A few years ago, I was crossing the street, and there was a big pickup truck stopped at the intersection. It was on my right, ahead of me, in the far right lane. The traffic light was red.
| | |=(Truck) | | ^(me) |
I had pressed the button to get a "pass" to cross the street. The little white light of a man walking lit up. I started to cross.
As I neared the other side, I began to pass in front of the truck. About 3 quarters of the way past it, I suddenly noticed it begin to move forward. It wasn't inching forward. It was as if the driver saw a green light and hit the gas, oblivious to any roadway obstructions (like humans).
I jumped up to the curb, and the truck went on its merry way.
It didn't occur to me until later that maybe the driver was focused on things behind him, as opposed to what was in front of him.
All I could think of at the time was, "Of course he must have seen me. Maybe there was some incredible amount of disdain for pedestrians at work there?"
Who knows. The point is, even if you look both ways, and even if all the cars are stopped, and even if they see you, there's still no guarantee that you won't get hit. So do your best to keep your eyes open at all times. Especially when you're behind the wheel... If you enjoyed this post, please think about becoming a subscriber to my RSS feed.
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