Stupid is as stupid does

So, I read advice columns... a lot of them. I find it interesting to hear about other people's problems and how to handle them, it's that whole character development thing that I like to weave into my writing. I saw this one today from Ann Landers (I'm guessing it was a reprint :) )

Dear Ann Landers: I always wondered how a pedestrian could be hit by a car in a crosswalk. I know now. I cannot count the number of times I've seen pedestrians step blindly into an intersection crosswalk when the light turns to "Walk." Do they stop to see if oncoming traffic notices them? No, they do not. They just figure the driver will see them and hit the brakes. They march directly into the street, assuming that because they have the right of way, the cars will stop.

What they do not know is that the driver in an oncoming car just got fired, had a fight with his wife or is trying to find the lighted cigarette he just dropped. The pedestrian may have the right of way, but being right isn't enough when you're laid up in the hospital or, worse yet, in the cemetery.

Wake up, you idiots. Your life is your responsibility, and if you value it, you will not assume that all drivers are sober, considerate and interested in keeping you alive. -- A.H. in Sacramento, Calif.

Dear A.H.: Thank you for all the readers you may have saved today. Your message is clear: Don't assume a driver sees you or that he is competent, sober and alert. The one who isn't could cost you your life.

Now, the sentiment is great... pedestrian or not, pay attention to the road, but in a way the writer of this letter is still blaming the driver... and, seriously, pedestrians need to be cognizant of the world around them, as well as the rules of the road... without blaming the person behind the wheel.

Sure, it's all well and good to say, well, pedestrians have the right of way. But when it comes down to a fight between a two-ton blob of metal and a 150-pound person, guess who's gonna win?

There was one incident that I'll never forget that drove this home for me. Now, I live in Canada. We get snow. We get a lot of snow. This isn't unusual for us and I find it hilarious that people are actually surprised when it comes. One particularly blizzardy afternoon, I was driving with some friends. Now, I was being overly cautious because the snow was still falling and the roads were very, very slippery. My eyes were glued to the road (scanning around for people, other cars, etc.) Both hands were on the wheel at 10 and 2. And my foot was hovering between both gas pedals. (i.e., give it enough gas to move the car, but keep your foot near the brakes in case of slipping or kids running out onto the street)

I was about 10 feet from a cross walk when a woman marched up, pressed the button and, without stopping, stepped into the street directly in front of my car. I slammed on the brake and skidded into her, missing her literally by --> <-- that much. What did she do? She stopped at the sound of my squealing brakes (and my blaring horn), didn't even look at me, and then kept going, completely oblivious how close she came to getting run over.

Now, I'd seen her approach the crosswalk, but knew that if I tried to stop (even though I was going less than 25 km/h) I'd skid and hit her, and considering how close I was to the walk, common sense (snow or no snow) would tell a pedestrian to wait until the car almost in the crosswalk had passed before stepping out onto the street. I would have passed in less than 10 seconds, and I'm pretty sure that extra ten seconds wouldn't have made any difference in her life.

Now, I was paying attention this time. If I hadn't been, if I'd been fiddling with the radio, or laughing with my best friends, or even checking out my best friend's hubby in the rear view mirror (hey, he's cute and he used to make faces at me while I drove :) ), that woman would be dead. And even though she acted completely recklessly, it would have been legally my fault, because my car crossed a crosswalk while the light was on.

There's a very important group of words in the laws of the road that a lot of people on the road (both in and out of cars) tend to ignore and I think it's the cause of a lot of the accidents we see today.

Those words... "When It Is Safe To Do So."

Just because you put on your signal or press the button on a crosswalk doesn't mean that the whole entire world around you is going to be able to instantly stop to let you do what you want. Great, you've signalled that you want to do something. Now wait until it's safe for you to do it...

What *should* happen, is that people will see your signal, and will act accordingly, stop for a crosswalk, let you change lanes, whatever. But, because so many people are acting like "well, I put my signal on, I'm going to do what I want right now, whether there's someone in my way or not", people are going out of their way to prevent them from doing it. (Like the people who speed up to keep you from changing lanes in front of them on the highway.)

It's called common sense and courtesy. Let's use it. Then it really might be Safe to Do So.