Speeding neighbor almost ran over my child tonight

[Anonymous]

OP, do you iive in Potomac by any chance?

[Anonymous]

If the car "zoomed" past you, turned down a cul de sac, went down the road and entered a garage and you were able to run that fast and catch it, it really couldn't have been "zooming" that fast. And I guess you left your child alone on the unsafe area of the grass to wait for your slow moving dog to catch up while you sprinted away to catch the car before it disappeared into the garage.

Yes people drive fast in neighborhoods but a 9 year old off in the grass is probably safe unless the driver is weaving all over the road or you are on a blind curve. You should never walk or ride a bike in the lane facing into traffic. You stay in the other lane and move with the flow. Then a car can see you and move around you if you are on the roadway.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Dog was on a leash but had stopped to do business. Yes, in hindsight I should have made my daughter wait for me. I will in the future. Re: my incredible speed... No, I did not catch the car. It was parked in the garage of the driver's home and the garage door was still open when I got up there. There are only 5 homes on that pipestem and I know the people in 2 of them so I didn't have to look very hard. That was when I debated storming up to the door. Glad I didn't. I haven't received a response to my email and have learned an important lesson about being more cautious and teaching my children to do the same. Thanks all for the advice and feedback.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were out for a family walk tonight - a car turned into our neighborhood going super fast and nearly ran over my 9 YO who was walking in front of me along the grass next to the road (we don't have sidewalks in our neighborhood). The car was seriously 5 feet from her. I was about 50 feet behind her (waiting for dog to catch up) and when I saw him coming, I yelled out and threw my arms in the air (waving to warn him). He clearly saw me and just zoomed past. The car turned on the very first cul de sac, so I followed it up the road and watched it pull into the garage of a neighboring home. I was so angry/upset that I wanted to storm up his driveway and chew him out, but didn't think I'd be able to be civil, and my kids were still with me. I don't know this neighbor at all, but I called a friend who lives across the street and verified the name of the person driving based on a description of the man and his car.

I just sent him an email briefly recounting the situation and asking him to please slow down. I tried to keep it very polite and matter of fact without any reference to the pure terror I'm still feeling as I recall the sight of his car barreling down on my tiny little 9 year old.

Was this the right way to deal with it? i thought about calling but couldn't imagine what I'd say and knew I wouldn't be able to control my emotion.

Advice? Thoughts?

Five feet away from her is not "almost running" her over. The other is why is she walking so far ahead of you?

[Anonymous]

I have had this feeling. It is very scary when cars drive fast past you and I don't think all drivers realize it. I even started parking my car on the side of the road, not my driveway, to 'narrow' the street and slow cars down. I also walk in the middle of the street sometimes (we have no sidewalks either), so when a car turns the corner, they can see me clear and easy. Often it is harder for drivers to see kids, so I am the one who makes myself visible. Most drivers slow down when they see me. My kids know the drill when I yell to move over. We have had several kids hit by cars over the years in our area. One was fatal.

Consider getting a speedbump or some other traffic calming solution.

[Anonymous]

well i know ppl who carry baseball bats and swing them as they walk. i always stayed clear of those ppl . golf clubs would be good too

[Anonymous]

I even started parking my car on the side of the road, not my driveway, to 'narrow' the street and slow cars down. I also walk in the middle of the street sometimes (we have no sidewalks either), so when a car turns the corner, they can see me clear and easy. Often it is harder for drivers to see kids, so I am the one who makes myself visible. Most drivers slow down when they see me. My kids know the drill when I yell to move over. We have had several kids hit by cars over the years in our area. One was fatal.

I guess this a serious problem in your area. Thank goodness you're manning the front lines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And if it's dark keep in mind that cars often cannot see pediatricians until the last second.

I have a hard time seeing pediatricians in the dark as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have had this feeling. It is very scary when cars drive fast past you and I don't think all drivers realize it. I even started parking my car on the side of the road, not my driveway, to 'narrow' the street and slow cars down. I also walk in the middle of the street sometimes (we have no sidewalks either), so when a car turns the corner, they can see me clear and easy. Often it is harder for drivers to see kids, so I am the one who makes myself visible. Most drivers slow down when they see me. My kids know the drill when I yell to move over. We have had several kids hit by cars over the years in our area. One was fatal.

Consider getting a speedbump or some other traffic calming solution.

you are an absolute idiot if you walk in the middle of the street. Seriously? You think that's safe? That's the best place for you to be? You're teaching your children to do the same?!

[Anonymous]

OP: I would have sent an email to the entire neighborhood (list-serve? or just all of the email addresses) as a reminder that there are no sidewalks, plenty of kids in the neighborhood, the speed limit is 25 mph, etc etc etc, and throw in at the end that on a few occasions (last one being today), speeding cars have had near-misses.

I do that every spring in my neighborhood. Probably annoys people, but f it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if it's dark keep in mind that cars often cannot see pediatricians until the last second.

I have a hard time seeing pediatricians in the dark as well.

Whoops . Pedestrians!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have had this feeling. It is very scary when cars drive fast past you and I don't think all drivers realize it. I even started parking my car on the side of the road, not my driveway, to 'narrow' the street and slow cars down. I also walk in the middle of the street sometimes (we have no sidewalks either), so when a car turns the corner, they can see me clear and easy. Often it is harder for drivers to see kids, so I am the one who makes myself visible. Most drivers slow down when they see me. My kids know the drill when I yell to move over. We have had several kids hit by cars over the years in our area. One was fatal.

Consider getting a speedbump or some other traffic calming solution.

As mentioned before if it's dark it is hard for drivers to see people walking, regardless of where they are in the road. Walking in the middle of the road is foolish. I know people who got hit by a car when they did that.

[Anonymous]

I also call the cops about once a year and have them set up speed traps in our neighborhood. Wow do the neighbors get mad. One guy sent an email to the list-serve complaining about it - but he did get a ticket for going 40mph in a 25mph area. Jackass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also call the cops about once a year and have them set up speed traps in our neighborhood. Wow do the neighbors get mad. One guy sent an email to the list-serve complaining about it - but he did get a ticket for going 40mph in a 25mph area. Jackass.

glad you aren't my "neighbor"

[Anonymous]

Good God. Why are people jumping all over the OP? The guy was speeding. So what if he was 5 feet from the child? Suppose the dog yanked on the leash and lurched toward the street -- the driver could have swerved and run into the child. Even if there were sidewalks, pedestrians aren't safe when people drive too fast down a residential street. I know of someone who was driving a motorcycle too fast down a residential street, lost control and ran over two children who were walking on a sidewalk, killing the children. People who drive too fast are a danger to everybody.

OP, it's good you wrote the email -- now it's documented.