Pedestrians - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

G-Benz · #16 03-21-2007, 03:45 PM

I'm surprised that more cyclists don't get hit.

While most here do ride on the streets rather than the sidewalks, their desire to NOT have to expend the energy to brake and yield must be what motivates them to speed through stop signs and red lights!

I fear that one day they will meet up with a vehicular driver from an intersecting lane that also feels the same!

Hammertime · #17 03-21-2007, 04:05 PM

I have issue with these bicyclers....they travel in packs of 5-20 people, on the road with traffic...which is legal but then they blow through red light, stop signs, yield signs...I say if they are on the road they need to respect ALL the rules of the roads..

I have had a few near crashes with these yellow shirt wearing weekend warriors. I do feel one needs to share the road but why can they ignore red lights and not get ticketed?

Jim B. · #18 03-21-2007, 04:12 PM

I had an unfortunate experience once, like a deer running in front of the car.
Driving about 35 mph on a broad blvd. near Sacramento State, all of a sudden there is an IMAGE of a bicyclist in front of me, next thing my windshield exploded in my face as the Chevelle's roof concaved and I lost control of the car.

A couple of 18 year old guys on bicycles had literally darted out in the middle of the road trying to beat traffic across the street, gambled and lost. It was HORRIFIC. Amazingly there were lots of witnesses to put me in the clear, and the 3rd car behind was an MD who stopped to help, not afraid to get sued. Luckily the guy lived, everything was OK, and my car was eventually fixed. I got a lot of glass in my mouth, but otherwise was ok, as I didn't hit anything else. It was in the newspapers. ugh.

Bicyclists in San Francisco are so often utterly irresponsible, they sail through red lights, ride on sidewalks knocking people down, and every month revel in their irresponsibility and political correctness.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass I saw one Latino guy in a mid 70's Cutlass try to cross Market Street during one of those, the Critical Mass people just swarmed his car, it was not pretty. The SFPD does nothing when these take place

Sometimes not so lucky. One darted in front of a SF Muni bus, another in front of a garbage truck. Very bad outcome. As an auto driver I found them to be a scourge and a pestilence, coupled with unbelievable arrogance and hubris

A264172 · #19 03-21-2007, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by G-Benz

I'm surprised that more cyclists don't get hit.

While most here do ride on the streets rather than the sidewalks, their desire to NOT have to expend the energy to brake and yield must be what motivates them to speed through stop signs and red lights!

I fear that one day they will meet up with a vehicular driver from an intersecting lane that also feels the same!

Yep, the same principals that make lighter car chassis' faster and more manuverable are magnified in a 20lb bicycle/180lb rider. Why have regenerative braking when you can just veer around obsticles and not loose your momentum.

You would be amazed at how harmless a dangerous street crossing can seem when you have 15 mph worth of momentum but only weigh 175-200lbs vs 2700-3700lbs. Sometimes it seems like your trying to avoid a garbage truck in a parking lot and driving a Porsche

Accidents however have a lot more downside.

Dee8go · #20 03-21-2007, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim B.

I . . . Bicyclists in San Francisco are so often utterly irresponsible, they sail through red lights, ride on sidewalks knocking people down, and every month revel in their irresponsibility and political correctness.[url] . . . Sometimes not so lucky. One darted in front of a SF Muni bus, another in front of a garbage truck. Very bad outcome. As an auto driver I found them to be a scourge and a pestilence, coupled with unbelievable arrogance and hubris

Obviously, Darwin Awards candidates. It's too bad when they put good people in a bad spot like the fellow you hit. That would have been hard to live with even if you were in the right, if he had gotten killed.

Glad everything turned out okay in spite of that nitwit.

aklim · #21 03-21-2007, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dee8go

Obviously, Darwin Awards candidates. It's too bad when they put good people in a bad spot like the fellow you hit. That would have been hard to live with even if you were in the right, if he had gotten killed.

I don't know about him but I would sleep just fine if it wasn't my fault. If it was, I'd probably try to fix the situation. If both are at fault, well, it's a push.

A264172 · #22 03-21-2007, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim B.

...
Bicyclists in San Francisco are so often utterly irresponsible, they sail through red lights, ride on sidewalks knocking people down, and every month revel in their irresponsibility and political correctness.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass I saw one Latino guy in a mid 70's Cutlass try to cross Market Street during one of those, the Critical Mass people just swarmed his car, it was not pretty. The SFPD does nothing when these take place

Sometimes not so lucky. One darted in front of a SF Muni bus, another in front of a garbage truck. Very bad outcome. As an auto driver I found them to be a scourge and a pestilence, coupled with unbelievable arrogance and hubris

To me 'critical mass' could drop the 'm' and be more aptly described.

Hitting a pedestrian, on a sidewalk, on a bicycle, is a clear sign of an out of control driver. But I would be willing to bet half or more cyclist/car accidents are caused by a motorist that didn't see the bike. They are small silent objects in a place where drivers expect only other cars... however, if you play roulette on a bicycle, you will eventually loose. And it only takes one wrong bet to loose it all.

Hatterasguy · #23 03-21-2007, 06:08 PM

I have had a few close calls, people can be pretty stupid. What drives me nuts is people think they always have the right of way in the center of town and just cross the street. In the cross walks they do, and I do stop for them. But I am not locking up my wheels and getting rear ended. These idiots just walk and assume you will stop, it doesn't matter if you are 30ft away from them and going 30mph. I scared the crap out of one couple who just darted out from between a couple parked cars, didn't even stop and look. Sure they were in the cross walk and had the right of way, but come on you can't expect a car to stop on a dime. Hearing the ABS chater of a 4k pound Mercedes, and having my bumper stop less then a foot from them educated them. They still looked at me like it was my fualt, yeah sorry my 4k pound car can't stop in 2ft, next time look or you will die.

Brian Carlton · #24 03-21-2007, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

If I hit someone who was acting stupid, I wouldn't blame myself. I wouldn't believe that. A guy rammed my Excursion. He didn't yield. Think I feel bad about it? You bet.

Considering my SUV was laid up for a month from the damage and his totaled and his rib cage hit badly, no insurance and DRUNK, I was hoping he would die and save us money. Think I bothered to help him out of his truck? Think I cared if he could not breath? Not a whit. His head was slumped over the wheel. Think it bothered me that he might choke? Nope. Kinda hoping he would. Unfortunately for me the wife had to tilt his head back.

The title of the thread was focused on the word "pedestrian". We all know that you love to go off on tangents, but, the dynamics of hitting a pedestrian doesn't really allow too much of "acting stupid" on the part of the pedestrian unless said pedestrian was a child without sufficient intelligence to avoid a catastrophe with a motor vehicle.

Should such a situation happen to you, I'd make a wager that you might blame yourself..........say..........5%...........or so?

Would I be correct in that assumption?

GermanStar · #25 03-21-2007, 09:43 PM

I hit a pedestrian -- no significant psychological impact. It was an attempted suicide.

I have also been hit as a pedestrian and on a bicycle. Those events had much more dramatic repercussions.

aklim · #26 03-21-2007, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Carlton

The title of the thread was focused on the word "pedestrian". We all know that you love to go off on tangents, but, the dynamics of hitting a pedestrian doesn't really allow too much of "acting stupid" on the part of the pedestrian unless said pedestrian was a child without sufficient intelligence to avoid a catastrophe with a motor vehicle.

Should such a situation happen to you, I'd make a wager that you might blame yourself..........say..........5%...........or so?

Would I be correct in that assumption?

Well, that was an example. However, if the pedestrian was just walking across the road without looking and didn't give me enough time to slow down or say tossing a football to somebody "going deep" into the road, I wouldn't feel even 1% guilty. Now, if I was fiddling with the radio, yakking on the cell, getting road head or just drunk, you bet I would feel somewhat responsible. So I guess if the pedestrian were capable or thinking enough to avoid the accident and walked out in front of my car, or darted across the road when there is snow or ice on the road and I cannot stop in time, I wouldn't feel guilty so you are INCORRECT if that is your assumption. In fact, if such were the case, I'd be livid at all the inconvenience the pedestrian caused me.

Brian Carlton · #27 03-21-2007, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

I wouldn't feel guilty so you are INCORRECT if that is your assumption. In fact, if such were the case, I'd be livid at all the inconvenience the pedestrian caused me.

GermanStar · #28 03-21-2007, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

I'd be livid at all the inconvenience the pedestrian caused me.

Yup, ***** put a big dent in my door, too.

Dee8go · #29 03-22-2007, 11:57 AM

One night last summer I was on my way to the beach house in NC about 2:00 AM and suddenly two drunks weaving down the edge of the highway, suddenly appeared in my headlights. I was going about 70-75mph at the time.

I have experienced this phenomenon numerous times in the past, having grown up in the rural South. It is still unsettling, though. The best part was my passenger's reaction. She was only semi-conscious at the time, but the sudden flash of the car's lights on these two nitwits brought her completely alert. "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggghhhhhh!" was her comment, if I remember correctly. I still laugh when I remember this episode.

aklim · #30 03-22-2007, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Carlton

Guess you don't like to be told that you are wrong in your assumptions, huh?

In your comment about me going off tangent, I was hoping you caught the PRINCIPLE of what I was saying. Guess not. So here is a, hopefully, better explanation. To feel guilt or remorse, I'd have to have done something wrong or be partly or wholly to blame for the problem. In the case of the accident, I waited till the light turned green, looked in the turn lane before I even hit the gas. This guy came from another lane besides the turn lane. He was drunk and speeding and failed to yield like he should have. So, in that, I don't see any fault of mine other than being there. He had his ribs broken and sternum broke. Do I know that he should have his head tilted back? Yes. Would I bother? No. If I felt guilty because I made the mistake, I'd be all over it like a cheap suit. I will NEVER lie to myself. I am honest in evaluating fault. I know when I rear ended someone because I was a new driver and too busy checking the gauges for problems, I felt bad about the whole thing even when he got a nosebleed. Yes, we both had the same social conditioning for guilt when we were young. However, I have broken that conditioning. My wife, OTOH, hasn't. Which was why she helped that guy.

Would I have felt bad if he had died? No. I was hoping he would. Yes, he cost me about $500 in deductibles and several hundred I could have made if I had my vehicle. Plus, I knew from the looks of his vehicle and him that he had no insurance. So that would have cost us more money to heal his body. Just so you don't think it was all money, it did cause me a lot of inconvenience too. With all that, it was cheaper that he croaked. As such, I left him alone since it was not my job to keep him alive and hoped that he would expire by the time the paramedics got to him. Unfortunately, he lived.

Bottom line is that if I don't deem myself responsible in any way for an unfortunate event, I won't feel guilt or remorse. Child dashed across the road and I cannot stop in time. Well, nothing I could have done different assuming I wasn't drunk or distracted with the phone, the cigarette, getting road head, etc, etc. I wouldn't feel any guilt because it was NOT MY FAULT. If I was speeding, playing games, etc, etc, yes. Guy runs out in front of my car and I run him down? Same principle. No guilt. If he dented the body, I'd get upset that he caused me problems. If I rolled over him, well, I get the pressure washer and hose off any bits left.