I dunno what the deal is but it can be broad daylight out and a driver will be stopped like in a parking lot and their head seems to be moving back and forth in a forward direction so you assume they see you and you start walking and then they start pulling out and appear to see you at the last minute and then they slam on the brakes and freak out like you jumped in front of them or something.
Do these people scan the road and see it is clear and then ignore everything from that moment forward to hitting the accelerator? Even though they are looking straight at you?!
I usually even give a wave of recognition when crossing in front of a stopped car, they don’t even see that? What the fuck is someone like that doing on the damn road, how the hell will they survive real challenging driving?
Selective attention. It is amazing what people can miss when they are not looking for it. This is likely caused because they are looking for other cars. So even though their eyes gaze directly at you, they will not “see” you. Their mind is canceling out anything that isn’t a car. This is the same thing that frustrates motorcycle riders all the time. Drivers will pull out in front of a motorcycle even though they looked down the road to check for traffic. The brain just failed to recognize it.
Here is a video example of how the brain processes information.
They’re scanning for other cars because a collision with another car can cause massive damage and insurance rate hikes. Running over a ped usually just gets a $50 fine, if anything, unless of course the driver is DUI, which is the only concern of the police. My own belief is running over a ped in a crosswalk or sidewalk should result in jail time for negligent homicide at the least, DUI or not.
I know what you linked to without having to click on it. I don’t need to monkey with that link.
GreenElf, running over a pedestrian is just a $50 fine? Where? Here, there’s a fine for failing to stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk. Some local cops have been having a great time busting people for it.
From the time I spent as a bicycle commuter (in Los Angeles no less) I learned and still think; half the drivers on the road don’t see you and the other half are actively trying to hit you.
A few months ago I was walking to my car from a concert in downtown Orlando and there was a stopped car just right in middle of the lane about 100 feet from the light. He was right where I was going to cross, so I had to either walk around him hoping he would get out of my way, or cross in front of him. I was only a foot or so from where he would have to stop at the red light anyway, so it wouldn’t be a major inconvenience or accident risk since he’d be planning on stopping anyway. I looked back at the light and it was still red, so I started to cross, at which point the car slammed on the gas and started beeping like crazy at me. Then I pulled back to the curb thinking I had misread the light. No, as soon as I got past the car I looked back at the light – it was STILL red. Major wtf My only thought was that he knew me and was pranking me but I didn’t recognize his face.
Not saying this is a legitimate excuse ('cause it’s not), but his thought may have been “Hey, that guy just stood there, and when I got tired of waiting and pulled out he suddenly walked out in front of me!”
I’m in the United States. I think the $50 fine is to help fund removal and disposal of the bodily remains, and they don’t like to have anything, or anyone, jamming up the efficient movement of traffic.
Sounds like Sacramento to me, and here they do it to other cars too. I’ve taken to referring to “crackerjack drivers”, so named for where I think they got their licenses.
Yes, they are. I almost got run over by a driver/car on my scooter this morning. He cut me off so much that I had to go off the road and into the bicycle lane to avoid being hit. I tell ya, I really hope it won’t be…but there are times when I think that riding will be my demise.
I have to dodge an idiot driver at least a few times a week. Everyone makes an excuse but I judge peoples intelligence not on how they talk, spell, hold a conversation, relate to others, or being able to answer questions about anything. I judge them on how aware they are of their surroundings.
I have a hard time getting along with people that seem oblivious to what is going on around them.
