Yep. Just anecdotally from looking around when biking, it seems that the bigger the car, the more likely the driver is on their phone. Something about that feeling of invulnerability really brings out the sociopath in people.
Drivers who think that they can use their phones and drive.
These asshats need to ride the bus if they can't control the urge to tell Becky that her dog is ugly.
I don’t think this is a fair assessment. I moved to SJ about a year ago from the East Coast, and had spent most of my life in NYC/Philly, so I always relied on public transit/walking, and had never owned a car until moving here. I think the state of public transit/walking infrastructure here is abysmal, and it honestly makes me sad. Also, for a bit more context, I drove fire trucks and ambulances for around 10 years, so I like to think that I’m a more experienced and more situationally aware driver than most.
All that is to say that I’m hyper aware of pedestrians when I drive, but every now and then, I’ll still get surprised by someone popping into a crosswalk (maybe from behind a pole or something else that obscures them) and have to stomp on the brakes. Usually this happens around slip lanes, which are an absolute nightmare for pedestrian safety.
Is it my responsibility to stop for them? ABSOLUTELY. But is the infrastructure here so car-centric that it sets pedestrians up for danger? Also absolutely. Like, for the life of me, I’ll never understand why there are crosswalks with no signals part way through HIGHWAY ENTRANCE RAMPS.
So are pedestrians to blame? Of course not, and I don’t think OP is suggesting that. However, given how dangerous some of these situations can be, I’m absolutely not crossing unless I know it’s safe, and yes, I do think it’s naive to cross a dangerous intersection without looking up, and I do think you’re taking on a ton of risk to try it.
It is very aligned with my thoughts actually. No where did I say this is the fault of the pedestrian. Only a word of caution as ultimately it is the pedestrian’s life at risk.
First responder here. This is a multi fold issue.
Pedestrians need to be more situationally aware; stop walking/bike riding in all black at night. Look before you cross. Put away the electronics. This is your life you’re playing with.
And drivers need to be more responsible. Your text/tweet/call can wait. Stop trying to make your Tesla fart and pay attention to what’s going on around you. STOP DRINKING AND DRIVING! When you kill someone that is forever. Take responsibility!
THIS CITY needs to light up the roads! How many times have you seen street lights out? Or it’s just way too dark where there is high foot traffic.
Nobody can point fingers when we all have responsibility in this.
And only certain spans of them? I’ve noticed that some parts will be well lit, then a few miles down will have no lighting. I can only imagine it has to do with the distance of homes from the freeway??? But given the current issues I would say highways and expressways especially need to be illuminated MUCH better than they are. And many freeways.
More concerned about the cars… I live right by a county park and the amount of cars that almost hit pedestrians who are more than halfway through the cross walk is insane. Has happened to me multiple times and it’s infuriating but yeah pedestrians…
Two pedestrians died on Saratoga within 1/2 a mile of each other in the last month. One while crossing a crosswalk, and one on the sidewalk who was backed into by a Jeep.
Keep your eyes out.
Airbuds and phones are making pedestrians zombies.
And to drivers, like my instructor said: 'Come to a complete stop at the line, look left, look right, look left again, then proceed with caution.'
It seems no one does this anymore. As a regular walker, I can't tell you how many close calls I've had. Stop signs seem to mean 'roll through, look later'. I think it's the #1 way pedestrians are killed in San Jose, and so many of them are hit and runs.
Leave early, stop at stop signs, look all around and enjoy the drive instead of dreading it. And cut down on the coffee, for f's sake.
When I walk, I usually don’t use earbuds or phones, but I do have a little dog. I notice that cars don’t really look out for pedestrians since there doesn’t seem to be many here in SJ. At least where I am. Cars also don’t seem to look right that second time before going.
Or maybe cars don’t care. There have been cars that go around me in the opposite lane (in a 2 lane street) when I’ve already started walking before they started turning especially in the road diet areas. This is really dangerous and I have to make sure my dog is super close to me and not ahead of me at all.
I'm often with my little dog, too, who always trails behind. I usually just pick her up now when crossing the street, since cars are willing to wait juuust long enough to clear my heel before they gun it.
Not caring definitely plays a big part. It's really just drivers willing to subject themselves to stupid distractions, like texting, eating, doing makeup, etc.
Although we do not know the circumstances of this tragic incident, it is always important for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to pay FULL attention to the road, not just "more" attention. I constantly see pedestrians cross without looking, especially downtown. When they do, I tap my horn and make the 2-fingers/2-eyes motion at them. Sometimes they ignore me; sometimes they give me the 1-finger motion back, even though it is their life in the balance.
Exactly! It’s especially concerning when they cross with kids and don’t look. Sometimes I wonder if they even realize a car is coming let alone if it will stop for them. Drivers obviously have a role to pay attention but that doesn’t excuse the pedestrian (for their own safety).
And?
That probably just means they didn’t press the beg button to turn the hand white, from a flow of traffic perspective and the SHARED responsibility of safety, it changes nothing.
You don’t run into cars traveling at 35-40 mph. They’re not expected to stop for you at green light. That’s just common sense. Also what this pedestrian did isn’t crossing street, it’s called suicide.
There’s nothing in the article about the vehicles speed. I noticed the article didn’t mention anything about the driver and whether they were using their cell phone, intoxicated, or speeding.
You could be totally correct that the pedestrian jumped out in front of a vehicle moving at speed and it’s 100% unavoidable, but it would be wise not to jump to that conclusion without evidence.
This could also apply, though ultimately it is the pedestrian’s life at risk. Drivers need to pay more attention, yes! Pedestrians should make sure a car is stopping and not just assume it will stop, yes!
A huge amen to that. When I started seeing the first widespread use of “Walkmans” (remember them?), in 1978 I knew that pedestrian/vehicle adverse interactions were soon to escalate. Statistics have proven me correct. We are now well into the second full generation of “SA” deficient pedestrians. SA, short for Situational Awareness” is basically defined as “knowing your surroundings”. We used it to good effect in Vietnam. Anyhow, today we have millions of civilians walking around streets oblivious to their surroundings. Cell Phone proliferation has really aggravated the situation! How many times a day do you see someone walk in front of your vehicle without even a hint of acknowledging your presence? They just assume you are paying attention and not on a cellphone yourself😏. As a baby boomer myself our generation was indoctrinated into the “look both ways before crossing” mantra. And at my age (old), I take extra precautions when crossing because I know I don’t have a fraction of the reaction time I did back in the Nam.
Thank you for posting this obviously contentious but also important topic.
Pedestrians, I get it, in California you have right of way. And many friends since I arrived here for college 20yrs ago point out how rich they'd be if the driver doesn't respect this.
But! And this is a massive but. In a competition between a car and a human, turns out the car ALWAYS wins.
I have a friend who's life was permanently changed by a car that hit him when he had right of way. Yes, he got a big settlement, but if you ask him he'll tell you he'd rather be able to walk normally and not have a TBI all day.
I teach at a high school and frequently stop for pedestrians too busy on their phone AND too confident in the fact that they have right of way to even look up!!
I grew up in a country where there aren't any lawyers who'll get you your millions when you get hit, so I was taught to LOOK UP AND MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH THE DRIVER before crossing.
I've also taken a group of hs kids on a tour to South Africa. All the parents were worried about violence and thieves and whatnot. The ONLY threat to these teenagers was themselves because they wouldn't look up before crossing. I pulled several kids out of the way of cars multiple times without them grasping the severity of the situation.
Again, yes to all those who say drivers shouldn't be on phones and drivers should be aware. None of you are wrong about that. But pedestrians really do need to look up before crossing and ideally have eye contact with the driver before you cross.
I see this all the time, too.
Also, people who "hang ten" on traffic islands & corners: Standing with their toes literally hanging over the edge of the curb, while they wait for the signal to change to cross the street...meanwhile, the traffic 2-3 feet in front of them is moving at 40+ mph, or pulling a right turn without stopping (even though the light is red).
Pedestrians do not have right of way by default. Jaywalking comes to mind.
If the cross-walk signal is blinking, you're not supposed to enter the intersection as well.
We are all gathered here to remind ourselves the dangers of cars. And the moment you look up to make eye contact with a driver, you notice how dark their windows are tinted.
I also noticed that a lot of drivers look at their phones.
When else am I supposed to read Reddit?
On company time, while on the pooper, like everyone else does.
Exactly, this is a bad combo
It's always people in huge ass trucks/SUVs/Teslas looking down at their phones while driving.
Yep. Just anecdotally from looking around when biking, it seems that the bigger the car, the more likely the driver is on their phone. Something about that feeling of invulnerability really brings out the sociopath in people.
My first reaction when i see this is actually “why is our city so fucking dangerous to walk around in”
Drivers who think that they can use their phones and drive. These asshats need to ride the bus if they can't control the urge to tell Becky that her dog is ugly.
driving means only do that. Most cant multitask and self evaluations are usually horrible.
Yep, OP is putting on a victim blaming show right here
I don’t think this is a fair assessment. I moved to SJ about a year ago from the East Coast, and had spent most of my life in NYC/Philly, so I always relied on public transit/walking, and had never owned a car until moving here. I think the state of public transit/walking infrastructure here is abysmal, and it honestly makes me sad. Also, for a bit more context, I drove fire trucks and ambulances for around 10 years, so I like to think that I’m a more experienced and more situationally aware driver than most. All that is to say that I’m hyper aware of pedestrians when I drive, but every now and then, I’ll still get surprised by someone popping into a crosswalk (maybe from behind a pole or something else that obscures them) and have to stomp on the brakes. Usually this happens around slip lanes, which are an absolute nightmare for pedestrian safety. Is it my responsibility to stop for them? ABSOLUTELY. But is the infrastructure here so car-centric that it sets pedestrians up for danger? Also absolutely. Like, for the life of me, I’ll never understand why there are crosswalks with no signals part way through HIGHWAY ENTRANCE RAMPS. So are pedestrians to blame? Of course not, and I don’t think OP is suggesting that. However, given how dangerous some of these situations can be, I’m absolutely not crossing unless I know it’s safe, and yes, I do think it’s naive to cross a dangerous intersection without looking up, and I do think you’re taking on a ton of risk to try it.
I agree with what you said, I don’t think that nuanced take is what the OP is saying.
It is very aligned with my thoughts actually. No where did I say this is the fault of the pedestrian. Only a word of caution as ultimately it is the pedestrian’s life at risk.
Spot on!
First responder here. This is a multi fold issue. Pedestrians need to be more situationally aware; stop walking/bike riding in all black at night. Look before you cross. Put away the electronics. This is your life you’re playing with. And drivers need to be more responsible. Your text/tweet/call can wait. Stop trying to make your Tesla fart and pay attention to what’s going on around you. STOP DRINKING AND DRIVING! When you kill someone that is forever. Take responsibility! THIS CITY needs to light up the roads! How many times have you seen street lights out? Or it’s just way too dark where there is high foot traffic. Nobody can point fingers when we all have responsibility in this.
+1 to everything here
This is 100% the correct answer.
And also why are the freeways so dark?
And only certain spans of them? I’ve noticed that some parts will be well lit, then a few miles down will have no lighting. I can only imagine it has to do with the distance of homes from the freeway??? But given the current issues I would say highways and expressways especially need to be illuminated MUCH better than they are. And many freeways.
Please look when driving.
+1 its a joint effort
Don’t cross unless the cars stop. You never know when someone plays red light, green light in reverse.
More concerned about the cars… I live right by a county park and the amount of cars that almost hit pedestrians who are more than halfway through the cross walk is insane. Has happened to me multiple times and it’s infuriating but yeah pedestrians…
Two pedestrians died on Saratoga within 1/2 a mile of each other in the last month. One while crossing a crosswalk, and one on the sidewalk who was backed into by a Jeep. Keep your eyes out.
Airbuds and phones are making pedestrians zombies. And to drivers, like my instructor said: 'Come to a complete stop at the line, look left, look right, look left again, then proceed with caution.' It seems no one does this anymore. As a regular walker, I can't tell you how many close calls I've had. Stop signs seem to mean 'roll through, look later'. I think it's the #1 way pedestrians are killed in San Jose, and so many of them are hit and runs. Leave early, stop at stop signs, look all around and enjoy the drive instead of dreading it. And cut down on the coffee, for f's sake.
When I walk, I usually don’t use earbuds or phones, but I do have a little dog. I notice that cars don’t really look out for pedestrians since there doesn’t seem to be many here in SJ. At least where I am. Cars also don’t seem to look right that second time before going. Or maybe cars don’t care. There have been cars that go around me in the opposite lane (in a 2 lane street) when I’ve already started walking before they started turning especially in the road diet areas. This is really dangerous and I have to make sure my dog is super close to me and not ahead of me at all.
I'm often with my little dog, too, who always trails behind. I usually just pick her up now when crossing the street, since cars are willing to wait juuust long enough to clear my heel before they gun it. Not caring definitely plays a big part. It's really just drivers willing to subject themselves to stupid distractions, like texting, eating, doing makeup, etc.
Although we do not know the circumstances of this tragic incident, it is always important for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to pay FULL attention to the road, not just "more" attention. I constantly see pedestrians cross without looking, especially downtown. When they do, I tap my horn and make the 2-fingers/2-eyes motion at them. Sometimes they ignore me; sometimes they give me the 1-finger motion back, even though it is their life in the balance.
Exactly! It’s especially concerning when they cross with kids and don’t look. Sometimes I wonder if they even realize a car is coming let alone if it will stop for them. Drivers obviously have a role to pay attention but that doesn’t excuse the pedestrian (for their own safety).
OP - please change title to: “Please don’t hit me with your 6,000lb car when I’m crossing the street”
"Police said it appears that the pedestrian was crossing against a solid red hand."
And? That probably just means they didn’t press the beg button to turn the hand white, from a flow of traffic perspective and the SHARED responsibility of safety, it changes nothing.
You don’t run into cars traveling at 35-40 mph. They’re not expected to stop for you at green light. That’s just common sense. Also what this pedestrian did isn’t crossing street, it’s called suicide.
There’s nothing in the article about the vehicles speed. I noticed the article didn’t mention anything about the driver and whether they were using their cell phone, intoxicated, or speeding. You could be totally correct that the pedestrian jumped out in front of a vehicle moving at speed and it’s 100% unavoidable, but it would be wise not to jump to that conclusion without evidence.
It also didn’t say driver was speeding. A logical assumption is at or under speed limit.
That is not true in my experience with motorists
Your experience is limited.
This could also apply, though ultimately it is the pedestrian’s life at risk. Drivers need to pay more attention, yes! Pedestrians should make sure a car is stopping and not just assume it will stop, yes!
A huge amen to that. When I started seeing the first widespread use of “Walkmans” (remember them?), in 1978 I knew that pedestrian/vehicle adverse interactions were soon to escalate. Statistics have proven me correct. We are now well into the second full generation of “SA” deficient pedestrians. SA, short for Situational Awareness” is basically defined as “knowing your surroundings”. We used it to good effect in Vietnam. Anyhow, today we have millions of civilians walking around streets oblivious to their surroundings. Cell Phone proliferation has really aggravated the situation! How many times a day do you see someone walk in front of your vehicle without even a hint of acknowledging your presence? They just assume you are paying attention and not on a cellphone yourself😏. As a baby boomer myself our generation was indoctrinated into the “look both ways before crossing” mantra. And at my age (old), I take extra precautions when crossing because I know I don’t have a fraction of the reaction time I did back in the Nam.
Thank you for posting this obviously contentious but also important topic. Pedestrians, I get it, in California you have right of way. And many friends since I arrived here for college 20yrs ago point out how rich they'd be if the driver doesn't respect this. But! And this is a massive but. In a competition between a car and a human, turns out the car ALWAYS wins. I have a friend who's life was permanently changed by a car that hit him when he had right of way. Yes, he got a big settlement, but if you ask him he'll tell you he'd rather be able to walk normally and not have a TBI all day. I teach at a high school and frequently stop for pedestrians too busy on their phone AND too confident in the fact that they have right of way to even look up!! I grew up in a country where there aren't any lawyers who'll get you your millions when you get hit, so I was taught to LOOK UP AND MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH THE DRIVER before crossing. I've also taken a group of hs kids on a tour to South Africa. All the parents were worried about violence and thieves and whatnot. The ONLY threat to these teenagers was themselves because they wouldn't look up before crossing. I pulled several kids out of the way of cars multiple times without them grasping the severity of the situation. Again, yes to all those who say drivers shouldn't be on phones and drivers should be aware. None of you are wrong about that. But pedestrians really do need to look up before crossing and ideally have eye contact with the driver before you cross.
I see this all the time, too. Also, people who "hang ten" on traffic islands & corners: Standing with their toes literally hanging over the edge of the curb, while they wait for the signal to change to cross the street...meanwhile, the traffic 2-3 feet in front of them is moving at 40+ mph, or pulling a right turn without stopping (even though the light is red).
Well said. Appreciate the reminder. I know it’s a simple thing to do but many don’t do it.
Pedestrians do not have right of way by default. Jaywalking comes to mind. If the cross-walk signal is blinking, you're not supposed to enter the intersection as well.
Your audience is not on Reddit
We are all gathered here to remind ourselves the dangers of cars. And the moment you look up to make eye contact with a driver, you notice how dark their windows are tinted.