When Driving...

The person in the car in front of me was sitting at a green light. Just sitting. I was driving (shocking, I know; I've been putting off getting my license for years) and I was wondering if I needed to honk the horn, so they'd see the light was green, and realize they could go.

But as I looked around, I saw that it wasn't that they weren't paying attention. It was the pedestrian crossing the street.

In the state where I currently live, there's a law that was passed recently. Any driver has to wait for a pedestrian crossing the street to be eight feet away, or on the other side of a concrete divider or median before they can go. The person in front of me, waiting at the green light, was waiting for a pedestrian. They were following the law.

What struck me was how slow the pedestrian was moving.

Since the law was passed, it's not uncommon. People walking can step out into the street, and traffic has to come to a halt until they're at least one lane away. They don't have to worry about being hit, so they can walk as slow or as quickly as they'd like.

A lot of them walk very slowly.

Now, this bugged me when someone else was driving, too. Not really because we had to wait, more because the pedestrians are being inconsiderate when they step onto into the middle of a street, with no crosswalk (and they do this) expecting everything to just stop for them, and then not even make some attempt at thanking the people who made it possible for them to do that without getting killed.

Really? You're going to ignore the crosswalk half a block away, step into the road, expect everyone to stop for you, walk super slow across the street, and then not even make a token attempt at a "thank you"?

What bothers me even more is the thought that these same people probably have the same attitude when driving, and would get seriously ticked off at a pedestrian that did the same thing to them.

My uncle calls it the "me first" attitude.

I don't know what causes it, but I do know that it's annoying, aggravating, and can be dangerous.

If you just step out into the street expecting the world to stop, what happens if it doesn't? Do you get hit? Do you pay a long visit to the hospital? Or, worse, does it end in death?

Yeah, drivers have a lot of responsibility. They're driving massive vehicles that cause millions of dollars worth of damage every year. People die driving them all the time.

But that doesn't diminish the responsibility you have when you are the pedestrian. You want to stay alive and uninjured? Then be smart. Don't step in front of a speeding car and cuss them out when they don't stop fast enough and make you spill your coffee. Use a crosswalk. You know, a place where drivers expect people to be crossing the road. And then wait until the road is clear. Then, instead of walking super slow, maybe speed it up a little?

Some of us are required by law to wait for you. You could at least be courteous enough to make your passing as speedy as possible. In places where people aren't required to wait for you, it's doubly important. They don't have to do that; they don't have to sit in their cars while you step off the curb, and put their own lives and errands on hold while you saunter across the road with all the speed of a snail.

If you were in the car, wouldn't you want the pedestrian you're waiting for to take you into consideration?

Yeah, yeah, people driving have issues too. Believe me, I know. I had a tailgater for fifteen minutes on the way home the other night.

The idea is to think of the other people involved, whether you're walking, biking, or driving, there are people around you that you should be considerate of.

If you're driving, for instance, tailgating is a pretty stupid way to try and make someone in front of you go faster. I, for one, will only go slower. For two reasons. One, it annoys me that you're going to be that close to me, and think that you can make me go faster by doing something stupid (it's not very nice of me, but hey. I have another reason). Two, the slower I go, the slower you go, which means the less dangerous it's going to be if you hit me - which is more likely because you're following so close.

Another thing you can do if you're driving is pay attention to the pedestrians. And, if you're not in a hurry and someone is waiting to cross the road, maybe slow down and let them go?

When I'm walking on the sidewalk and I need to cross the street, I stand on the sidewalk and wait until it's clear. But sometimes, a patient motorist will see me waiting, and stop to let me go first. I've always appreciated that. Because I wait to step into the street, they aren't required to wait for me, but they do it anyway.

Not everyone is going to appreciate any effort you make to be considerate or accommodating. But some of us will. And some of us will remember that.

Think about other people. And if they're smart, they'll appreciate it.