Pedestrian stupidity in San Diego county (Escondido, Vista: skateboarding, live, legal)

[Sealtite]

Why are people so careless here? The skateboarding on the sidewalks? Not looking for traffic just because you have the right of way in the crosswalk? No wonder so many people get hit by cars around here. Sure, pedestrians have the "right of way", but the common sense practice of at least glancing up to see if a 6,000 lb vehicle isn't coming right toward you seems to be lacking here.

On more than one occasion, I've almost hit people while making a legal right hand turn on a green light in an intersection. The light turns green, they're crossing the street to my right, and they were standing in my blind spot while they were waiting. What's more disturbing is it's usually (uncannily) a woman pushing a stroller. This happens a lot in Escondido in particular I've noticed. Sometimes I wonder if they're trying to get hit....because that's what it really seems like. Gotta really keep your eyes open around here I guess.

The skateboarders on the sidewalks are the worst though. If they eat **** in the wrong direction, they're getting run over. I can maybe understand riding on side street sidewalks, but these are main roads where the traffic is going 40+ mph. Not very healthy. Statistically, does southern California have a high rate of pedestrian-vehicular collisions? I'd think it would.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by Sealtite

On more than one occasion, I've almost hit people while making a legal right hand turn on a green light in an intersection. The light turns green, they're crossing the street to my right, and they were standing in my blind spot while they were waiting. What's more disturbing is it's usually (uncannily) a woman pushing a stroller.

Are you serious? I don't understand how this is the pedestrians fault in this situation at all. They have the right of away and clearly you weren't paying attention if you didn't see them, how on earth are they suppose to know they're in your blind spot standing there waiting for the light to turn? If you were stopped at a red light waiting to turn right and almost hit these pedestrians, that's even more ridiculous and totally your own fault for not seeing them. This is case of driver stupidity here.

[whiteboyslo]

It's absolutely your responsibility to look for them in the scenario you posted. That being said, I fully agree that too many people choose their actions more out of a sense of entitlement (I have the right of way) than self-preservation. I ride a motorcycle, which opens up your eyes to the difference between these two real fast. You would think the same would be true for pedestrians, but somehow it never is.

Mike

[Jenkay]

Originally Posted by sav858

Are you serious? I don't understand how this is the pedestrians fault in this situation at all. They have the right of away and clearly you weren't paying attention if you didn't see them, how on earth are they suppose to know they're in your blind spot standing there waiting for the light to turn? If you were stopped at a red light waiting to turn right and almost hit these pedestrians, that's even more ridiculous and totally your own fault for not seeing them. This is case of driver stupidity here.

Yeah, beat me to the punch here. That's like a guy at work I heard complaining about the stupid bicyclists riding down the street and how they should be paying better attention when he's pulling out of a parking space or opening his car door

Super, SUPER scary to hear people say sh** like that. Not really surprising, but scary.

[tonyinsd]

Yes, pedestrians should look before crossing, even if they have the light. They do have the right of way.

But you don't want to be dead right.

You really have to pay attention. I almost got hit yesterday by a car that was going the wrong way on a one way street. I looked in the direction the traffic was supposed to come from, started to cross, and heard screeching brakes and jumped back to the curb.

Doofus kept on going the wrong way. I hope he got nailed by the cops.

[Jenkay]

Originally Posted by tonyinsd

Yes, pedestrians should look before crossing, even if they have the light. They do have the right of way.

But you don't want to be dead right.

You really have to pay attention. I almost got hit yesterday by a car that was going the wrong way on a one way street. I looked in the direction the traffic was supposed to come from, started to cross, and heard screeching brakes and jumped back to the curb.

Doofus kept on going the wrong way. I hope he got nailed by the cops.

Yeah, of course you should look, but in the circumstance outlined above, both the driver and the pedestrian are waiting at a light. The light changes. They both go when the light changes. The pedestrian may well have been aware of the car, but the driver of the car is obviously not aware of the pedestrian, even though they've both been waiting for the light to change and the pedestrian has been right there the whole time.. There is no possible way that could be even remotely described as the pedestrian not looking or "not paying attention" and causing a problem.

Now if he'd talked about people running across a busy street against a light or something, sure. And pedestrians (and bicyclists) sometimes do stupid sh** that makes me cringe or angry, but describing the situation above and trying to blame the pedestrian, as the OP did, is just plain scary.

[oddstray]

I nearly got nailed by a car turning right on red. Thing is, it was a police car!!! I was sorely tempted to punch on his rear fender to scare the bejaysus out of him ...

What hope do we have of pedestrians being aware, when even the cops aren't?!?

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Take a drive down Linda Vista road, it's like some kind of bizarre video game with jay walkers, homeless and zombies cutting in front of you depending on where you are. I have never witnessed so many people crossing the street at random as here. Once on the way to work I almost hit some lady wearing all black pushing a stroller at 4 am. Not in the crosswalk and I had a green. Good thing she was smoking a cig as I saw the red glow of the tip.

[futbol]

Originally Posted by oddstray

I nearly got nailed by a car turning right on red. Thing is, it was a police car!!! I was sorely tempted to punch on his rear fender to scare the bejaysus out of him ...

What hope do we have of pedestrians being aware, when even the cops aren't?!?

Same thing happened to me two days ago, only it was a young woman in an SUV fiddling with her phone while driving through a parking lot.

I really wanted to punch her window or something, but didn't. What if I was a mother with a stroller?

Plus, she was going way too fast for being in a crowded parking lot.

[the_citrus]

In many parts of the city, there aren't any roads except for big, fast, wide boulevards with half a mile between crosswalks (I live near UCSD/UTC). I've been hit twice by a car turning right on red when I had a walk signal. Both times, I've made sure the car came to a complete stop for a few seconds before proceeding. Nowadays I yell out, freaking the hell out of many drivers, but that's what it takes to get people to pay some damn attention.