Moving Violations: A Message for Cyclists and Pedestrians

[AF News Desk]

Moving Violations:
A Message for Cyclists and Pedestrians
Drivers are not the only people who need to be watching out for you.

Jonathan Swigart - AutomotiveForums.com
Oct. 28, 2011

Each day I drive to work, I find myself engaging in the typical actions necessitated by working on a university campus: Watching for bikes in the bike lanes and pedestrians in the cross walk.

However, I also find myself becoming increasingly frustrated with pedestrians and cyclists alike for one very specific reason: They do not pay attention to automobiles.

If you’ve ever driven through a campus of any kind, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You will always have people walking or on bikes that acknowledge cars and utilize the proper protocols for crossing the street or yielding to traffic, but more often than not, these individuals seem to be doing everything they can to end up in the hospital.

But what causes this disconnect between pedestrians/cyclists and drivers? Even outside of a campus setting, it seems like the former group disregards the latter as if they are inconsequential at best. Pedestrians walking across intersections without being signaled to do so; cyclists running stop signs/lights in front of active traffic – these things are nonsense to people with common sense, but commonplace nearly everywhere I go.

Part of me believes the blame falls on the carelessness. People assume they do not need to pay attention when they step or ride into a crosswalk and that all vehicles in their vicinity will stop right away. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Another part of me believes it is because of arrogance. The way some people walk out in front of traffic exudes the message “you won’t hit me, because if you do, you’ll either go to jail for killing me or be sued for causing me harm.” Even on campus, if I hit a student who runs out in front of me – even if they are not in a crosswalk and I have no time to stop – the likely result will be me facing a lawsuit or jail time, even if the pedestrian is at fault.

I certainly don’t mean to imply that all the blame falls on pedestrians and cyclists, because it doesn’t. However, there needs to be a greater appreciation for self-preservation by people walking or riding a bike.

If you’re walking in a large city or riding your bike, you’re not going to blow through a stop sign or step off a curb without looking for the simple fact that doing so will likely be the end of your time on Earth. However, people do it and they do it all the time.

So, what needs to be done? We need to educate and enforce. By educating children/students/adults better and enforcing things like jaywalking or running stop signs on bicycles (which, by the way, are supposed to follow the rules of the road like cars do anyway), it will at the very least send a message that just because you are not driving a car does not mean you are exempt from paying attention.

As for what you, as a pedestrian or cyclist, can do – it’s very simple: Use crosswalks appropriately and respect that drivers shouldn’t have to slam on their brakes because you decided you want to cross right now. Pay attention for cars nearby instead of walking through intersections or across streets without looking first (a lesson we all should have learned as small children). Take the time to stop at a stop sign on your bicycle if there are people at the intersection – they have the right of way just as much as you.

Finally, remember that drivers aren’t leading a one-sided charge of being ever-vigilant for your safety; you have to be watching out for each other. If you walk or ride into an intersection or across a street without paying attention or disregarding existing traffic and you are injured or killed, there is only so much blame that can be placed on the driver.

The rest of it falls on you. Be responsible with your life.

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Jonathan Swigart is an award-winning journalist and has been around the automotive world his entire life. "Moving Violations" will explore some of the basic aspects of driving that drivers often overlook, among other topics related to driving and the auto industry. He lives in Champaign, Illinois with his wife and son and works at the University of Illinois.

You can reach Jonathan by emailing [email protected]