It’s one week until Christmas and there is plenty of traffic, on the streets, on the sidewalks, and in the crosswalks. Who wins in a confrontation between a pedestrian and a car? That’s easy – the car.In New Jersey there is a law that says that all motorists must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Similar laws are on the books in other states and cities. But police will tell you that the compliance with this law is disappointingly low, which is part of why, during 2008, a program called "Cops in the Crosswalks" was undertaken.
Blow through a crosswalk that has a pedestrian in it, and you may discover that the pedestrian is an undercover cop who will arrange for you to receive a summons. The easiest way to avoid such a citation is to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Stopping for pedestrians has another benefit for motorists: By stopping for pedestrians you are far less likely to hit one.
Still, when car and pedestrian meet, the pedestrian always gets the short end of the stick, often fatally. So it amazes us when we see pedestrians blithely walk in front of approaching cars, confident that those cars are being driven by alert, law-abiding motorists. Are these pedestrians nuts?
For all they know, the approaching car is being driven by someone who is drunk, texting, or just plain inattentive. The law may say that the motorist must stop, but the laws of physics say that if the motorist does not stop, the pedestrian loses. Every time. The pedestrian weighs 100 or 200 pounds and is made of flesh and bone. The car weighs 3000 or 5000 pounds and is made of steel.
When walking, do not cross in front of approaching traffic until you KNOW that the traffic is going to stop. Better yet, do not cross in front of approaching traffic until the traffic HAS stopped.
When driving, yield to pedestrians.
Slow down and enjoy the Holiday season.
