# It's not wise to walk in front of a turning car **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 2, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053 "2005-02-02T21:40:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/41 "2005-02-03T09:54:04Z")
**Anaamika** wrote > [@](#): > > I thought I made it clear, I do check. No. You were quite clear that you don’t check enough. You said “and I’m glancing right but predominantly I’m looking left”. If you don’t have time to look my direction, you don’t have time to drive. > [@](#): > > It’s still not smart of you to walk blindly in front of my car, you assholes. You stir such wonderful dreams of how it would be worth it to be mowed down by your crazy ass, just so I could sue you till you bleed. The least you could do is apologize for such an idiotic OP. Instead, you come back swinging when you’re so undeniably, unquestionably and indefensibly wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/42 "2005-02-03T10:05:29Z")
> [@Bill H.](#): > > **Anaamika** wrote > > No. You were quite clear that you don’t check enough. You said “and I’m glancing right but predominantly I’m looking left”. If you don’t have time to look my direction, you don’t have time to drive. > > You stir such wonderful dreams of how it would be worth it to be mowed down by your crazy ass, just so I could sue you till you bleed. > > The least you could do is apologize for such an idiotic OP. Instead, you come back swinging when you’re so undeniably, unquestionably and indefensibly wrong. It’s funny. I missed the part in the OP where she said she was a bloodthirsty psychopath looking for orphans and nuns to mow down. Jerk that knee any harder and your shin will fly off. Seriously, ya’ll think that there is no possible way that a pedestrian can make a mistake? ---
**Author:** ![Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoundrel_Swanswater)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/43 "2005-02-03T10:18:00Z")
The OP is clearly one of the reasons why the Netherlands changed the right-of-ways so that a driver is always in the wrong when he hits a pedestrian or a cyclist. If I am on foot and cross the street at a red stoplight the driver will still be held responsible for hitting me. People in cars really should learn to look. I don’t know how many times I have almost been hit by people who just come crawling out of bed or from behind their desk. You are driving a death-trap and therefore should take all possible precautions not to hit anything or anyone. This means you have to be 100% alert at all times. If you aren’t, don’t fucking drive !!! By the way I drive a motor-scooter and have now for over 20 years and never ever had an accident, because I don’t ever assume people notice me. I have had times where I am driving on a straight road, and some idiot ass-clown comes swerving in from the parallel road without looking. I am still thinking about putting a big-ass canon on my scooter, so I can fire off some shrapnel at these idiots cars. ---
**Author:** ![Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoundrel_Swanswater)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/44 "2005-02-03T10:20:41Z")
> [@](#): > > And of course pedestrians are never wrong. There isn’t a single one of them that doesn’t pay attention to what they are doing. Nobody has ever been hit from not watching what cars are doing or walking into the street between parked cars instead of using the crosswalk. Aaaaaargh!!! You are still in the wrong. The pedestrian isn’t driving the big metal death-machine, you are!!! ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/45 "2005-02-03T10:38:30Z")
_The better part of valor is discretion, in the which better part I have saved my life. William Shakespeare, King Henry the Fourth, part One_ Apparently the Bard was a pedestrian. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/46 "2005-02-03T13:01:32Z")
> [@vinryk](#): > > Aaaaaargh!!! > You are still in the wrong. > The pedestrian isn’t driving the big metal death-machine, you are!!! Oh, bullshit. I’m convalescing from a broken leg that I got when a guy hit me in a crosswalk and while it was entirely his fault for not seeing me and pulling out when the “Walk” sign gave me the right of way, it’s ignorant in the extreme to suggest that it still would have been his fault if I had run across the street when it said “Don’t Walk” and he had a green light. You’re insane. ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/47 "2005-02-03T13:16:44Z")
While I’m sure everybody is well aware it’s the driver’s responsibility to avoid the pedestrian and not the other way around, some of the indignant responses in this thread nearly made me laugh out loud. I especially liked the assumption that **Anaamika** is some sort of rolling hazard to the lives of pure-hearted, innocent pedestrians who would _of course_ be in the crosswalks, and would _never_ cross against a signal. That’s not reality in Albany. Besides the fact that the crossing signals are a joke, especially downtown (no one can reasonably be expected to cross any street in four seconds, IMHO), nobody pays any attention to them anyway. Crosswalk? No thanks, I’ll just duck out from between these parked cars and cross in the middle of the block. I’m stopped in the middle of the street carrying on a conversation? So what? You’ll get to move in a few moments when I’m done. “I’m walking here” is no excuse to behave in an unsafe manner, or abdicate responsibility for your personal safety to someone else. The pedestrian _isn’t_ always right. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/48 "2005-02-03T14:13:22Z")
I’m with Anaamika, and not just because she’s funny and entertaining. I almost did exactly the same thing - in a parking lot, trying to turn out onto a one way street… a very busy one way street, where every gap in traffic is precious… I saw my spot and started to nudge the gas, and some guy and exited a nearby bar just strolling along oblivously in front of me. Just barely reined that truck in in time. He could very well have legally walked around my vehicle - he wasn’t under a legal obligation to do so, but it would’ve been smarter. ---
**Author:** ![JerH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@JerH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerH)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/49 "2005-02-03T15:28:54Z")
In parts of Northern Virginia, a lot of intersections now have signs that say “No Turn On Red If Pedestrians Are Present.” Not even if they’re crossing - if they’re even there. T’would be a good rule for all intersections. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/50 "2005-02-03T15:38:32Z")
> [@Dooku](#): > > I’ve never disagreed more with an OP. There’s absolutely no excuse whatsoever for not looking into the crosswalk. Try that in San Francisco and you’ll get a $500 ticket at best, and a throng of pedestrians beating the crap out of your hood at worst. Heh heh. My wife is from San Francisco, and the first time i went there with her i saw this happen. It was just before Christmas and the area around Union Square was packed with both cars and pedestrians. We were walking north on Powell Street, and were trying to cross Geary. The “Walk” sign turned green, so we and about 100 other people started to cross. Well, some dickhead in an Audi decided that he didn’t want to wait for so many people to cross, so he just started pushing _through_ the throng of people in his car, knocking into people and coming close to running over people’s feet. Suddenly, everyone was yelling and screaming at him, and there were about two dozen people bashing the crap out of his hood and trunk. Much to my amusement, my mild-mannered 5’3" wife was among them. > [@catsix](#): > > Even if you subscribe to the ludicrous idea that pedestrians don’t have the right of way when crossing the street although the law says they do, they certainly have the right of way on the sidewalk - it was, after all, provided entirely for their use and the car is the interloper. Yeah, this is another one that chaps my ass. Drivers who think that they have right of way when they’re crossing over the sidewalk between the road and a private establishment like a mall or a gas station. Sorry, fucker, that sidewalk was made for pedestrians, and just because they’ve provided a place for you to cross in your car doesn’t mean that you have right of way. On the general topic of the OP: Look, as a pedestrian, i realise that i am largely responsible for my own safety, and that if i want to live then i need to be conscious of where, when, and how i cross the road. I make a habit of looking very carefully for cars, and if i jaywalk (which i do quite often), then i make sure that i don’t get in the way of moving traffic and that no car has to brake or swerve for me. And even in cases where i have the absolute and undeniable right-of-way, such as marked crosswalks and green walk signs, i still keep an eye out because Baltimore has well over its quota of homicidal drivers. I realise, as some have suggested, that being in the right is not much consolation if you’re dead. But drivers need to wake the fuck up. If you’re turning right, the last place you look before you hit the gas shouldn’t be to your left, it should be to your right, so you don’t mow someone down. You need to make sure that the gap to your left is large enough for you to look to your right, make sure the way is clear, and then proceed. And if you have a green light, and the pedestrians walking parallel to you also have the green light, that means that you wait for them to cross the road before you make your turn. And if the road has a set of wide parallel white stripes, chances are good that it’s not an abstract artwork sponsored by the local gallery—it’s a crosswalk, at which you are required to stop for pedestrians. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/51 "2005-02-03T15:52:39Z")
**Anaamika** , the only putz around here is you. Sorry, but you need to pay more attention to your driving. There is no reasonable excuse for not knowing what is in front of your car when you press the gas. None. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/52 "2005-02-03T15:54:15Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > the “Walk” sign gave me the right of way That’s technically incorrect. “Walk” signs do not give anyone the right of way; rather, they mean vehicular traffic is to yield _their_ right of way. BTW: I’m with you, as long as the parking lot exit isn’t metered (i.e.: no stop sign or traffic signal). I work in a building with a metered garage exit on what is essentially a one way-street (two-way traffic ends at our building). Many drivers not only don’t bother to stop but they also pay little attention to pedestrians. I’ve been nearly hit while in the middle of the exit by left-turning drivers who evidently didn’t bother to consider that pedestrians might be coming from their right. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/53 "2005-02-03T15:58:31Z")
Sorry, **Aesiron** , I thought you were **Anaamika**. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/54 "2005-02-03T16:24:49Z")
I’ve been called worse. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/55 "2005-02-03T17:09:23Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I thought I made it clear, I do check. Every fucking time. It’s still not smart of you to walk **blindly** (bolding mine) in front of my car, you assholes. Ok, here’s a question, what if the pedestrian _is_ blind? The Texas School for the Blind is here in Austin and we have a fair number of blind pedestrians. They cross when the crosswalk makes a beeping noise telling them it’s OK to cross. What about them? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/56 "2005-02-03T17:17:31Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > Ok, here’s a question, what if the pedestrian _is_ blind? The Texas School for the Blind is here in Austin and we have a fair number of blind pedestrians. They cross when the crosswalk makes a beeping noise telling them it’s OK to cross. What about them? Well, everyone knows that blind people have super hearing. Surely they can _listen_ for the cars? 🙂 I have a friend who lives in Austin, about a 25 minute bus ride north of downtown, and i’ve seen TSBVI students on the buses quite a few times. I’ll never cease to admire and be amazed by how well blind people get around. For the most part, Austin drivers seem to be pretty conscious of their presence in the city, especially (for obvious reasons) around the school itself. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/57 "2005-02-03T18:46:25Z")
> [@Roland Orzabal](#): > > You’re walking up to an intersection at which there is no stoplight, but there are stop signs in all four directions. As you get to the intersection, you see a car barreling down the street you intend to cross. The car is clearly going at least 20 mph over the speed limit, far too fast to be able to stop in time. You then look at the stop sign and, as is your legal right, proceed into the intersection…where you get creamed by the car that had intended to run the stop sign in the first place. Yeah, and if that DRIVER posted a pit thread chewing out they guy he killed for not getting out of his way, he’d probably get a pretty negative response, just like the OP did here. > [@](#): > > Oops, should’ve previewed. I want to make it clear that I agree with the quoted statement, to a point. Getting annoyed over an individual incident which, in one’s own admission no less, was entirely one’s own fault, is a touch disingenuous. My above post was not directed at those who only posted to point that out; rather, it is directed at those who would get all indignant when somebody suggests that they make a largely insignificant modification to a general pattern of behavior in order to avoid specific undesired consequences, such as, say, getting creamed by a two-ton Wad O’ Metallic Death. I didn’t see anyone saying that. A couple people said they wouldn’t walk behind a car that’s pulling out of a driveway, for _other_ reasons, but I didn’t notice a lot of people disagreeing with the notion that one ought to exercise prudence as a pedestrian. I guess I missed all these posts where people are saying, “I do stupid things on purpose just because I have the right of way.” ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/58 "2005-02-03T18:51:24Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Seriously, ya’ll think that there is no possible way that a pedestrian can make a mistake? Are we reading the same thread? The PEDESTRIAN was in the right; the DRIVER was in the wrong. A pedestrian _can_ make a mistake, but that’s NOT WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/59 "2005-02-03T19:00:34Z")
oh, by the way, that pounding you hear coming from right side of your hood is me trying to get your attention. I never cross if the driver’s eyes are not on me. :wally ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053/60 "2005-02-03T19:10:49Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > Are we reading the same thread? The PEDESTRIAN was in the right; the DRIVER was in the wrong. How the hell do you know? You have nowhere near enough information to make this statement. I read the OP again, and saw no mention of traffic signals, crosswalks, crossing signals, or right-on-red turns. All of those things were added by later posters who were just wildly speculating. Have you seen the intersection? Do you really know if there was even a _sidewalk_ there, let alone the other stuff? I walk through this town every day, and every day I see some of my fellow pavement pounders do some incredibly stupid shit. Some of them are just begging to be hit. Around here if you see a “No Pedetrian Traffic” sign you can’t trust it. Where there’s no sidewalk you can be sure that some mope will be ambling along in the roadway. Last year I was at an intersection where there were no sidewalks in any direction and some dipstick hopped over the fence and trotted across the road, and he sure as hell didn’t stop and look both ways. You can’t plan for idiots. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-wise-to-walk-in-front-of-a-turning-car/288053.md?page=4)