There was a time when pedestrians had the right of way. Those days are gone.
I walk my beagles in the park everyday. I cross a 4 lanes south, an island and then 4 lanes north road. It is heavily traveled. There is a light because I walk down a road to the highway. Crossing the road is a bitch. Traffic is lined up on Ann Arbor Trail to turn north on telegraph. That is where the intersection is.
When the light changes people start blasting around the corner. They drive right through me and my dogs, who are on leashes. We have to find an opening and then hurry. Many of them are on cell phones and do not know we exist. I often have to wait until the light changes, then see if nobody runs it, and then we have to run across the street. Then on the other side, we have to repeat the process again.
So often I get the sheepish grins when people are embarrassed because they almost hit us.
Damn it, get off the fucking phone and pay attention to your driving. In case you are completely ignorant let me explain. Pedestrians have the right of way.
It sounds like you have your hands full of leashes. I was thinking you could carry a cane, and whack cars with it as needed. I’ll bet people won’t get mad at someone trying to walk dogs with a cane, getting their attention with a whack on the hood…
It might not end well, but the picture in my head is both functional, and funny.
Agree completely. Most people I see driving are challenged enough just trying to drive, let alone work their smart phone, talk and drive. These folks probably can’t walk and chew gum at the same time let alone do all these complex tasks. I don’t answer my cell phone in the car anymore, even though I have ai integrated hands free dock in the car. If it’s really urgent they will call me from the help desk line (special ring tone) with three rings then call back in 5 minutes so I have time to pull over or call them back.
Best watch your ass out there with some of these maniacs. They will run you and your beagles down and won’t even notice until they have hit you or your dogs. 
-XT
Michigan has not passed a law stopping cell phone chatting and driving. I have changed my driving after a few people drove right through a light while on the phone. I leave the light a little slower in anticipation of a distracted person driving through. Wouldn’t it be better to pass a law against driving and cell phoning?
This is one of my biggest pet peeves. When I see a cop doing it, I just about blow my lid.
My peeve about all this is that the laws usually only address handheld phones, and completely disregard all the overwhelming evidence that it’s the DISTRACTION of talking while driving that’s the problem (and oh boy, is it a problem), not holding a phone. If I ruled the world, every vehicle would have a signal blocker that would not allow calls to be taken or made while the car was in motion.
http://www.auto-insurance-online-quote.com/AutoInsurance/CellPhonesLaws.html
I am surprised to find only 3 states ban hand held cell phone use while driving. Some cities like Detroit and Chicago have their own.
If it makes you feel better, cops are trained to multitask while driving.
From what I’ve read, such training really isn’t effective.
So it doesn’t make me feel better.
There is nothing special about the policemens ability to multi-task. Every teen thinks they can do it better. Working women declare themselves great at it .
It is all the same. Don’t talk on phones while driving a car. Pull over if you think your call is more important than paying attention to driving a car.
That list is not complete. The last two states I’ve lived in, Washington and Oregon, both ban cell phone use while driving.
Try this list:
http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx
Drivers in Ontario have this trick where they think they can park in the right-most lane as long as they put their blinkers on. For example, if they are dropping someone off at a store, buying a newspaper, or whatever, they will hit the blinkers and sit there with no guilt as to the traffic snarl they have caused. One time, I saw a woman stop to take a call when she was 5 m from a parking lot that she could have pulled into; I guess it’s a start.
Ontario drivers are usually pretty good, but they can be stupidly aggressive. In the last couple of weeks I have seen a guy squirt out of his driveway, in reverse, onto a busy street to end up in the suicide lane pointing the direction he wanted to go. I’ve seen people get out of busy traffic in one direction by doing a three point U-turn, in the middle of a block, and to fuck with the opposing traffic.
I have twice walked up to a pedestrian crossing and have been about to cross, when I have noticed that the fuckwit driving down the road is talking on the phone. On both occasions I stood there and watched the asshole drive straight through.
Of course both times they were driving SUVs.
My father-in-law is a city bus driver, and they are required to not talk on their personal cell phones while driving, but they are also required to take calls from dispatch. I don’t know what the solution to that is - policemen, ambulance drivers, bus drivers, they all have dispatchers that they need to talk to, but they’re not immune to distracted driving problems.
Almost everybody knows talking on a cell phone while driving is dangerous. Why can’t we have a national law and be done with it?
Recently, I was driving in downtown Denver with Mrs. D, and had a Green Left-Turn Arrow (which means traffic in every other direction at the intersection had a Red Light.) With my left directional on, I was half-way into my turn when I noticed the sphincter in a beemer coming the opposite way had no intention of stopping. I had to stand on the brake to avoid having him T-Bone my car right in the passenger door, probably killing my wife. As he blew through the red light, I noticed he was deep in conversation on his cell phone.
The kicker was, I guess he was annoyed that I hampered his day by being there, and he flipped me off as he passed!
I had it happen a couple times with young women on the phone. They blew right through the light. They bring a new respect for defensive driving.
Yes.
YES!!
When I get to a light and don’t have time to cross, i wait and observe. Over half the people at a light are on the phone. I suppose some of them are work calls. But that wont make me or my beagles less dead. If a call is important, stop , pull over and give it full attention. Otherwise it is not that big a deal.
So, I can count on your vote then? 