There are laws set forth to the public in operating any moving vehicle. May it be a car, bicycle,
motor-cycle or boat, any of the above. I have seen so many bicyclists and motor cyclists go to great
lengths to wear safety gear and yet cannot follow the basic laws of the road. Why is this?
I believe they think they are God of the road, if you will. They feel they have made it safe for themselves to be on the road but yet have not taken into consideration that while having worn safety gear and are visible to other motorists that they must abide by every state law for their safety and that of others.
I’ve seen a bicycle hit by a car in the evening and not have any lights or reflective lights on their bicycle. They were killed. Not everyone goes to great lengths for safety unfortunately. I’ve seen motor cycles move in and out of traffic both city and highway not yielding to the car in front of them. Cutting them off as they pass and often at a high speed. Yet these individuals that form groups for bicyclists and motor cycles seem to feel that any party driving a vehicle is the problem.
There have been occasions with a bicyclist and a motor cycle have collided and not to mention a pedestrian. Safety is about common sense. We all must abide by the laws. Too many go about willy dilly during the day. Another situation I’ve observed is a pedestrian walking with a cell phone in their hand, text messaging and not paying any attention to their surroundings, especially when crossing intersections. Often not crossing in a cross walk. Why is it that people feel they are invincible? “It can’t happen to me?” attitude. Are they too lazy to walk a few feet to a cross walk and cross safely? It seems so. So, when they are injured they are quick to blame the party that hit them or the family is eager to blame the party that injured or killed their family member. Again, it all boils down to “common sense”
I also feel that some children should not be allowed to ride their bikes without having gone to a safety course. First there should be an age restriction to when children can ride their bikes without adult supervision. In the city that I live I know there is not safety course and I do feel there should be one. All cities throughout the U.S. should have this in place. There so many safety rules. I looked up some information regarding my topic and I’ve added that into my article.
Walk Facing Traffic: If there is no sidewalk and you must walk on the side of the road, choose the side where you are facing oncoming traffic. In North America, this is the left side of the road. This gives you the best chance to see traffic approaching closest to you and take evasive action when needed.
Cross Safely: Mom was right: look both ways before crossing any street. At controlled intersections, it is wise to cross only when you have the pedestrian crossing light, but even then, drivers and bikers may have a green light to turn and won’t be expecting you to be in the crosswalk. Make eye contact with any drivers who may be turning. Give them a wave. Make sure they see you. In a car-walker interaction, you can only lose.
Walk Single File: Unless you are on a sidewalk separated from the road or a wide bike lane, you should walk in single file. This is especially important on a road with lots curves, where traffic has only a split second chance of seeing you before hitting you. While it can be enjoyable to walk down the road two to three abreast chatting merrily, drivers don’t expect it and you may lose your best walking buddies.
Stay Aware of Bikes and Runners: Share the road and path with bikes and runners. Bike riders should alert you when approaching from behind with a bike bell or a “passing on the left/right.” Listen for them, and move to walk single file, allowing them to pass safely. Runners should also call out for passing. Bike-walker collisions can result in broken bones or head injury for either – and you aren’t wearing a helmet.
Be Visible: Wear bright colors when walking in daytime. When walking at night, wear light-colored clothing and reflective clothing or a reflective vest to be visible. Drivers are often not expecting walkers to be out after dark, and you need to give them every chance to see you, even at street crossings that have crossing signals. Be just as cautious at dawn or twilight, as drivers still have limited visibility or may even have the setting or rising sun directly in their eyes. Make a practice of staying on one side of the path while walking rather than weaving randomly from side to side. Watch your arm motions, or you may end up giving a black eye to a silently passing walker, runner or biker. Don’t drown out your environment with your iPod. Keep the volume at a level where you can still hear bike bells and warnings from other walkers and runners. Your audiologist will also thank you. Chatting on a cell phone while you walk is as dangerous as chatting while driving. You are distracted and not as aware of your environment. You are less likely to recognize traffic danger, passing joggers and bikers or tripping hazards. Potential criminals see you as a distracted easy target. I’ve seen many tragedies of dogs running out in to traffic or getting into a fatal dog fight either off leash or on a very long leash. Don’t trip up other walkers or bikers with poor control of your pet. Keep your pet and yourself safe by learning proper leash walking.
I myself nearly hit a dog with my car as the owner wasn’t paying any attention to what the dog was doing. I didn’t honk my horn for fear of startling the person but I did stop my car and rolled my window down, looking over at her I yelled excuse me to get her attention and the fact that her dog was in the middle of the street. She was on her cell phone. Not paying any attention to what her dog was doing. She was surprised to see me and then noticing her dog was in the street. She did in fact apologize to me.
I have had many incidents such as this or pedestrians that cross against the light. Bicyclists that do not stop at “stop signs” or at signal lights. I’ve even had a bicyclists come from the right side of my vehicle, I saw him in my review mirror and side mirror and I was turning right “the light being green” knowing he was approaching, I yielded the right away to him. He stopped abruptly and waved me on in an angry fashion. I did nothing wrong. He had the right away, the light was green he was in the bike lane and I was making a right turn.
Conclusion: Follow the laws of the road and use your common sense.