If I remember correctly it's now illegal to cross the street in NYC while listening to your iPod (or anything with headphones). I guess this is the reason...
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Almost hit someone today with my car
- Thread starter glocke12
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I've had a close call today.
Today was my first official ride on my new road bike.
It was going well until I got side swiped/hit. The woman didn't see me in the bicycle lane so she decided to pull into a parking spot without a turning signal. It all happened too fast for me to brake. I thought the woman saw me for I remained maybe a foot or two behind her for about a quarter of a block. Apparently she didn't... She almost threw me on my bike but I was able to keep some balance and remain on the bike. The woman freaked out asking if I was ok. I told her that I'll be fine. Now my forearm is just really sore. I haven't checked if I'm going to bruise or not.
Heh, now that I think about it, I've never been hit on my fixed gear.
Today was my first official ride on my new road bike.
It was going well until I got side swiped/hit. The woman didn't see me in the bicycle lane so she decided to pull into a parking spot without a turning signal. It all happened too fast for me to brake. I thought the woman saw me for I remained maybe a foot or two behind her for about a quarter of a block. Apparently she didn't... She almost threw me on my bike but I was able to keep some balance and remain on the bike. The woman freaked out asking if I was ok. I told her that I'll be fine. Now my forearm is just really sore. I haven't checked if I'm going to bruise or not.
Heh, now that I think about it, I've never been hit on my fixed gear.
blind spots usually aren't behind the car.
edit: and to see someone in the bike lane you just have to look/glance even, into your right side view mirror.
I wasn't aware that headphones impair one's ability to see.
I've almost nudged someone at a 4-way stop and I've had close calls as both a pedestrian and a cyclist as well. Of course my worst accident on my bike came at the hands of another cyclist on a bike path so the lesson is that no one is safe anywhere.
Lethal
Not always.
I cross a road to school with my iPod on every day and haven't been hit once... and it's one of the main roads coming into the city I live in (which is a reasonably big city)
The reason for this is because I actually follow the green cross code (except listen) and wait until I KNOW there are no cars coming either way before crossing. Makes me a little later to school, and has caused me to miss the bus several times but it's better to be safe than sorry.
Listening to an iPod is no excuse for ignorance.
Yeah. I'm like that now.
I saw a 12 year old get knocked down by a car last September (I was stood a little further up the road to the accident. I was actually waiting for the car that was later going to hit the 12 year old to pass before I crossed) and I've been careful crossing the road ever since. I rarely cut across the road now. I normally go to the crossings and wait for the green man, even if it does take longer.
Really shook me up. Thankfully my brand new iMac sitting at home calmed me down
To the O/P: From the sounds of things it wasn't your fault at all, but that's no reason not to learn from it . People in the UK seem to enjoy cutting onto crossings from the pavement from just out of my vision. I always check the pavement (sidewalk) either side for any "stragglers" before setting off.
Closest call I've ever had was about three weeks after getting my first car. Was coming home from work, driving down my street when a little girl ran out from behind a van. She was only about 4 or 5 years old and when she spotted me she stopped dead in the road staring. It couldn't have been more of a stereotype if she'd have been sucking her thumb and holding a balloon.
I put the brake pedal through the floor thinking "OhS***OhS***OhS***OhS***I'mGunnaHitHer!!!". Stopped about two or three feet from her when another kid came out and led the kid away. I didn't even have the presence of mind to floor the clutch to stop the engine stalling. I just got home and started trembling for about 4 hours!!!
Just one of those close calls you can learn from. To this day I always do 20mph at most in residential streets and watch out for little tykes jumping from behind hiding spots.
. People in the UK seem to enjoy cutting onto crossings from the pavement from just out of my vision. I always check the pavement (sidewalk) either side for any "stragglers" before setting off.Closest call I've ever had was about three weeks after getting my first car. Was coming home from work, driving down my street when a little girl ran out from behind a van. She was only about 4 or 5 years old and when she spotted me she stopped dead in the road staring. It couldn't have been more of a stereotype if she'd have been sucking her thumb and holding a balloon.
I put the brake pedal through the floor thinking "OhS***OhS***OhS***OhS***I'mGunnaHitHer!!!". Stopped about two or three feet from her when another kid came out and led the kid away. I didn't even have the presence of mind to floor the clutch to stop the engine stalling. I just got home and started trembling for about 4 hours!!!
Just one of those close calls you can learn from. To this day I always do 20mph at most in residential streets and watch out for little tykes jumping from behind hiding spots.
I was once the driver in that exact situation. If that was me that bumped your Dad, I apologize.
Ever since then, though, I've always made sure (as a pedestrian) to make eye contact with drivers stopped at red lights before I cross the street in front of them. I don't assume that they've seen me, even if I do have the right of way.
Drive in Beijing and you will soil yourself. I was on a huge tourbus and in the middle of downtown the guy did a few U-turns.. not too smart. People don't seem to provide much warning for lane changes, if any. Bikers never wear helmets and nobody really cares about the lights. (Downtown at least)
In Beijing I did see someone after they got hit by a taxi. It looked pretty bad too. The guy was lying in a heap in front of the taxi and the windshield was completely shattered. (Safety glass or whatnot so it was still one piece) Weirder was that a hundred meters or so down the street we saw a police car just cruising around.
In Beijing I did see someone after they got hit by a taxi. It looked pretty bad too. The guy was lying in a heap in front of the taxi and the windshield was completely shattered. (Safety glass or whatnot so it was still one piece) Weirder was that a hundred meters or so down the street we saw a police car just cruising around.
People in 2 000 pound vehicles are responsible for NOT hitting people, not vice versa. Especially in an intersection crosswalk when the person is obeying traffic laws. The girl is responsible for her own safety, but the driver is responsible for obeying traffic laws and driving safely.
I'm deaf, which I suppose is the same as having earphones on. Am I an accident waiting to happen?
So if I put headphones on, and crossed the road, even though I'm deaf, would I be arrested?
Back on topic, I once ran over a rabbit with my motorbike. Was coming down a cornish country lane at about 3 am, saw the rabbit running across the road, swerved to go behind it, but it stopped, turned round, and ran back and straight under my front wheel.
I was pretty shaken up by it. My stepmum said the rabbit wanted to die, my brother said I should have brought it home and cooked it up.
Regardless to her hearing ability, if she is in the crosswalk, in the US, she has the right of way. For you to just miss her by inches, means you might not have seen her when you first looked. Legally, her in the cross walk, if she had been hit, you would have been found at fault.
For those that say, no harm done forget it, think twice. What if it was you in the crosswalk, and she nearly hit you.
Yes she should not have been wearing headphones, and in some cities, people can get cited for that, pedestrians need watching out for, as cars vastly out weigh them.
Have you ever driven in the Bronx? I was behind a van we both had to slam on brakes because this little kid just scooted across the street without caring about traffic. I've come to the conclusion that if cars drove themselves, you would still have to drive in the city because pedestrians (and cab drivers) don't pay any attention to anything.
In New York City I learned as a pedestrian to look both ways before crossing even one-way streets, and not to consider a green light facing me as any more valuable than, say, a sign that says WatchYour*ss.
The light changed to green for me one day at Fifth Avenue and 40th or 41st street, whichever one of those is one way east. As I stepped off the curb, a grey van coming from my left, in the wrong direction, approached the red light at Fifth Avenue at a high rate of speed, clearly not meaning to stop. I managed to stop short myself somehow. My peripheral vision saved me.
The van careened into traffic, hung a left (uptown, also the wrong way) and disappeared from my view as the driver was apparently attempting to get over to the west side of the avenue and then onto a westbound side street. No pedestrians around me seemed particularly perturbed. A few cab drivers on the avenue did honk their horns as they narrowly missed head-ons with the van.
I was appalled. Heavy traffic is one thing but scenes like that are another!
Anyway, that was the day I realized I was completely on my own as a pedestrian. I would never wear an iPod or any portable audio device while walking anywhere. The way I look at it is that someone might regret having killed me if they hit me, but I'd be dead in any case. For what, hearing music instead of ambient noise while out on lunchtime errands? No thanks!
The light changed to green for me one day at Fifth Avenue and 40th or 41st street, whichever one of those is one way east. As I stepped off the curb, a grey van coming from my left, in the wrong direction, approached the red light at Fifth Avenue at a high rate of speed, clearly not meaning to stop. I managed to stop short myself somehow. My peripheral vision saved me.
The van careened into traffic, hung a left (uptown, also the wrong way) and disappeared from my view as the driver was apparently attempting to get over to the west side of the avenue and then onto a westbound side street. No pedestrians around me seemed particularly perturbed. A few cab drivers on the avenue did honk their horns as they narrowly missed head-ons with the van.
I was appalled. Heavy traffic is one thing but scenes like that are another!
Anyway, that was the day I realized I was completely on my own as a pedestrian. I would never wear an iPod or any portable audio device while walking anywhere. The way I look at it is that someone might regret having killed me if they hit me, but I'd be dead in any case. For what, hearing music instead of ambient noise while out on lunchtime errands? No thanks!
I've never told anyone this, but I've had one of those really close calls and almost hit someone, but at least the guy was paying attention and saw me so he didn't get hit.
I was driving down Harbor Blvd just entering Fullerton and the speed limit was 45 so I was going 50-ish, and there was a red light on a signal that looked like it was in the middle of nowhere, and there was no one going my direction at the light so I didn't see it at first. Then I saw it and of course I was like "oh s**t" and I only had ~100ft to stop from 50mph, but I somehow managed to screech to a stop only sticking a bit into the intersection. Fortunately, the guy saw me and stopped in the middle of the crosswalk and went around back of me when I stopped.
The whole thing scared the hell out of me. I could still drive, and it's not like it made me not want to drive, but I was incredibly cautious for the next few days.
I was driving down Harbor Blvd just entering Fullerton and the speed limit was 45 so I was going 50-ish, and there was a red light on a signal that looked like it was in the middle of nowhere, and there was no one going my direction at the light so I didn't see it at first. Then I saw it and of course I was like "oh s**t" and I only had ~100ft to stop from 50mph, but I somehow managed to screech to a stop only sticking a bit into the intersection. Fortunately, the guy saw me and stopped in the middle of the crosswalk and went around back of me when I stopped.
The whole thing scared the hell out of me. I could still drive, and it's not like it made me not want to drive, but I was incredibly cautious for the next few days.
Kudos to the OP for taking the incident seriously. I am glad you didn't hit the person and I expect you will drive much more cautiously in the future. As for those who think it was the pedestrian's fault for wearing headphones, you folks probably should not be allowed behind the wheel.
I was almost hit in an intersection here by a woman making a right hand turn. I had a walk sign, I had the right of way, I was in conformity with the law, I was 2 feet in front of her car, and she decided to make a right turn on red. She was gabbing on the phone and not looking at traffic, certainly not right in front of her car. The middle of your windscreen is not a "blindspot." She didn't even glance at me before she pulled out. I had to throw myself across her hood to prevent her from crushing my legs - upon which she started to cuss at me.
I had my headphones on, however they were not too loud for me to be able to hear traffic noises. If I had not had my headphones on, I would have been crossing the intersection exactly as I was. It certainly is no more distracting that having the radio blasting or gabbing on the phone and I am not driving a 2 ton vehicle that can harm anyone else. As a pedestrian, the issue is not whether I have headphones on - the issue is that I can neither evade nor stop a vehicle from hitting me when the driver is inattentive.
If you are driving and you hit a pedestrian, right of way or not, you messed up. Defensive driving means that you drive in such a way that you are prepared should the other person do something unexpected. When you operate a 2 ton vehicle, you have the responsibility of recognizing that your errors may be fatal to others and you need to take responsibility, as the OP did here.
I was almost hit in an intersection here by a woman making a right hand turn. I had a walk sign, I had the right of way, I was in conformity with the law, I was 2 feet in front of her car, and she decided to make a right turn on red. She was gabbing on the phone and not looking at traffic, certainly not right in front of her car. The middle of your windscreen is not a "blindspot." She didn't even glance at me before she pulled out. I had to throw myself across her hood to prevent her from crushing my legs - upon which she started to cuss at me.
I had my headphones on, however they were not too loud for me to be able to hear traffic noises. If I had not had my headphones on, I would have been crossing the intersection exactly as I was. It certainly is no more distracting that having the radio blasting or gabbing on the phone and I am not driving a 2 ton vehicle that can harm anyone else. As a pedestrian, the issue is not whether I have headphones on - the issue is that I can neither evade nor stop a vehicle from hitting me when the driver is inattentive.
If you are driving and you hit a pedestrian, right of way or not, you messed up. Defensive driving means that you drive in such a way that you are prepared should the other person do something unexpected. When you operate a 2 ton vehicle, you have the responsibility of recognizing that your errors may be fatal to others and you need to take responsibility, as the OP did here.
almost got hit today while riding my bike. its not as if i wasn't visible, its that the person wanted to get around the car in front of them and i was in the way, i mean i guess its not right that i want to share the road? sorry just annoyed by it right now. oh and busses are the worst when it comes to bikes. don't know why they think they're as agile as a car.
I was once driving 50-60 in a 55 MPH zone with a stop sign about 15-20 seconds ahead. At some point I noticed a pretty wicked spider was crawling up my leg. I absolutely HATE spiders, and I quickly brushed it off and kept looking for it. I looked up at the road briefly, then back down to the spider search. I was pretty freaked out that this thing could still be on me, and I was frantically looking for it without putting my head down much, so it was hard to see.
When I looked up, I was ENTIRELY in the opposite lane and off on the side of the road a little bit. I looked behind me and realized that there was a jogger on the side of the road, covered in dust that I had kicked up when I went off the road. She looked terrified. I looked up to realize that my mistake wasn't over, and that I was driving almost 40 MPH and 3 seconds from a 4-way stop. I slowed down as much as possible but still blew through that intersection. No one was there, fortunately.
I was surely within inches of killing or seriously disabling that jogger. I had virtually never seen joggers in that area, not before that nor since it (though I no longer live anywhere near there, and haven't for many, many years). It was right at that moment that a jogger had to be there.
I had to keep going to work, but I took my time, breathed very deeply and slowly, and tried to relax. I nearly killed someone. I nearly changed two lives forever, mine and that lady's.
I'm really glad it didn't turn out to be a disaster. I was 17 and pretty stupid, and I NEVER took my eyes off the road for longer than a second or two to the best of my ability after that. I learned to use my peripheral vision to do anything I needed to do.
When I looked up, I was ENTIRELY in the opposite lane and off on the side of the road a little bit. I looked behind me and realized that there was a jogger on the side of the road, covered in dust that I had kicked up when I went off the road. She looked terrified. I looked up to realize that my mistake wasn't over, and that I was driving almost 40 MPH and 3 seconds from a 4-way stop. I slowed down as much as possible but still blew through that intersection. No one was there, fortunately.
I was surely within inches of killing or seriously disabling that jogger. I had virtually never seen joggers in that area, not before that nor since it (though I no longer live anywhere near there, and haven't for many, many years). It was right at that moment that a jogger had to be there.
I had to keep going to work, but I took my time, breathed very deeply and slowly, and tried to relax. I nearly killed someone. I nearly changed two lives forever, mine and that lady's.
I'm really glad it didn't turn out to be a disaster. I was 17 and pretty stupid, and I NEVER took my eyes off the road for longer than a second or two to the best of my ability after that. I learned to use my peripheral vision to do anything I needed to do.
Remember, every time you get into a car, you put your life and the life of others in danger. It's just the way it is.
Fortunately, I don't have a car
Unfortunately, getting hit on a bike is worse than being hit in a car
Fortunately, I don't have a car
Unfortunately, getting hit on a bike is worse than being hit in a car
I did the exact same thing
I know this is an old thread, but I too, need to get if my chest.
It was raining and I was at an intersection making a left. There was oncoming traffic and the street perpendicular was a one way (the one I was turning onto). An oncoming car decided to park so I had an opening to make a left. As I made the left, a young lady began to cross the street. She got about 4 feet out when I almost hit her. She froze as she noticed me approaching and stayed there until I came to a complete stop, then retreated to the curb. She had horror written on her face. I estimate I was doing ~8mph because I travelled less than 20ft. I came about 4ft to hitting her! Good thing I have good tires. I was embarrassed and didn't stop. I just drove off.
This is my first being "that person," but I have been in the pedestrians position many times. However, as a New Yorker, I have learned to look every way. Whenever I cross a street, I always look behind. Everyone has to look out for idiots...like me.
The girl in my case and the thread starter's isn't at fault. On a legal stand point we were at fault. It is our responsibility at handling the car.
We should all pay more attention.
I know this is an old thread, but I too, need to get if my chest.
It was raining and I was at an intersection making a left. There was oncoming traffic and the street perpendicular was a one way (the one I was turning onto). An oncoming car decided to park so I had an opening to make a left. As I made the left, a young lady began to cross the street. She got about 4 feet out when I almost hit her. She froze as she noticed me approaching and stayed there until I came to a complete stop, then retreated to the curb. She had horror written on her face. I estimate I was doing ~8mph because I travelled less than 20ft. I came about 4ft to hitting her! Good thing I have good tires. I was embarrassed and didn't stop. I just drove off.
This is my first being "that person," but I have been in the pedestrians position many times. However, as a New Yorker, I have learned to look every way. Whenever I cross a street, I always look behind. Everyone has to look out for idiots...like me.
The girl in my case and the thread starter's isn't at fault. On a legal stand point we were at fault. It is our responsibility at handling the car.
We should all pay more attention.
