Yeah where I live there is this funny obsession with waiting for the walk light and soo many people just step out without looking. Meanwhile you will often literally get people grumbling at you if you walk on a red no matter how clear the street is.
This saved my mom just the other day. She sat for an extra second at a green, and the car behind her whipped around to pass her. That car almost got t-boned by the fucking bus that ran the red light. If she had gone as soon as the light turned green, she would have been directly in front of the bus. But she noticed the bus wasn’t slowing down at all, so she waited.
Have you been to Italy? I do this on every street because there is a serious chance of finding a bike, or electric scooter or even moped going the wrong way.
I had no idea that mario kart was a documentary. I never get carsick, but after travelling for 24 hours, let me tell you, I got carsick. I didn't get carsick traveling that far before either.
I got a driver from the airport to my hotel in Rome. I decided that in Rome you're allowed to break one law at a time while driving. So you could drive on the wrong side of the road but you still had to respect that red traffic light unless you got back onto the right side of traffic.
As a forced pedestrian (can't drive due to health issues), this is so true. Also at crosswalks, a lot of drivers turning right while looking left. They always appear genuinely SHOCKED to encounter "a walker." Like, "A PERSON...? NOT IN A... CAR?? IS THAT POSSIBLE?" Like it shatters their entire concept of the universe and how things work. Yes, I live in America, and this happens in both suburbs and downtown DC.
part of why i use a mobility device is that i can use it to bang on vehicles and alert them of my presence without kicking/hitting it with my bones, in sitiations just like you describe. a sock full of pool balls would also work.
i have to say tho, as another forced pedestrian, the best thing for my getting around has been getting a recumbent trike.
yeah something didn't quite smell right (it was also me) but i will ask for your forgiveness, i was a fart and a sneeze away from dying until like 6 hours ago and can be forgiven for a touch of insanity.
I make a point to make eye contact with the driver in those sorts of situations. Which is a big part of why darkened front windows should be illegal. You need to be able to see where a driver is looking.
Yep, one of the worst crashes I've ever had to work, was a wrong way car that hit 2 bicycles that didn't look. Each bicycle had a parent and a child on board. All sustained very serious injuries. It was a true definition of "blood bath".
We look both ways no matter what because that's the protocol and the protocol keeps us safe. If you believe it's safe to deviate from the protocol, you're opening up a chance to be wrong. It's that simple.
My chemistry teacher told us this when we were first handling dangerous chemicals and it's stuck with me ever since.
You joke, but I was talking to a friend about this just a few weeks ago. I always check both ways on one-way streets after almost getting struck by a taxi reversing at 50 km/h while I was crossing in front of a hotel, and coming within 1 ft. of crippling me. Never trust the signage, never trust the cars.
I’ve been to a lot of countries that had exceptions for bikes. But most of the time there is a special sign that allows them to enter a one way street from the other side.
Edit:
Looked up one I saw in Germany:
Left sign: „bikes free“
Right sign: „One way street“ and „bike traffic in both directions“
it's because the original image is actually hosted on i.redd.it which may cause issues, especially with weird HTTP headers which some software might struggle with and also with VPNs
Hey bike riders and scooter riders who use the wrong way to go down the street, I do not look both ways when backing out of the building driveway. Be aware.
Gotta look both ways when you have a green light at an intersection too.
This. I do this and it has saved me from folks who said "fuck it." And ran the red.
My brother might be coming the other way!
(It is gratifying that if you do a DDG search for this phrase, the top result is a video of someone running a red light.)
Yeah where I live there is this funny obsession with waiting for the walk light and soo many people just step out without looking. Meanwhile you will often literally get people grumbling at you if you walk on a red no matter how clear the street is.
This saved my mom just the other day. She sat for an extra second at a green, and the car behind her whipped around to pass her. That car almost got t-boned by the fucking bus that ran the red light. If she had gone as soon as the light turned green, she would have been directly in front of the bus. But she noticed the bus wasn’t slowing down at all, so she waited.
Yeah, I never trust that incoming traffic will stop and always make sure they actually are before proceeding.
Cemeteries are full of people who had the right of way.
It's not about who's right, it's about who's left
same as in politics
I tell my kid "Even if you're right, you still get the wheelchair. Don't trust drivers, pay attention."
Great for organ donors though.
Have you been to Italy? I do this on every street because there is a serious chance of finding a bike, or electric scooter or even moped going the wrong way.
I visited Italy.
I had no idea that mario kart was a documentary. I never get carsick, but after travelling for 24 hours, let me tell you, I got carsick. I didn't get carsick traveling that far before either.
I got a driver from the airport to my hotel in Rome. I decided that in Rome you're allowed to break one law at a time while driving. So you could drive on the wrong side of the road but you still had to respect that red traffic light unless you got back onto the right side of traffic.
Some things are good habits whether they are strictly necessary or not. Like looking both ways or signaling your turn or punching nazis.
This is false equivalency. It is always strictly necessary to punch nazis.
You'll get in trouble!
You know what, you’re right.
Me: at a stop sign waiting for a car to pass before I turn right
Passenger: “You can go. He has his turn signal on.”
Car: zooms past at full speed without turning
Me:
Never take a passengers advice.
I particularly did this when I was in the UK or Japan, but that's more because I have no faith that I will remember to pick the correct way.
I just can't remember which country I'm in sometimes.
As a forced pedestrian (can't drive due to health issues), this is so true. Also at crosswalks, a lot of drivers turning right while looking left. They always appear genuinely SHOCKED to encounter "a walker." Like, "A PERSON...? NOT IN A... CAR?? IS THAT POSSIBLE?" Like it shatters their entire concept of the universe and how things work. Yes, I live in America, and this happens in both suburbs and downtown DC.
part of why i use a mobility device is that i can use it to bang on vehicles and alert them of my presence without kicking/hitting it with my bones, in sitiations just like you describe. a sock full of pool balls would also work.
i have to say tho, as another forced pedestrian, the best thing for my getting around has been getting a recumbent trike.
Pool balls? Like beach balls?
Edit: Billiards balls. Took me way too long.
oh yeah sorry. i got some Stasesianisms littered through my speech
I'm one as well, but tend to very literal and don't always know which interpretation of something will hit and immediately get stuck in my brain.
yeah we got a few kinds of pools balls here. specificity would just be no fun though would it at this point.
apparently these exist
After a little search, while "inflatable pool couches" do exist, this isn't what they look like. That picture is definitely AI
yeah something didn't quite smell right (it was also me) but i will ask for your forgiveness, i was a fart and a sneeze away from dying until like 6 hours ago and can be forgiven for a touch of insanity.
I make a point to make eye contact with the driver in those sorts of situations. Which is a big part of why darkened front windows should be illegal. You need to be able to see where a driver is looking.
Faith in humanity or not, everyone makes mistakes. Look both ways, kids.
Yep, one of the worst crashes I've ever had to work, was a wrong way car that hit 2 bicycles that didn't look. Each bicycle had a parent and a child on board. All sustained very serious injuries. It was a true definition of "blood bath".
I'm not sure it was necessary for you to bathe in their blood.
Well, kinda necessary, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to render care very well.
ALWAYS LOOK BOTH WAYS!
We look both ways no matter what because that's the protocol and the protocol keeps us safe. If you believe it's safe to deviate from the protocol, you're opening up a chance to be wrong. It's that simple.
My chemistry teacher told us this when we were first handling dangerous chemicals and it's stuck with me ever since.
Even if you look both ways, you can still get killed by a falling flower pot, because you didn't look up.
Oh no, not again.
And even then there are uncovered manholes.
Defensive driving is for pedestrians too
You joke, but I was talking to a friend about this just a few weeks ago. I always check both ways on one-way streets after almost getting struck by a taxi reversing at 50 km/h while I was crossing in front of a hotel, and coming within 1 ft. of crippling me. Never trust the signage, never trust the cars.
Most one way streets do not apply do bikes, so looking both ways is advisable
I don't know where you live but where I do all traffic laws apply to bicycles too.
I’ve been to a lot of countries that had exceptions for bikes. But most of the time there is a special sign that allows them to enter a one way street from the other side.
Edit: Looked up one I saw in Germany:
Left sign: „bikes free“
Right sign: „One way street“ and „bike traffic in both directions“
This is exactly what I was talking about
And even when they apply to bikes, they don "apply" to most bikes anyway.
Can't believe no one mentioned Limmy yet.
For a second I hella thought he was gonna have more song there 🤣
Not just lack of faith, but past experience
I literally do this.
gonna be honest, emergencies happen.
Lemmy.zip image proxy fails again.
oh sorry. try this one:
Thanks, I wonder why that one works. It appears to be going through the image proxy too. I figured you were direct linking or something. Weird.
Was mainly trying to call out the .zip admins. I see these image proxy issues regularly.
it's because the original image is actually hosted on i.redd.it which may cause issues, especially with weird HTTP headers which some software might struggle with and also with VPNs
Bug fix for this was recently introduced, seems to specifically be reddit images.
https://git.asonix.dog/asonix/pict-rs/releases/tag/v0.5.23
Should be fixed going forwards :)
Please ping me directly if you do see anything like this in future!
Me only looking one way because my finances are a wreck
Must not live in the US because those medical bills won't help.
Is it because you can't afford to pay attention?
Check the road left, right, left.
Obligatory Limmy's Show
https://youtu.be/LW7Iv-V1-Jo
Hey bike riders and scooter riders who use the wrong way to go down the street, I do not look both ways when backing out of the building driveway. Be aware.
And pedestrians on the sidewalk....? I hope theres no sidewalk on your side of the street. Either way extremely bad take
I check the sidewalk, lol