Walking

[PILOON]

I came close the other night.
On a dead end rural road, dark and blustering snow a dumb person was walking wearing either a black or dark blue parka.
To make matters worst he 'froze' so was totally blended in.
At a quick glance he looked like a tree trunk

Light colors and a good flashlight should be the order of the day.
Better still a safety vest.

Then a couple of weeks ago I came up over a hill crest and around a curve and lo and behold there were 3 horses with very young riders.
A parent was escorting and wisely was wearing a highway safety vest so I quickly espied them.

 

[Mace Canute]

Years ago I darn near collected a bicycle rider one night. I had just parallel parked my car in front of the apartment block I lived in and after shoulder checking and looking in the mirror for traffic, I opened the door and whoosh! a guy on a bike sailed past my door. I hadn't opened it more than a foot and he came a red hair from hitting the door edge on. Another half second and he likely would have. The reason I didn't and couldn't see him was because the street was curved convexly and he was tucked in close to the parked cars and wearing dark clothing without any lights or reflectors and he was going a good speed to boot!

 

[PILOON]

Mace,
And should he hit your door it is your fault!
Plus a hefty fine and demerit points, (that's here in Quebec)

 

[Paul Thornton]

I think DHD nailed it.

 

[gladehound]

My area had gotten a lot better. We used to have a lot of dark dressed people on the road. Now it seems most the runners and cyclist where very bright cloths. Ocationally a walker will be out at night in dark cloths... typically a teenager. Most poeple are also running super bright lights on bikes at night in my area - nearly as bright as car headlights. Everyone has a right to the road but its each persons responsibility to make sure they are visible!

The problem we still have is during the day, walkers seem oblivious when you as a motor vehicle operator would have to do something unsafe (like pass them on the wrong side of the road at a blind spot) to get by them. In these cases I just stop in my lane until they walk past me. Half the time they look at me as if I'm crazy but I'm not driving on the wrong side of the road at a blind spot - that would be crazy!

 

[RoyJackson]

In Vermont, pedestrians always have the right of way at crosswalks. That means traffic has to stop. These crosswalks aren't necessarily at intersections...they can be anywhere on the street. So, many pedestrians don't even bother looking for traffic. Pretty stupid of them since, even at 25 MPH, most vehicles cannot stop on a dime (as the cliche goes).
But our bigger problem is bicyclists on rural roads (plenty of those in Vermont!!!). Some bicyclists do wear high visibility gear...most don't, and with the curvy roads we have here...well, it can be lethal for them. If the bicyclist doesn't take a degree of responsibility for staying to the side of the road and wearing proper gear to be seen, IMHO, it's Darwin's theory in action. I have no sympathy for them.

 

[davesl708]

I see a lot of post putting the blame on the pedestrians. In the USA pedestrians have the right of way on all public roads. I drive approximately 40,000 miles per year. I have driven in Canada, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Holland and 38 of the 50 states. In the US most drivers are doing everything but driving.
I see people on their phones, reading papers, working on laptops or messing with something in the back seat. I watch people weave off the road onto the shoulders.

My nephew was killed while driving on a clear sunny day with unlimited visibility in a rural area by a driver who decided not to stop at a stop sign because he did not see anyone coming.

If you cannot see someone on the road you should not be driving. If you cannot see people you will not see deer or other animals on the road. You would probably not see a tree across the road until it is to late.

Drivers need to drive.

 

[dave1949]

Pedestrians need to be visible. You wouldn't drive at night with your lights off, and pedestrians need to make themselves easily visible at night too. It sort of angers me when I pass by a walker at night with no lights or reflective clothing. They are putting my well being at risk too.

We've probably all had the experience of first seeing a pedestrian at night when it's too late to do anything except be thankful they weren't in the road.

 

[aczlan]

I don't see why people would choose not to wear a reflective vest, especially when you can get a class 2 vest for $7 (Neiko High Visibility Neon Yellow Zipper Front Safety Vest with Reflective Strips - Meets ANSI/ISEA Standards, Size Large - - Amazon.com) or a class 3 for $14 (Liberty HiVizGard Polyester All Mesh Fabric Class 3 Safety Vest with 2" Wide Silver Reflective Stripes and Multiple Pockets: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific)...

Aaron Z

 

[Egon]

In Vermont,

But our bigger problem is bicyclists on rural roads (plenty of those in Vermont!!!). Some bicyclists do wear high visibility gear...most don't, and with the curvy roads we have here...well, it can be lethal for them. If the bicyclist doesn't take a degree of responsibility for staying to the side of the road and wearing proper gear to be seen, IMHO, it's Darwin's theory in action. I have no sympathy for them.

I really liked cycling but the narrow roads with lack of shoulder saw me stop cycling on the roads. Just felt uncomfortable to me.