# Pedestrian self-defense? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 11, 2024, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715 "2024-06-11T00:22:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/21 "2024-06-11T11:38:30Z")
Crosswalks sound dangerous. I usually avoid them and cross mid-block. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/22 "2024-06-11T13:09:01Z")
I kinda agree with you. People aren’t turning mid street. Wait for an opening, and zip accross. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/23 "2024-06-11T13:21:16Z")
Spent a day in Ligonier shopping, walking, and bar hoping. Crossing at a crosswalk is crazy. You have to take a deep breath and start walking, hoping a car will stop. Mid-block you just glance each way and jog across. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/24 "2024-06-11T13:31:32Z")
The whole point of self-defense is that you’re taking actions with the intent of stopping the threat to you. How will whacking the car stop the threat? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/25 "2024-06-11T13:37:17Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > bar **hoping** Reminds me of my younger days long ago. Unfortunately, I almost always went home alone and disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/26 "2024-06-11T13:37:34Z")
> [@Moonrise](#): > > The driver stopped, and the cyclist ended up with a slashed throat for his audacity. He survived. I’m unclear on this. Was the slashed throat a result of the accident or did the driver attack the cyclist after he was hit? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/27 "2024-06-11T13:41:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The whole point of self-defense is that you’re taking actions with the intent of stopping the threat to you. How will whacking the car stop the threat? Depends on whether the threat is an inattentive driver oblivious to your presence in his path or an impatient driver unwilling to put up with your presence in his path. Sometimes it’s obvious which, sometimes it’s not. And sometimes you’ll be confident of your assessment but also be wrong. A whack or any loud noise will fix the former, but perhaps turn them into the latter. Or, as others have suggested, trigger a nasty road rage encounter. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/28 "2024-06-11T13:49:32Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I use my stick to take out a headlight or put a crease in his hood should I be able to claim self-defense? You should add “He brought a stick to a car fight” to your ‘last will and testament” as your desired epithet on your headstone. > [@kayaker](#): > > Crosswalks sound dangerous. I usually avoid them and cross mid-block. Better still to leap over or tunnel under depending on your skills and inclination. Teleportation is right out, though; people find it unnerving and it violates too many conservation laws. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/29 "2024-06-11T13:52:16Z")
I recommend the classic response of [a belligerent glare and a loud “I’m walkin’ here!”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z-tCU-sULA). Banging on the hood can be omitted. This way, attention will be drawn to the driver’s unsafe aggressiveness, and onlookers who get the reference will have their day brightened. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/30 "2024-06-11T15:09:32Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Reminds me of my younger days long ago. Unfortunately, I almost always went home alone and disappointed. Sometimes you get the [nicest people](https://i2-prod.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/incoming/article12344187.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/harry-and-marv.jpg) to come over when you’re home alone; you won’t be disappointed ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/31 "2024-06-11T16:16:37Z")
The driver attacked the cyclist because he had dared hit the car as it tried to run over him. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/32 "2024-06-11T18:03:28Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Yeah. Don’t think I’d be hitting cars in Little Rock. That’s kinda scary. I reached a point where I got so tired of near misses I stopped worrying about what might happen if I made my displeasure known. If you see a story about a pedestrian being pummeled to death by an irate driver in Little Rock and notice I stop posting you’ll know why. > [@Moonrise](#): > > Tellingly, when the event was reported in the local press, dozens of people managed to find “excuses” for the driver. It’s amazing to me how many drivers are hostile to the very existence of cylcist. My wife used to bike a lot, including a few races, and one year someone decided to place a bunch of sharp tacks on the route just for giggles. When she expressed a desire to start commuting to work by bike I balked because I was honestly afraid she’d get hit by a careless driver. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/33 "2024-06-11T18:09:42Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > > > Yeah. Don’t think I’d be hitting cars in Little Rock. That’s kinda scary. > > I reached a point where I got so tired of near misses I stopped worrying about what might happen if I made my displeasure known. If you see a story about a pedestrian being pummeled to death by an irate driver in Little Rock and notice I stop posting you’ll know why. He died doing what he loved most, smacking cars. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/34 "2024-06-11T18:11:34Z")
However inadvisable it is (and it is, unfortunately people are really neurotic about their metal security blankets.) Legally speaking what difference does it make that they are hitting an object not a person? On one hand there is no way you can claim to be under physical attack when someone hits your car, on the other you can’t claim hitting the car is actually preventing the car from running you over ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/35 "2024-06-11T19:20:10Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > On one hand there is no way you can claim to be under physical attack when someone hits your car, on the other you can’t claim hitting the car is actually preventing the car from running you over Many years ago here in Little Rock (again) I saw a young man in a sports car nearly hit an old man. It was a close enough call that the old man slammed his open palms on the hood of the car, not out of anger, but because it was genuinely that close to a catastrophic end. It took a few before it was my turn to go, and I had time to see this young man in the driver’s seat pull into a nearby parking lot, get out, and what I thought was going to be an unpleasant altercation turned out to be the young man apologizing and making sure the old man was okay. At least that’s the impression I got judging by everyone’s body language. It warmed the cockles of my cold, black heart to see a young person more concerned about another human being than he was about his car. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/36 "2024-06-11T19:35:45Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > If I use my stick to take out a headlight or put a crease in his hood should I be able to claim self-defense? These days I’d be worried that the driver was packing. Also, you might find yourself on the receiving end of a beat-down from someone who’s pretty pissed off about the damage to his vehicle. Or he may decide to run you down. All in all, I think aggression is a poor choice. ---
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/37 "2024-06-11T19:43:43Z")
Czarcasm, I checked out a nice book from the library you might like. It’s entitled The Art and Science of Self Defense by an author Joe Varady. It’s a heavy book but has some excellent ideas. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/38 "2024-06-11T19:44:49Z")
So it is pretty much agreed that it is probably not wise. But would it be _legal_, if there were witnesses to corroborate that the vehicle advanced on me while I was legally crossing the street? ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/39 "2024-06-11T19:44:59Z")
> [@Eric1](#): > > It’s a heavy book but has some excellent ideas. Idea #1 - throw book at other party ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715/40 "2024-06-11T20:42:28Z")
Not a lawyer but the impression I’m getting is that self defense would not be a reasonable argument. Making sure you are seen, flailing as you are trying to not fall? All very believable and would be heard sympathetically. Hitting the person with your cane as a weapon as they got of their car apparently angry and with apparent intent to cause you harm? Stand your ground applies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedestrian-self-defense/1002715.md?page=3)