It's NOT A One-Way World
Posted: Wednesday, February 08, 2012
by Octavia Hansen
Octavia Hansen
Look both ways. This will save your life. Look only one way and you can get smacked in the back of the head by something not supposed to be there . . . but it is . . . and you weren't . . . and it did.
I'm a good driver. I use my turn signals, I stop at crosswalks, I obey the speed limit, my last ticket was fifteen years ago. Still, there are days when everyone wants to test my driving skills. At this point I will tell you I drive a Honda Fit -- light weight, stops on a dime, great gas mileage and acceleration. You know it's not a high performance car, nor merely a go-cart that's street legal. I watch VERY cautiously -- knowing that someone is planning to do something dumb in front of my car.
Pedestrians have the right of way . . . BUT . . . this is relegated to pedestrian walk ways, crosswalks and areas not in the road where I am driving and is supposed to happen during their indicated time at a signal. Children have been told about not to step into the street from between parked cars, evidently a lesson lost while growing up. Now that everyone seems to drive trucks, SUVs and all manner of massive vehicle, people are even harder to spot before something terrible could happen. Considering they are flesh and bone and most vehicles are at least a ton of iron and steel, this isn't much of a contest. I understand that a WALK signal tends to run out fast when masses of people are crossing the street, I will wait for anyone with a stroller or cane. Knowing that cars coming across the intersection are usually pushing the yellow light, I'm not anxious to jump start my travels. Still, I expect people to stop at the DON'T WALK light when they have well and truly missed it, and wait for the next signal. They had their turn. Then it's mine.
I guess the general idea is that when a pedestrian does not look at you that you will not harm them. This goes on the premise that a driver actually sees you and will stop or wait while said oblivious pedestrian goes whatever direction at whatever speed they desire. This is akin to pulling a blanket over your head -- what you do not see is not there. That may work for nightmares but traffic is not so forgiving. A pedestrian can walk anywhere, a car has a designated street or lane and can go nowhere else. Hey, you may be walking but I am also entitled to my space, too.
Bicycles. Yes, good for the ecology, bad in every other way possible. They have a right to the road? I don't think so -- they pay no tax yet demand their space. Very unfair on motorized vehicles who buy a license for their vehicle, pay for a driver's license from the state, and carry mandatory insurance. Bicycles and I are NOT friends.
People were okay on bicycles before stop lights, before curbs, before motorized vehicles. Maybe the day of the bicycle has come and gone. Much like the Seqway (one person electric motorized transport), a bicycle goes faster than pedestrians, slower than cars -- and Segways have been banned from the streets and sidewalks of San Francisco. Most bicycles and their drivers are a moving hazard. There are rules of the road for bicycles -- stop at signs, stop at lights, drive with the traffic, signal for a turn and a few other gems -- NONE of which I have EVER seen in practice. I have to guess that some looney too dense to operate a car, now on a bicycle, can manuever in close contact with a motorized vehicle. I have NEVER seen a bicycle stop for a sign and only witness a slow down when there is a traffic light.
Considering most drivers are well above the speed limit and a bike so much slower, every bicycle is an accident waiting to happen. And when the bike person is doing errands, I have seen many a bicycle dangerously overloaded, or lop-sided loaded and again waiting for a fall. I especially hate bicycles in crowded city traffic. I can't imagine pedestrians liking bikes side swiping their coat, briefcase or purse, and cars can't adjust as quickly as an on-coming bike hot dogging in between lanes. You know, one swiftly opened car door can bring those speedsters to an unimaginably quick halt. I'm sorry, was that your face?
Motorcycles have every right to the road, same as a car, but again, they have to obey the same rules of the road if they want my respect. They ride with their lights on for high visibility (VERY good!) but you always have to watch for them, like any vehicle on the road.
In California, it's perfectly legal for a motorcycles to drive in between lanes of stopped cars -- on the highway this can really keep traffic moving. Fine . . . for California. Bikes work at a higher RPM, get hotter, idle rougher and need to be moving. Fine, it means they get out of my way quicker. Bikes are great, just not around me.
Automobiles. And then there are cars. I love the independence but the responsibility can be overwhelming. I do not wish to kill anything with my vehicle but periodically a kamikaze bird or rodent can not be avoided -- becoming the road kill of which I did not desire for their destiny. I can say I have NEVER caused accident or injury to a person. Still, they try.
Too many people are distracted, both walking and driving, in today's world or have a sense of security I never could attain. Head phones, mobile phones, pocket games or anything that distracts a person from the here and now, especially when mighty vehicles are ready and willing to intercept their path, if not their person, can make an untimely end very quick. The few times I have to be on foot, I scan the area as if landmines were surrounding me. I just know the moment I step out, even with the signal on my side, someone will answer the phone or change the music in their car and NOT be watching for me. Higher self esteem will NOT make me more noticeable, just more self-satisfied.
In any mode of transportation, I am constantly amazed at the lack of attention spent on survival. As people are coming to a stop, I can see them NOT watching ahead or behind them. If you see someone approaching and it's obvious they cannot stop, you can still prevent your injuries. Put your car in park and pull the emergency brake, sit up straight so your head will be cushioned by the headrest, don't look so you won't tense up (being relaxed makes you go with the movement rather than your body fighting it) and wait for impact. The airbag will not help you if you are hit from behind. A sorry state of insurance affairs, if your car is pushed into another vehicle, you are libel for damages even though the impact that pushed you was not your fault. It's also good to leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front of you so you can see their back tires.
Cars are aimed a certain direction by signs and streets, still, you can save your life by looking both ways. It only takes an uncertain new driver, a senile old driver, a distracted driver or a tourist driver to go the wrong direction and do the most damage. Pedestrians learn this quickly in a foreign country. Get in the habit, even when it's a one way street, it's easy for one person to slip through the cracks and go the wrong direction.
You can do everything right but it only takes one stupid driver to change your chances of survival on the road. You can be a better driver any time, starting now, starting today. Someone's life, maybe even yours, can depend on it. Baby, you can drive my car . . .
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Somehow someway, this should be like a "public service article" polished with your usual special touch. Loved this.Thanks for reading. Yea, I think a lot of people need a reminder to look both ways. It's easy to get out of the habit but costly to have it reinforced. I like to think that a touch of comedy makes it more memorable, at least that's the way I remember things. Thanks again.
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O,
Thanks for the introspective review.
Now here in Woebegone, all of us are above average in driving skills, so we have no issues. Otherwise, your title could have been, “Five Minutes in our Favorite Autorama Circus."
“Look only one way and you can get smacked in the back of the head by something not supposed to be there . . . but it is . . . and you weren't . . . and it did." This was my favorite sentence.
Ron
Thanks for the encouraging words. I think there's another article inside this one about motorcycles, I always wave -- hope this isn't considered a driving distraction. But mostly this article came about when I see people backing out of anywhere and not looking. Maybe those bumper cars at a carnival are the way to go -- completely surrounded by a rubber bumper when you're driving. Keep on cruisin'!--
O,
Sometimes, perhaps, you'd like to read some of my "motorcycle comments" made on a motorcycle website at times in the past.
Encourage Me, Encourage Me!
RonYOU BET-CHA! Where do I find these? How do I get there? Your style is as smooth as a ride on Route 66!--
O,
Hmm, Route 66 vs. me. We're both old, worn out, have lots of potholes, and don't get no respect. But that aside, maybe I can come up with a brief compilation.
RonI was thinking Route 66 is the stuff of dreams -- the open road, the promise of every horizon, everyone knows about it, few have taken the entire journey. Don't be so hard on yourself, there's plenty of abuse waiting to go around some other time.
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