Pedestrians and Drivers By Brenda Williams At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Why does it continue to be a problem where pedestrians and drivers simply cannot seem to get along? Whereas most other people would be quick to say that pedestrians should always yield to motorists, it is actually the other way around. Whenever you are driving in a vehicle, you must always, always yield to a pedestrian. What are pedestrians? Pedestrians can be anyone ranging from a person riding his/her bike to someone jogging to someone walking. Pedestrians are essentially any person who is not in a motor vehicle but who occupies a space close to the roadway where there are cars passing by at a higher rate of speed.

Too many times, we hear the unfortunate news that a pedestrian has been struck by a motor vehicle. Usually this is due to the fact that the driver of the vehicle was not paying attention or thought that the pedestrian saw him or her; and therefore the driver felt that he/she had the right-of-way. Not so! Even if you see a pedestrian doing something wrong in which you would have technically had the right-of-way, you still need to yield to that person. For example, a lot of drivers find it annoying when they are driving their car and suddenly a pedestrian decides to cross at an undesignated spot on the street. You may think to yourself, “Gee, I really should hit this person with my car because they are in the wrong...”

Perhaps part of the problem lies in the fact that pedestrians and drivers alike need to review the rules of the roadways. Even if you are walking along the street and think that it is ok to go ahead and cross the street, you should always wait for the crossing signal. However, sometimes you have to rely on better judgment since a crossing signal may not always be there or in working order. Similarly, pedestrians need to remember that just because they can effectively cross the road at any point that they choose, this shouldn't give them license to hope that all of the vehicles will stop to allow them to do so.

Part of what drives many motorists crazy (no pun intended) is the fact that many pedestrians will jay walk, or walk across the street where there is no designated cross walk. In this instance, when you are walking outside along a busy roadway, you need to be aware of your surroundings. Even if you are taking a stroll during a time of day when it is usually not quite as busy, you would be surprised at the occasional car that will drive by. For example, a few weeks ago, I was out for a morning walk along what is normally a busy street during the day. However, it was early in the morning and there was hardly any traffic out yet. As I was walking on the sidewalk around a precarious bend in the road, an SUV came speeding around the corner driving extremely fast. No doubt, they were taking advantage of the fact that the roads were quiet, and therefore perhaps they felt that they didn't have to obey the posted speed limit. However, what really irked me was the fact that if I had chosen to cross the street at that moment, I would have been struck. You always have to use good judgment and know your location. If you are walking, you should wait until you have a clear view of the road before crossing. Additionally, you should remove any earphones or turn off music which may prevent you from hearing when there is oncoming danger.

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