file photo by Boyd Loving
This pedestrian vs. motorist argument is tiresome
Really?
Sounds like someone so used to not taking personal responsibility they don’t even realize when this attitude puts their life in physical danger.
All of the “technology” and supports are useless… what about those orange flags… they were hailed as a cure… now all I see are dirty empty plastic eyesores (boxes) nailed to telephone poles at crosswalks.
At the end of the day it is up to the pedestrian to keep himself safe, but you can try to “fix” this via laws and crutches, but you will ultimately fail.
I will agree with the OP, however… the drivers are also at fault (and no one said they are deliberately targeting pedestrians – get off the ledge there) … unfortunately for the pedestrians the drivers will fell bad after an accident, but the pedestrian will just “feel” dead…
We cannot expect all pedestrians to wear bright clothing… however those who want to live will voluntarily wear it if they venture into a dangerous situation… just look to cyclists… they make themselves visible.
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Life is risks… It is up to the individual to assess how much risk they wish to take and take as many precautions as they see fit.
Not sure what your issue is here. Seems like you think all pedestrians getting hit are idiots.
Maybe. I don’t know the full details of each incident to know enough. What I do know is that the motorist will be sued, and likely have insurance rates jacked up and would face tremendous emotional distress if he/she accidentally ended up killing someone, even if unintentionally.
I just want systems to be put in place to protect the motorist (from financial and emotional distress) as much as to save the pedestrian (from physical injuries).
Orange flags should have been laughed out of the village courtroom rather than implemented by a desperate (former) village council. It’s past time to remove the boxes from the posts and move on.
12.31 Orange flags have saved and slowed down many drivers at dangerous construction sites where workers in roadways were statistically
DOA without them.Even if one life was saved then it was worth it and raised awareness of the slow down issue.
re:“What I do know is that the motorist will be sued, and likely have insurance rates jacked up and would face tremendous emotional distress if he/she accidentally ended up killing someone, even if unintentionally. “
This is all true and makes my point… no matter how at fault or how bad or how much prison time the driver does, the pedestrian is still dead… so the pedestrian needs to keep himself safe – this is NOT to imply that the pedestrians are “idiots”, just that technology nor legislation is a cure for this problem.
re: “12.31 Orange flags have saved and slowed down many drivers at dangerous construction sites where workers in roadways were statistically
DOA without them.Even if one life was saved then it was worth it and raised awareness of the slow down issue.”
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Lets shut down the ALL roads in Ridgewood – erect large parking garages at main entry points into town and make Ridgewood a “walking village”… EVEN IF ONE LIFE IS SAVED THEN IT WILL BE WORTH IT
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