"I didn't run you over, so you need to calm down!"

[Anonymous]

Drivers are terrible and can never just admit fault and say sorry.

I was running in the street against traffic (with the traffic coming towards me ) over the weekend. There are no sidewalks on this stretch. The road narrows at a spot due to cars being parked on both sides of the road and woman drove by going in the same direction as me, so she was on the opposite side of the road. I don't think she slowed down and came so close to me that I thought her mirror could have hit me. Totally freaked me out. She had to stop at the traffic light at the top of the street and I yelled at her when I went by, she just shrugged which pissed me off, then she swore at me. I think she had no idea she did anything wrong because she probably never even saw me and if she did she was incapable of just saying sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Drivers are terrible and can never just admit fault and say sorry.

I was running in the street against traffic (with the traffic coming towards me ) over the weekend. There are no sidewalks on this stretch. The road narrows at a spot due to cars being parked on both sides of the road and woman drove by going in the same direction as me, so she was on the opposite side of the road. I don't think she slowed down and came so close to me that I thought her mirror could have hit me. Totally freaked me out. She had to stop at the traffic light at the top of the street and I yelled at her when I went by, she just shrugged which pissed me off, then she swore at me. I think she had no idea she did anything wrong because she probably never even saw me and if she did she was incapable of just saying sorry.

Maybe the driver was an ass but you picked a poor place to run too. Roads were intended for cars unless otherwise noted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Drivers are terrible and can never just admit fault and say sorry.

I was running in the street against traffic (with the traffic coming towards me ) over the weekend. There are no sidewalks on this stretch. The road narrows at a spot due to cars being parked on both sides of the road and woman drove by going in the same direction as me, so she was on the opposite side of the road. I don't think she slowed down and came so close to me that I thought her mirror could have hit me. Totally freaked me out. She had to stop at the traffic light at the top of the street and I yelled at her when I went by, she just shrugged which pissed me off, then she swore at me. I think she had no idea she did anything wrong because she probably never even saw me and if she did she was incapable of just saying sorry.

what do you think she did that was wrong? You don't think she slowed down and came so close she could have hit you is your perception of events from running in the road. What law did she break? Is there a law that drivers must not project fear into people running in the road along side of them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I saw a young woman (at the time I was, too!) get hit in a crosswalk in Courthouse/Arlington. Driver came down the hill by the Metro and right through the crosswalk. The pedestrian was knocked down but not seriously injured (thank goodness, still not sure how she escaped injury). The driver stayed at the scene but seemed confused by the entire event. It definitely made me more cautious about stepping in front of a car until they are stopped.

I do not step into a crosswalk unless I am sure vehicles are stopped or appear to have applied enough brakes to fully stop by the appropriate time. It does not matter who has the right of way. Car beats no car in life or death. People are killed around here doing what they are supposed to do all the time, even just standing on the sidewalk. I even look both ways before crossing a one-way street. People around here go down the wrong way all the time.

I do not trust a total stranger driving a car to yield to me. I have seen many pedestrians walk in to the street without looking up. Like they have a magic barrier around themselves. It is really stupid in DC. If a driver is coming from MD or VA, the road patterns change- traffic lights are on the corners vs middle of the street, turning lanes are different, traffic circles, a lot more pedestrians, biker, scooters, etc. Add to this people using their phones, aggressive drivers, road rage and Uber drivers...you are crazy to think you are safe crossing in the crosswalk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

DP. I agree with the second poster that it was "nice" or good that you were in the crosswalk but that crosswalk isn't a magic barrier. You can't depend on all drivers seeing you and pedestrians MUST take responsibility for themselves. Certainly if you were hit and killed the driver would probably be cited...but you would still be dead. So you can be right or you can be dead right. It is a choice. I'm not excusing the driver but I am saying that when I am a pedestrian, I am looking both ways and I am looking all ways. It is something to think about.

Sometimes people are looking both ways and they are looking all ways AND THEY STILL GET HIT. By drivers. Specifically, by drivers who are not doing what they are legally required to do.

So actually you are excusing the driver. Stop doing that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Drivers are terrible and can never just admit fault and say sorry.

I was running in the street against traffic (with the traffic coming towards me ) over the weekend. There are no sidewalks on this stretch. The road narrows at a spot due to cars being parked on both sides of the road and woman drove by going in the same direction as me, so she was on the opposite side of the road. I don't think she slowed down and came so close to me that I thought her mirror could have hit me. Totally freaked me out. She had to stop at the traffic light at the top of the street and I yelled at her when I went by, she just shrugged which pissed me off, then she swore at me. I think she had no idea she did anything wrong because she probably never even saw me and if she did she was incapable of just saying sorry.

Maybe the driver was an ass but you picked a poor place to run too. Roads were intended for cars unless otherwise noted.

Many people like to believe this, but it's factually incorrect.

[Anonymous]

I don’t hesitate to firmly smack such vehicles as the crawl past (if not too fast). If they stop I let them know I’m happy to call the cops...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

DP. I agree with the second poster that it was "nice" or good that you were in the crosswalk but that crosswalk isn't a magic barrier. You can't depend on all drivers seeing you and pedestrians MUST take responsibility for themselves. Certainly if you were hit and killed the driver would probably be cited...but you would still be dead. So you can be right or you can be dead right. It is a choice. I'm not excusing the driver but I am saying that when I am a pedestrian, I am looking both ways and I am looking all ways. It is something to think about.

Pedestrian safety advice before someone gets hit: Always use the crosswalk!

Pedestrian safety advice after someone gets hit: The crosswalk isn't a magic barrier!

If crossing at the crosswalk doesn't actually keep us safe, what is the point of crossing at the crosswalk?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

These incidents make me FURIOUS!
Thank goodness you’re safe, OP.

+1

A 14 yo GDS student was hit and killed by a car this past weekend while out jogging. You in your car don't have anywhere to be that can't wait a few extra seconds to avoid hurting or killing someone.

Really? That's terrible. I missed that news story.

Around Bowie. It was a four-lane road - two lanes one way, a pedestrian safety island, two lanes the other way. One driver stopped, the other didn't and killed him. Transportation agencies know that crossings like that are dangerous for pedestrians, but that doesn't stop them from building them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was in the crosswalk yesterday at Irving and Hiatt (halfway between 14th and 16th Streets) when a driver making a left turn onto Irving nearly ran me down. I kept thinking the car would stop... and it did, about 6 inches from me. I thought, "This is it" and my reaction was to let out a yell and and throw my arms up. The driver rolled down her window. I said, "You didn't see me?" She replied by berating me with, "I didn't run you over, so you need to calm down!" Then she drove off down Irving. If I did that, I would be apologizing profusely and asking if the pedestrian was okay. Yeesh. What in the hell? She's going to kill someone one day. I'm still a bit rattled.

It's just not safe for pedestrians out there. What can be done?

Never trust that a car will stop or they see you. If you think a car will stop wait till it does before you move in front of it. It’s nice you are in the crosswalk but if that car hits you ...

It's "nice" that I was in the crosswalk?!? I was following the rules... already in the crosswalk before she came barreling up out of nowhere.

exactly. More people would be alive if they thought like this. Have you seen pedestrians cross? It’s like they are in own world, checking cell phones, head phones on, looking straight ahead. Just because light says ‘walk’ doesn’t mean to necessarily go

DP. I agree with the second poster that it was "nice" or good that you were in the crosswalk but that crosswalk isn't a magic barrier. You can't depend on all drivers seeing you and pedestrians MUST take responsibility for themselves. Certainly if you were hit and killed the driver would probably be cited...but you would still be dead. So you can be right or you can be dead right. It is a choice. I'm not excusing the driver but I am saying that when I am a pedestrian, I am looking both ways and I am looking all ways. It is something to think about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Drivers are terrible and can never just admit fault and say sorry.

I was running in the street against traffic (with the traffic coming towards me ) over the weekend. There are no sidewalks on this stretch. The road narrows at a spot due to cars being parked on both sides of the road and woman drove by going in the same direction as me, so she was on the opposite side of the road. I don't think she slowed down and came so close to me that I thought her mirror could have hit me. Totally freaked me out. She had to stop at the traffic light at the top of the street and I yelled at her when I went by, she just shrugged which pissed me off, then she swore at me. I think she had no idea she did anything wrong because she probably never even saw me and if she did she was incapable of just saying sorry.

Maybe the driver was an ass but you picked a poor place to run too. Roads were intended for cars unless otherwise noted.

Don't be an imbecile, OP was in a crosswalk FFS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

DP. I agree with the second poster that it was "nice" or good that you were in the crosswalk but that crosswalk isn't a magic barrier. You can't depend on all drivers seeing you and pedestrians MUST take responsibility for themselves. Certainly if you were hit and killed the driver would probably be cited...but you would still be dead. So you can be right or you can be dead right. It is a choice. I'm not excusing the driver but I am saying that when I am a pedestrian, I am looking both ways and I am looking all ways. It is something to think about.

Pedestrian safety advice before someone gets hit: Always use the crosswalk!

Pedestrian safety advice after someone gets hit: The crosswalk isn't a magic barrier!

If crossing at the crosswalk doesn't actually keep us safe, what is the point of crossing at the crosswalk?

Because it is safer than not.

Driving safety advice: wear a seat belt
Driver safety advice after somebody gets hurt in an accident: but it is not magic, drive carefully
If seat belts don't actually keep us safe, what is the point of seat belts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I saw a young woman (at the time I was, too!) get hit in a crosswalk in Courthouse/Arlington. Driver came down the hill by the Metro and right through the crosswalk. The pedestrian was knocked down but not seriously injured (thank goodness, still not sure how she escaped injury). The driver stayed at the scene but seemed confused by the entire event. It definitely made me more cautious about stepping in front of a car until they are stopped.

I do not step into a crosswalk unless I am sure vehicles are stopped or appear to have applied enough brakes to fully stop by the appropriate time. It does not matter who has the right of way. Car beats no car in life or death. People are killed around here doing what they are supposed to do all the time, even just standing on the sidewalk. I even look both ways before crossing a one-way street. People around here go down the wrong way all the time.

I agree 100 percent. If everyone thought like this, we’d have much different results as far as pedestrians getting mowed down

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

DP. I agree with the second poster that it was "nice" or good that you were in the crosswalk but that crosswalk isn't a magic barrier. You can't depend on all drivers seeing you and pedestrians MUST take responsibility for themselves. Certainly if you were hit and killed the driver would probably be cited...but you would still be dead. So you can be right or you can be dead right. It is a choice. I'm not excusing the driver but I am saying that when I am a pedestrian, I am looking both ways and I am looking all ways. It is something to think about.

Pedestrian safety advice before someone gets hit: Always use the crosswalk!

Pedestrian safety advice after someone gets hit: The crosswalk isn't a magic barrier!

If crossing at the crosswalk doesn't actually keep us safe, what is the point of crossing at the crosswalk?

Because it is safer than not.

Driving safety advice: wear a seat belt
Driver safety advice after somebody gets hurt in an accident: but it is not magic, drive carefully
If seat belts don't actually keep us safe, what is the point of seat belts.

You're basing this statement on what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I saw a young woman (at the time I was, too!) get hit in a crosswalk in Courthouse/Arlington. Driver came down the hill by the Metro and right through the crosswalk. The pedestrian was knocked down but not seriously injured (thank goodness, still not sure how she escaped injury). The driver stayed at the scene but seemed confused by the entire event. It definitely made me more cautious about stepping in front of a car until they are stopped.

I do not step into a crosswalk unless I am sure vehicles are stopped or appear to have applied enough brakes to fully stop by the appropriate time. It does not matter who has the right of way. Car beats no car in life or death. People are killed around here doing what they are supposed to do all the time, even just standing on the sidewalk. I even look both ways before crossing a one-way street. People around here go down the wrong way all the time.

I agree 100 percent. If everyone thought like this, we’d have much different results as far as pedestrians getting mowed down

If everyone thought like this, nobody would walk anywhere.

Pedestrians aren't mowing themselves down. People driving cars are mowing down pedestrians. So let's focus on the people who are doing the mowing down, not the people who are getting mowed down.