# I have been converted to ranting about driving **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 14, 2006, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-been-converted-to-ranting-about-driving/364431 "2006-07-14T04:20:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-been-converted-to-ranting-about-driving/364431/41 "2006-07-16T20:59:44Z")
[QUOTE=Oakminster] _Get your motor runnin’ Head out on the highway Lookin’ for adventure And whatever comes our way Yeah Darlin’ go make it happen Take the world in a love embrace Fire all of your guns at once And explode into space_ [/QUOTE] …_outside on the turnpike They got this new hit tune Where thrills become as cheap as gas And gas as cheap as thrills_ Blue Oyster Cult ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-been-converted-to-ranting-about-driving/364431/42 "2006-07-17T17:39:18Z")
[QUOTE=Helen’s Eidolon] I was the bad guy for threatening him by going roughly 3 inches per second. [/quote] You could still do some significant damage to him if you ran over his foot or something like that, even at 3 inches per second. But he probably just panicked when he thought you might run into him. People overreact when they’re panicking. Pedestrians generally do expect cars to go forward, except in parking lots and driveways and a few other exceptional situations. Sometimes, we rely on making eye contact with drivers to make sure they’ve seen us. We can’t do that if you’re backing up. Don’t back up on a street, except to park, make a three-point turn, or if the alternative is getting into an accident. > [@](#): > > Someone must explain this to me, for the world of driving is new and scary. It seems to be some kind of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde phenomenon with the concrete emitting asshole rays. I make mistakes, everybody does. But why does everyone need to be so **angry** about it? Panic is part of it. If something goes seriously wrong in driving, someone can be seriously injured or die (this is especially true if you’re a pedestrian or bicyclist involved in a car accident). Even if nobody is injured, repairing even minor damage to a car isn’t cheap (as you may know). Near-misses scare the poo out of people, and that sometimes makes them act in ways they wouldn’t if they were calmer. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2006, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-been-converted-to-ranting-about-driving/364431/43 "2006-07-17T17:47:48Z")
[QUOTE=Anne Neville] You could still do some significant damage to him if you ran over his foot or something like that, even at 3 inches per second. But he probably just panicked when he thought you might run into him. People overreact when they’re panicking. [/quote] That’s true, and I really did feel bad about it. In fact, I was in a similar situation again yesterday, and I did not reverse. (See? I do listen to you guys.) On the other hand, when I cross a street illegally, I consider that the burden is on me to be very wary and to make sure I don’t get into any bad situations with cars, just as it is the cars’ responsibility when I am crossing legally. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2006, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-been-converted-to-ranting-about-driving/364431/44 "2006-07-17T20:51:35Z")
[QUOTE=Helen’s Eidolon] when I cross a street illegally, I consider that the burden is on me to be very wary and to make sure I don’t get into any bad situations with cars, just as it is the cars’ responsibility when I am crossing legally. [/QUOTE] Legally, yes. However, if you do hit a pedestrian, even if it’s not your fault, you’re probably going to feel terrible about it. Especially if it’s a child, and children are notorious for not always following the rules of road safety. I’m sure most of us here ran into the street at least once as a child (I know I did). Another time you’ll have to watch out for pedestrians jaywalking is when there are cars parallel parked along the street. Everybody knows you shouldn’t start crossing the street from between two parked cars, but almost everyone has done it at one point or another in their lives. Oh, and don’t drive in Berkeley. Whatever you can say about the admissions standards of UC Berkeley, they don’t include “knowing that you should look both ways before crossing the street,” as is obvious to anyone who has driven anywhere near the campus. ---
**Author:** ![Arien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arien)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2006, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-been-converted-to-ranting-about-driving/364431/45 "2006-07-17T23:01:42Z")
[QUOTE=Anne Neville] I’m sure most of us here ran into the street at least once as a child (I know I did). [/QUOTE] I read this at first as “I’m sure most of us have ran into a a child at least once on a street”. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-been-converted-to-ranting-about-driving/364431/46 "2006-07-18T01:01:15Z")
I’m actually not that phased by pedestrians crossing illegally, usually. I do live in Montreal, after all. That’s one of the reasons I like to drive a bit more slowly - on any street that’s not a highway, people are apt to step out and play chicken with cars. Especially downtown, where the prevailing attitude is that since cars need to stop for pedestrians, the pedestrians rule. Sometimes you have to be a bit aggressive as a car to actually cross an intersection at a green light, since if you don’t look threatening, the people just won’t stop crossing, even on a red light. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-been-converted-to-ranting-about-driving/364431.md?page=2)