.

 

[muddypunk]

Good Job .

 

[Ralph]

Happens all the time here on campus. You would think college kids would know better. I concur with muddypunk. Good driving.

 

[REWSTER]

Shoulda hit her, she was j walking.

 

[ehall]

I almost hit a little girl once she was maybe 8 yrs old she stepped out between parked cars right in front of me. Freaked me out for weeks

 

[xcm]

I notice a mini van and an SUV sitting at the green light not moving. I decide since they are not moving something is not right

they should teach stuff like this in high school. forget drivers ed, 10-2 and all that bullshit... teach people how accidents ACTUALLY happen.

 

[xjtrailrider]

I "almost" hit a lady the other day on the way to work. I go in at 5am, it was pitch black and I was towing a 8.5' wide landscape trailer on a four lane local road. I'm in the right lane running dead on 45 and I suddenly see white hands and a white neck stagger(she was walking with traffic) out to the white line! The lady was wearing all black! I gave the trailer a wiggle to the inside of the lane but I had a bread truck next to me, not much room! I went back to check on her and she was still walking!

I could have sworn I hit her with the trailer, got lucky. People are stupid and everyone else pays the price.

 

[xjsnake]

I was pulling into the shopping center where I used to work when a kid (3-4 years old) runs out in front of me. I swerved, ran my old sebring convertible (POS) up on the curb, blew out a brand new front tire and soaked myself with the pepsi in my cupholder. The kids mom comes running from 200+ feet away, scoops up the kid and takes off running before I can even get out of the car. Cost me $130 that day and more down the road due to suspension damage from the curb. But it's worth every penny because I was able to miss the kid.

 

[crimsondragon]

Every time I'm at work I almost run somebody over. The airport attracts idiots of all kinds.

 

[VAhasnoWAVES]

ive had a few close encounters myself. as ralph said, a lot of it is on campus. personally, if im riding my bike or longboard, i cant stand wearing headphones. i feel like im not as aware of my surroundings. when im walking, they are fine. but im more aware than most. eyes in the back of my head, as my hockey coach used to say.

the way i see it, the law says the pedestrian has the right away. it doesnt say anything about their (lack of) attention or regard for motorist. but even without that law, id gladly damage my vehicle than take another life. its just material. will i still be pissed? yes. but ive seen a jeep can do to a deer, id be scared for life if i saw a person like that.

as for fellow motorist? ive got 1/4 steal on all sides. if your not paying attention, your getting the shaft, and i hope your wearing your seat belt. i might get launched into the next county, but they are going to get the worse of it. lol.

 

[tbburg]

the way i see it, the law says the pedestrian has the right away.

"Traffic law" is pretty good at saying what should be.
Unfortunately, in the real world, the only laws that everyone has to obey are the laws of physics.

Good job avoiding the twit. :thumbup: Regardless of what it did to her, it would have screwed up your rig and your life.

 

[5-90]

"Traffic law" is pretty good at saying what should be.
Unfortunately, in the real world, the only laws that everyone has to obey are the laws of physics.

Good job avoiding the twit. :thumbup: Regardless of what it did to her, it would have screwed up your rig and your life.

Kinda reminds me of the old pilot's maxim - " 'Rules' are passed by man, 'laws' are passed by God. Rules may be broken, but it does require flawless execution. (Example: You may break a rule and fly under a bridge, but this does require that you not strike the bridge.)"

Considering what I've seen at airports, I don't even want to think about working at one (I used to service the vending machines at SJC, and that was maddening enough. Driving a loaded bobtail around a bunch of idiots who can't be bothered to look at what's going on around them made me want to run the silly twits over, just to drive home the point...)

And the people tuning out on their iPods or cellphones? Yep - see it all the time. It's just so much fun when they walk into me (and I'm not an easy guy to miss - as those who have met me know) and then have the raw twisted nerve to get mad at me for having the temerity to be in their way! (When I see one approaching, I most often stop. I have no idea what they're going to do, so it's safest for me to do nothing and wait.)

I use earbuds - so I can plug one in and drape the other one over the same ear (which allows me to hear what is going on around me. I rarely use the cellphone in the first place, but I don't tune out when I do. The way everyone else seems to carry on, I'm amazed they haven't gotten themselves killed yet...

(EDIT - from what you had to say about it, I'd be half tempted to say it was their fault if you had hit them, but I didn't see what was going on...)

 

[kastein]

keep your eyes on a swivel and assume the worst... that every driver is going to try and cause as much damage as they can at the worst possible moment, and that every pedestrian and animal is going to jump out in front of you at the same time.

You're not paranoid if they really are out to get you... and at least here in Mass, they are out to get you.

 

[iaml3lue]

We had a girl get off a train duck under the arm that's closing the walk way and walk right into a oncoming train

 

[bigalpha]

My general rule is that if it's an object I only brake; I don't swerve. If it's an animal and small enough it won't smash my face through the windshield, I only brake.

If it's a large animal or a person, I'll swerve somewhat.

 

[DrMoab]

We had a girl get off a train duck under the arm that's closing the walk way and walk right into a oncoming train

That happens here about three or four times a month. If it's not a pedestrian its some idiot in a car.

 

[bjoehandley]

I "almost" hit a lady the other day on the way to work. I go in at 5am, it was pitch black and I was towing a 8.5' wide landscape trailer on a four lane local road. I'm in the right lane running dead on 45 and I suddenly see white hands and a white neck stagger(she was walking with traffic) out to the white line! The lady was wearing all black! I gave the trailer a wiggle to the inside of the lane but I had a bread truck next to me, not much room! I went back to check on her and she was still walking!

I could have sworn I hit her with the trailer, got lucky. People are stupid and everyone else pays the price.

That can be a problem here too, there are times you can't see those idiots till you nearly hit them either! I've also noticed that the only demographic that doesn't seem to do this on a regular basis are children and adults seem to be the hands down worst at it.

keep your eyes on a swivel and assume the worst... that every driver is going to try and cause as much damage as they can at the worst possible moment, and that every pedestrian and animal is going to jump out in front of you at the same time.

You're not paranoid if they really are out to get you... and at least here in Mass, they are out to get you.

That sounds right on the money. Had a stretch this past spring where I had dodged 4 wrecks, one with a school bus and another with a senile driver ( that was one hell of sn evening) and nearly wrecked the other night when the car next to me failed to notice the road was jogging to the right.

 

[Wallyman]

They do it all the time near our mall. earphones in and they figgure its their "right" to walk where and how they please.
everyone wants to be a victim.... its the new mentality of the USA

 

[fyrfytr1717]

Funny, the guys on my crew and I were just talking about pedestrian crossing habits yesterday. It seems to be an alarming trend that we have people intentionally crossing the street in front of our fire engine as we approach, with lights and siren running. They'll usually step into the street while we are still a little ways out, start walking with their head down, look up momentarily as we stop for them, and then continue slowly walking across the street. I work in a fairly poor neighborhood and usually it is someone that appears to be walking out of necessity rather than by choice. Usually a "tough guy" too. My theory was that it gives them a sense of empowerment in a world where they are feeling pretty powerless. Maybe they just dont give a ****.

 

[WB9YZU]

Coming home tonight, dark street, I see a car parked on the opposite side of the road. Parking lights on, trunk appears to be open (light on). I am about 1500ft and closing @ 10 accelerating to 25...

I see a bit of movement ahead of me, and I hit the high beams...

There is a row of 5 small kids running from a house on my 2 o'clock to the car at my 10 o'clock. They are all dressed in dark clothes, carrying stuff, and totally focused on the person waiting to load their stuff in the trunk.

Two things passed though my mind:

A prayer to God for his teaching me to miss Deer on a regular basis by looking for any movement in my field of vision.

A curse to the stupid mortar tucker waiting on the opposite side of the road for their charges on a dark, but busy road.

-Ron