Be safe out there.

[mjncad]

OK, I'll risk being the Grinch here; but two recent tragedies involving pedestrians just may have been less tragic had the pedestrians been walking/jogging facing oncoming traffic and seen the vehicles coming at them, and hopefully jump out of the way. Since many of us live in rural areas with no sidewalks, please remember to be safe when walking out and about your areas on roads without sidewalks. Yes, I need to remind myself and my wife of that too.

This happened today, and the video says the jogger probably never saw the SUV, which implies he was jogging with traffic or was in the street when at least some sidewalk was available to run on. Any joggers out there care to enlighten me and the forum for that matter why they jog in the street when a perfectly good sidewalk is right there in a lot of cases?

Out-of-control SUV hits & kills jogger; slams into house


Out-of-control SUV hits & kills jogger; slams into house | 9news.com



The following happened about 3 - 4 miles from me and there are no sidewalks on that 45 - 50 MPH 2-lane road. Also, if the driver is found to have caused the accident because of his **** cell phone...well it just reinforces my signature line.

Families of pedestrians killed continue to mourn loss

Families of pedestrians killed continue to mourn loss | 9news.com

"We were hit from behind. That's the last thing I remember," Jarren Lewis said.

 

[creekbend]

Thanks for posting.

 

[grnspot110]

I walk a two lane road daily, always wear a green/orange safety vest. Besides the cell phone problem, there are way too many people out there who think only of themselves! ~~ grnspot

 

[rsewill]

Jiggers will use the road because the sidewalk may be very uneven and rough.

We do about three miles 4 to 6 days a week on a paved country road. Most drivers give my wife and me the whole lane we are in because the road is not heavily traveled (fewer than a half dozen cars). The worst drivers, the ones who try to drive us off the road, are older drivers. We've had one 70-something (I'm 61) come right up to us and try to use his vehicle to push us off the road. There was actual contact. We have a 12 inch weedy shoulder before it dives into the ditch. We would never walk in the same direction as traffic. As far as I know, it is legal to walk in the road even if there is a sidewalk. Just be sure to cross the road legally, at an intersection or crosswalk.

 

[beppington]

I walk a two lane road daily, always wear a green/orange safety vest. Besides the cell phone problem, there are way too many people out there who think only of themselves! ~~ grnspot

Bright colors only work if somebody is actually looking

 

[mjncad]

Jiggers will use the road because the sidewalk may be very uneven and rough.

As far as I know, it is legal to walk in the road even if there is a sidewalk. Just be sure to cross the road legally, at an intersection or crosswalk.

Well, I have little sympathy for joggers who purposely run in the street when a perfectly good sidewalk is just a couple of steps away.

On 2-lane roads, I try to give bicyclists and pedestrians plenty of room.

As for walking in the street legally, I suspect that varies from state to state.

 

[nue2farm]

My Grandaughter was hit by a car recently. She blamed the driver, of course, she was texting while in the ER so.... yep, I suspect she was texting while walking and not paying any attention to any thing around her.... I tried to point this out with the expected results. "driver did not see me"... Can't explain anything to some people... Have fun and stay safe.....

 

[jonyyuma]

Here, When driving the law for Bicyclist is to give them Three foot clearance...Most of them are wearing safety vests? This clearance is not easy when on our 2 lane blacktop with only 9 foot width each lane?

 

[beppington]

My Grandaughter was hit by a car recently. She blamed the driver, of course, she was texting while in the ER so.... yep, I suspect she was texting while walking and not paying any attention to any thing around her.... I tried to point this out with the expected results. "driver did not see me"... Can't explain anything to some people... Have fun and stay safe.....

Wow, that's pretty bad when even the hard lesson wasn't learned.

 

[rsewill]

Here, When driving the law for Bicyclist is to give them Three foot clearance...Most of them are wearing safety vests? This clearance is not easy when on our 2 lane blacktop with only 9 foot width each lane?

Total width of road is 18 feet. Bicycler is about three feet wide, but maybe five feet wide if they are not hugging the edge of the road. Your vehicle is nine feet if not oversize. Give yourself two feet on the side away from the bicycler and the legally required three feet. So, that's 5' + 9' + 2' + 3' = 19' or 1' too wide. If the biker takes less than five feet and you aren't driving a big truck and you don't require the two feet on the opposite side, then you should have enough room to give the bicycler three feet.

 

[PeterK]

Bright colors only work if somebody is actually looking

That's it. And they only look if they care to. Many don't, too busy with their Latte or phone. I walk to the PO daily on a posted 35mph road and really have to pay attention to avoid getting run over.

In the winter, we have lots of truck traffic with an assortment of plow blades bouncing just barely above the road surface. Makes me shudder just to think about getting clipped by one that hits the road and digs in.

It only takes once so be careful and don't forget motorcycles are out now too.

 

[mjncad]

The Lance Armstrong wannabe Spandex Fairies got a 3-foot law enacted here in Colorado a couple of years back.

I know bicycles have the same rights as cars on the road; but geez...use some common sense and stay the he!! off of a 2-lane road with no shoulder with your skinny tire road bikes, especially if you can't keep up with traffic.

 

[Cat_Driver]

I see in all the time, people jogging or biking along a bust highway where cars are 8" from them going 60 mph.

A school principal was killed a few years ago doing just that. WHAT ARE THESE PEOPLE THINKING.?

Joggers, Bikers, etc. get killed left and right. With as many roads and parks certainly these people can find a quiet area to exercise.

I don't forbid my wife anything, but when we were dating she used to do just that - ride her bike on these highways. That's one thing I asked he to never do again. She agreed and I've gone out of my way to take her to safe places to do what she loves.

The worst is Families with tiny ones on tiny bikes wobbling down the road doing there best to keep a straight line inches from speeding vehicles. I just want to pull over and ring their necks.

 

[rsewill]

I see in all the time, people jogging or biking along a bust highway where cars are 8" from them going 60 mph.

A school principal was killed a few years ago doing just that. WHAT ARE THESE PEOPLE THINKING.?

Joggers, Bikers, etc. get killed left and right. With as many roads and parks certainly these people can find a quiet area to exercise.

I don't forbid my wife anything, but when we were dating she used to do just that - ride her bike on these highways. That's one thing I asked he to never do again. She agreed and I've gone out of my way to take her to safe places to do what she loves.

The worst is Families with tiny ones on tiny bikes wobbling down the road doing there best to keep a straight line inches from speeding vehicles. I just want to pull over and ring their necks.

You could just slow down when you see a bicycler. They have just as much right to use the road as you do.

 

[RoMad]

I also hang out on the bike forum and am a cyclist so I see this from the other side too. I suppose if someone on the bike forum started talking about people driving tractors on the road some of the cyclist would think the tractor drivers were a bunch of bib overall wearing doofuses.
I am suprized at some of the comments since this is the "safety" forum.

 

[mjncad]

Another big difference is that a bicycle weighs about 20 - 25 pounds, and a CUT is around the same weight as a small car or more as the tractor size increases.

At least with a tractor, you have a better chance of surviving a collision. The same can't be said for a bicyclist.

Besides, how many tractors does one see on the road compared to bicycles?

 

[aczlan]

You could just slow down when you see a bicycler. They have just as much right to use the road as you do.

That they do, but I have as much right to be on the road as they do and when they are riding 4 abreast at 10MPH just over the top of a blind hill/curve on a 55mph road without a chase car they are asking for trouble.
I ride a bike, but I keep out of the way of cars and try to avoid doing stupid things like that.

Aaron Z

 

[Looking4new]

I drive big truck for a living....Whether it is in my truck or my 4 wheeler, IF I can't give bicycles and joggers the lane due to oncoming traffic, then I give them a little toot on my horn to let them know that I am there. Sometimes I get 'the bird' but most of the time they move over.
Joggers facing me, I almost always move over and give them the whole lane. If you've ever been hit in the face with the sand and grit that follows you when you drive down the road, then you will understand.