Pedestrians & cyclists taking stupid risks

14-10-2017 11:25pm #1

Coming into the short, dark evenings and bad weather, why do some pedestrians and cyclists take such utterly incomprehensible risks on the road? People in vehicles obviously are a bigger threat to pedestrians than they are to them. Therefore, the onus is on pedestrians/cyclists to have most caution. Whatever the legality may be about particular situations, pedestrians and cyclists will physically suffer most when interacting with vehicles. That reality is the most important one.

Last night it was filthy wet and dark with the wipers on incessantly, and plenty of road traffic. Windows steaming up affecting visibility etc. Then, out of nowhere a group of pedestrians wearing ordinary dark black/navy/grey clothes decided to jaywalk across the road as I was just about to move up in the traffic. Out of nowhere they were right in front of my car in the middle of the road. I could easily have hit them. Easily. Yes, I get that they obviously wanted to get out of the rain and over to that pub asap but whatever about jaywalking in broad daylight, doing so in these dark wet autumn/winter nights is painfully naive at best.

Never, ever assume a driver is paying attention to everything around him. Any driver will tell you that. They make mistakes, they are distracted by various things (especially in these days of various electronic gadgets) and most of all they can cause much more harm to you than you can to them. I wouldn't mind the massive car insurance premium hike for a few years if I were involved in an accident (fortunately, I've never been involved in one); money comes and goes. I would, however, not want to be responsible for harming anybody else or their family. The driver's risk is only losing money; the careless pedestrian/cyclist risks their health and life. Stop taking stupid risks with your lives on the road please.

longshanks · 14-10-2017 11:29pm

Ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?

seamus · 14-10-2017 11:33pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

People in vehicles obviously are a bigger threat to pedestrians than they are to them. Therefore, the onus is on pedestrians/cyclists to have most caution.

*Brrt*
Wrong.

That's like saying the guy with a gun is a bigger threat so the onus is on the guy without a gun to be more cautious around him.

The bigger the vehicle, the more responsibility you have to be careful, and the more blame you should take and more severely you should be punished for making a mistake.

twinsen · 14-10-2017 11:33pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Last night it was filthy wet and dark with the wipers on incessantly, and plenty of road traffic. Windows steaming up affecting visibility etc.

If you have a steam on your windows and can't see, it is a very good sign telling you to stop the car. Why would you risk someone lives because You can't see?

ThisRegard · 14-10-2017 11:34pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

......People in vehicles obviously are a bigger threat to pedestrians than they are to them. Therefore, the onus is on pedestrians/cyclists to have most caution. .......
Windows steaming up affecting visibility etc. ...
Then, out of nowhere a group of pedestrians ...... Out of nowhere .......

Stop taking stupid risks with your lives on the road please.

Eh, yeeaaaahhh, ok then.

Magically appearing people, unable to use your car properly but others are the ones taking the risk.

Maybe you should look closer to home for the problem, or driving just isn't for you.

15-10-2017 12:16am

seamus wrote: »

*Brrt*
Wrong.

That's like saying the guy with a gun is a bigger threat so the onus is on the guy without a gun to be more cautious around him.

The bigger the vehicle, the more responsibility you have to be careful, and the more blame you should take and more severely you should be punished for making a mistake.

Blame is incidental if the pedestrian is the one most likely to be injured. It is their life, but the driver's finances or whatever. No comparison.

And the guy with the bigger gun is of course the bigger threat and people with smaller guns tend to give due deference as a result. It doesn't have to be right, but it is reality.

15-10-2017 12:27am

ThisRegard wrote: »

Eh, yeeaaaahhh, ok then.

Magically appearing people, unable to use your car properly but others are the ones taking the risk.

Well, they are jaywalking across the middle of a busy road on a wet dark night wearing barely visible clothes. So, yes, it isn't the brightest thing to do (and
it's illegal, if you want to get into that).

Muahahaha · 15-10-2017 12:49am

Deleted User wrote: »

Therefore, the onus is on pedestrians/cyclists to have most caution.

Everyone has an onus to have caution. But if you are driving a two tonne box of metal you have more onus than most.

Out of nowhere they were right in front of my car in the middle of the road. I could easily have hit them. Easily.

It is beyond the laws of physics for somebody to "come out of nowhere". Perhaps you should have more awareness of your surrounds? Because people do not come out of nowhere and if you think they do all it means is that you were not a good enough driver to see them before you nearly knocked them over

Never, ever assume a driver is paying attention to everything around him. Any driver will tell you that. They make mistakes, they are distracted by various things (especially in these days of various electronic gadgets) and most of all they can cause much more harm to you than you can to them. .

Now it sounds like you are an apologist for people texting when using their phones. If someone knocks another over when texting behind the wheel there should be special sentences for such selfish behaviour.

ted1 · 15-10-2017 12:51am

Deleted User wrote: »

ThisRegard wrote: »

Eh, yeeaaaahhh, ok then.

Magically appearing people, unable to use your car properly but others are the ones taking the risk.

Well, they are jaywalking across the middle of a busy road on a wet dark night wearing barely visible clothes. So, yes, it isn't the brightest thing to do (and
it's illegal, if you want to get into that).

Jaywalking isn’t illegal in ireland

rizzodun · 15-10-2017 12:53am

But but but, hi vis! road tax! entitlement! etc. etc.

Rinse and repeat.

Danbo! · 15-10-2017 1:21am

This argument will never end.

When I drive to work, I get passed by hundreds of bikes and therefore see a lot of people on bikes doing silly things like not signalling or breaking lights.

When I cycle to work, I pass hundreds of cars and therefore see a lot of people in cars doing silly things like not signalling or breaking lights.

When I walk, I see both.

Basically there’s idiots in every group. Cyclists just see more cars than cyclists and drivers see more cyclists than other cars so will always have an issue with the other group.

ThisRegard · 15-10-2017 1:23am

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Well, they are jaywalking across the middle of a busy road on a wet dark night wearing barely visible clothes. So, yes, it isn't the brightest thing to do (and
it's illegal, if you want to get into that).

And you're driving a car without knowing how to use it properly.

MadDog76 · 15-10-2017 1:25am

seamus wrote: »

*Brrt*
Wrong.

That's like saying the guy with a gun is a bigger threat so the onus is on the guy without a gun to be more cautious around him.

The bigger the vehicle, the more responsibility you have to be careful, and the more blame you should take and more severely you should be punished for making a mistake.

If I was facing a guy with a gun whilst unarmed myself then I would be very cautious around him ......... obviously.

MadDog76 · 15-10-2017 1:32am

Muahahaha wrote: »

Everyone has an onus to have caution. But if you are driving a two tonne box of metal you have more onus than most.

It is beyond the laws of physics for somebody to "come out of nowhere". Perhaps you should have more awareness of your surrounds? Because people do not come out of nowhere and if you think they do all it means is that you were not a good enough driver to see them before you nearly knocked them over

Now it sounds like you are an apologist for people texting when using their phones. If someone knocks another over when texting behind the wheel there should be special sentences for such selfish behaviour.

Danbo! wrote: »

This argument will never end.

When I drive to work, I get passed by hundreds of bikes and therefore see a lot of people on bikes doing silly things like not signalling or breaking lights.

When I cycle to work, I pass hundreds of cars and therefore see a lot of people in cars doing silly things like not signalling or breaking lights.

When I walk, I see both.

Basically there’s idiots in every group. Cyclists just see more cars than cyclists and drivers see more cyclists than other cars so will always have an issue with the other group.

I think you're missing the op's point ......... it's not about right/wrong and who's the blame etc., the point is if/when an accident occurs involving a vehicle and a pedestrian/cyclist then it's the pedestrian/cyclist who will be worse off regardless of who's "fault" it is ......... some pedestrians/cyclists seem oblivious to this fact judging by their behaviour when interacting with vehicles on the road.

Canis Lupus · 15-10-2017 4:28am

MadDog76 wrote: »

I think you're missing the op's point ......... it's not about right/wrong and who's the blame etc., the point is if/when an accident occurs involving a vehicle and a pedestrian/cyclist then it's the pedestrian/cyclist who will be worse off regardless of who's "fault" it is ......... some pedestrians/cyclists seem oblivious to this fact judging by their behaviour when interacting with vehicles on the road.

It's a fair point. You see it from time to time when people put themselves into stupid positions because they had 'right of way' etc. As if being 'right' will make your bones heal faster when you get f*cked up.

I drive, ride a motorbike and a bicycle and occasionally grudgingly walk from time to time. I treat everyone like idiots and never try and assume that other road users will do what I expect.

spurious · 15-10-2017 5:44am

I live on a small street off a major road. There is a pedestrian lights and a yellow box at the junction. I have lost count of the number of lunatics who fly through the red lights as I have the right of way to access the main road. Add to them the nuts that don't bother with the road at all but fly along the footpath and eff pedestrians out of it.

Was waiting for the lights to change the other day when one of the footpath brigade realised he was going too fast to stop, swerved out onto the road just as a bus passed and attempted a shoulder tackle on it. I would say a change of underwear was involved. Perhaps he will have learned a lesson.

entropi · 15-10-2017 6:04am

Any cyclists who want to go along the path whilst I'm walking the opposite direction usually decide to move back to the road where they belong, as I won't back down from their game of chicken. They're in the wrong, and don't belong on the path. Stick to the cycle lane, don't be a dick.

Fighting Tao · 15-10-2017 7:25am

I think the title is extremely misleading. From reading the op it should be “Fuaranach taking stupid risks while driving”.

Fighting Tao · 15-10-2017 7:26am

entropi wrote: »

Any cyclists who want to go along the path whilst I'm walking the opposite direction usually decide to move back to the road where they belong, as I won't back down from their game of chicken. They're in the wrong, and don't belong on the path. Stick to the cycle lane, don't be a dick.

“Nice to meet you sir” said the 5 year old child on his bicycle.

whoopsadoodles · 15-10-2017 8:22am

Fighting Tao wrote: »

“Nice to meet you sir” said the 5 year old child on his bicycle.

Yeh I'm sure that's what he meant.

I had a cyclist almost plough into the left hand side of my car the other day. As I was crawling out of the street my mother lives on, that wanker came flying off the path on my left hand side, swerving to miss me and then hopping straight back on the path on my right and booting on up the road.

I don't entirely disagree with the OP's sentiment about cyclists and pedestrians taking extra care. I just think his opening argument on the subject was abysmal.

mikemac2 · 15-10-2017 8:27am

100% of road users believe they have above average skills

wexandproud · 15-10-2017 8:50am

cyclists , pedestrians and motorists all make mistakes and i'm sure their are good and bad in all 3 groups .
However driving when you can't see out through a fogged up window proves you cant use the 'settings' in the car and it would not be classed as a mistake . More in the line of stupidity

OldMrBrennan83 · 15-10-2017 8:52am

This post has been deleted.

Karangue · 15-10-2017 9:11am

When the clocks go back they will have to close the roads by night.

andekwarhola · 15-10-2017 9:53am

And the Cyclist Reaction Force congratulate themselves having successfully tripped the complainant up on points of order and move onwards to find other online crime scenes at which to be triggered.

meeeeh · 15-10-2017 10:55am

All road users are perfectly capable of stupid behaviour and I've done mistakes as a cyclist, pedestrian and driver. Tere is a difference between a mistake and international recklessness. Expecting people to be perfect and see everything is stupid and dangerous. I had running moron wearing dark clothing jump in front of me when running in the dark. She crossed the road just outside roundabout where there was no pedestrian crossing. I saw her in time and baked but she put in danger herself and myself because there could be another car in roundabout reasonably expecting me to exit it as I indicated.

On similar subject I really don't know why it is not mandatory to have lights on during the day on a car.

FizzleSticks · 15-10-2017 11:03am

This post has been deleted.

elperello · 15-10-2017 11:05am

meeeeh wrote: »

All road users are perfectly capable of stupid behaviour and I've done mistakes as a cyclist, pedestrian and driver. Tere is a difference between a mistake and international recklessness. Expecting people to be perfect and see everything is stupid and dangerous. I had running moron wearing dark clothing jump in front of me when running in the dark. She crossed the road just outside roundabout where there was no pedestrian crossing. I saw her in time and baked but she put in danger herself and myself because there could be another car in roundabout reasonably expecting me to exit it as I indicated.

On similar subject I really don't know why it is not mandatory to have lights on during the day on a car.

Good point re. lights.
I've seen ads on TV in USA saying wipers on lights on,
RSA should run similar here.

meeeeh · 15-10-2017 11:12am

FizzleSticks wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I think penalties for texting or using phone while driving should be the same as drink driving. It's very hard to police it but extremely reckless and malicious thing to do.

Loads of behaviour on roads annoys the hell out of me.

suicide_circus · 15-10-2017 11:31am

That's some victim blaming your pulling there, OP.

Very reminiscent of the late Dr Paisley.

archer22 · 15-10-2017 11:39am

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I never heard a cyclist state that cars shouldn't be on the roads...but I am sick and tired of car drivers who say cyclists shouldn't be on the roads.
So I think it's a lot of car drivers who think cyclists should sit in their houses and never use the roads.

A bit ironic when you consider most of the roads in Ireland were never made for cars...but even so everybody has a right to use them as they are PUBLIC highways.

Pedestrians & cyclists taking stupid risks

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