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Snuggoth t1_iv9s90c wrote

Reply to comment by BubsterX1 in Nearly killed in a crosswalk...again. Is there anything to be done? by GrokYourWorld

Got any advice for how to work with the assumption that you'll never be able to reliably walk somewhere because of the commonly cited and apparently immutable fact that erratic, possibly violent people are simply never going to stop being at least a block or two away at all times? I get what you're saying with cause and effect, it's just kind of hard to factor that kind of thing in day to day if you can't fly or teleport where you need to be.

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BubsterX1 t1_iv9vqy4 wrote

Sure. When I was learning how to drive, my mother urged me to practice "defensive driving," which is the idea that there will be many dangerous drivers on the road and the safest thing to do is to be extra careful in an effort to compensate for other drivers' lack of reasonable care.

My advice for pedestrians is to practice defensive walking, and my advice for cyclists (I am one myself), is to practice defensive cycling. So, with respect to pedestrians, don't assume that motorists will respect the crosswalks, don't assume that they will stop at red lights, etc. A pedestrian should not have to think this way, but it could make the difference between a close encounter and actually being hit by a car.

Edit: grammar

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