It never cease to amaze me! Both of these scenarios have made me much more conscious/considerate when in these same situations.
1. When backing out of a parking space, there is bound to be someone walking behind/just to the side of the car. Yes, I use my mirrors and back up camera to check (several times) which is how I finally see them. But there is always that small blind spot where they are just out of view. Both men and women do this, sometimes with their children (great role modeling, BTW).
Don’t they realize that it’s easier for them to briefly stop until the maneuver is completed than it is for a car in motion to stop? Do they think they are invincible or entitled? Basically, I think they’re just stupid. I’d really like to stop and ask them, but goodness knows that’s a setting for potential disaster these days.
2. I have no firm data, anecdotal observations only. I’m a senior woman who uses a cane. When crossing from the parking area to the curbside, as a curtsy, drivers do not necessarily stop (there may not be a crosswalk to use). However, those drivers who do stop are typically men, the women just drive on. I am constantly surprised that the women are not more considerate (apologies if that sounds sexist). I especially love how they act like they don’t see me even though I am clearly visible.
IMO most pedestrians’ eyes are mostly off while they’re walking through a perking lot. They’re relying on their ears to alert them to cars and relying on attentive drivers to not squish them. Folks also like to walk 6" from the bumper of cars, so that if the car moves 8", they’re knocked down. Not smart, but near universal.
I just take it for granted that every parking lot, including those that resemble a ghost town while I’m walking to my car, will suddenly become a hive of activity as soon as I am fixing to back out of my spot – pedestrians all over, other cars that started pulling out a nanosecond before I did, cars that pull to a stop behind my car while waiting for a space or traffic to clear. Then there are the cars that are way back at the end of the row when I start pulling out, who then honk at me because I’m still backing out while they drove at speed down the aisle and who seem to think I should have waited to start until they were past. What I really take for granted is that other people are idiots in parking lots, and that it does me no good to fret about it, so I just sit calmly and wait, and check, and wait, and check, and so on and on. I’m really in no hurry anyway, so impatience isn’t even appropriate.
Something that continues to amaze me, tho I shouldn’t be surprised: When it’s raining or snowing, rarely do cars stop to allow pedestrians to cross. Sure, they’re warm and dry, why should they care that I’m getting soaked?
And, yeah, pedestrians in parking lots are a constant hazard. I can be halfway out of my spot and into the lane, and people will still walk behind me. Sometimes even the guys collecting carts will do that. Thanks for the minor heart attack, folks! Sheesh!
Every time that happens to me, what goes through my head is “I know you have the right of way, I know if I hit you, it’s a million percent my fault and my insurance will cover your costs, you might even be able to sue me and end up with extra money…but will that all be worth it when you’re in rehab learning how to walk again?”. IOW, IMO, use you’re head, you know I can’t see you, do you really want to get hit by a car?
As long as the situation allows me to wait the extra few seconds, I always try to allow someone to cross in front of me when it’s snowing, raining or even just scorching hot outside. I’m perfectly comfortable in my car and you probably want to get indoors sooner rather than later.
That’s really not true. It might be rainy or windy. They might be balancing grocery bags, or herding children. Even if the weather is nice and they are just walking on their own, it’s disruptive to make someone stop walking. Much more than it disrupts me to pause my car.
What is true is that they are at much more risk from me than i am from them. So it’s certainly unwise to walk right behind a car that’s trying to pull out. But i always wait for the preference to clear away before i move, personally. And if they appear after I’ve started moving, i stop and wait again.
When I’m walking, i hate to have to stop, so i usually don’t, i just walk away from the moving car and walk right next to the parked cars on the other side, so the moving one won’t hit me if the driver doesn’t see me. But no, i didn’t want to stand there with my knees freezing up while you jiggle around in your spot, or whatever you might be doing. Maybe it’s just me, but i can walk in comfort almost indefinitely, whereas i ache is i need to stand still for long.
Anyway, like @Roderick_Femm , i just assume someone or something will be in my way when I’m trying to exit my parking spot, and I’m prepared to wait for a safe window.
Once I’m actually moving, i try to stop if someone is in a crosswalk, or if the weather is nasty. But sometimes i notice them too late to act. And if the weather is nice and you haven’t bothered to walk to the crosswalk, i figure you are okay waiting for a break in the traffic.
Whenever I am ready to back out of a parking space, I check my mirrors & backup camera, and look around. When my path appears to be clear, I beep my horn a few quick times before starting to move.
From the other point of view: whenever I am walking through a parking lot, I watch the taillights of the 2 or 3 cars ahead of me to see whether their backup lights (which are white) are lit. Mrs Maven likes to walk in the center of the lane to have maximum clearance in both directions.
This is why I park in the farther spaces in a parking lot, and also park so that I can just pull out of the space rather than back up. I realize that not everyone can do this, especially the OP, who uses a cane. But I can, and so can a lot of others who try to park as close as possible to the store.
And in case you were wondering how many pedestrians i mow down, I’m willing to slam on the brakes or swerve if there’s actually a pedestrian in front of me. I won’t do either of those for a pedestrian waiting to cross the street.
I always go back to Drivers Ed teacher who said if you hit a person they are injured or die. Maybe you go to jail. If the car behind you hits your car, you’re not likely to die and the car can be fixed. No jail.
It’s a case by case thing. You have to make 100 decisions every time your car is in motion, minute to minute.
I injured my neck a few weeks ago and it is now very stiff. I can’t look over my shoulders easily, I have to turn my whole body. I’ve noticed that backing up in my car is virtually impossible to do with confidence, even with a backup camera.
That has helped me to understand why many seniors seem so reckless when backing up, something that I’ve noticed all my life. It’s a problem.
I figure that parking lots are the most hazardous places in which I’ll be driving/walking on a regular basis, and am accordingly on the alert at all times.
Note: when you’re impatiently waiting to back out of your space at the supermarket, manage to hold off until two old ladies walk by behind you and then experience incredible frustration because I followed after them, it really gets your feelings across when you finally pull out, then gun your engine to a roar as you speed by me. That will surely make me think twice before holding up someone as important as you for 5 seconds the next time, yes indeed it will.