Editor:
Re: Pedestrians hit along Trunk Road, Sept. 7
Having read about yet another couple of pedestrians being hit I find I can't hold my tongue any longer.
First let me send my heartfelt sympathy to the families of those who were hurt or killed in those two tragic and avoidable accidents.
That being said, for some time, while driving and walking around, I have been conducting my own private poll on how many people actually look before stepping off the curb or continue to look for traffic while crossing the street.
I am shocked to find that approximately eight out of 10 do not look left or right, especially at a crosswalk, and furthermore if they did look, they stop looking for approaching cars once they are in the crosswalk.
The amazing thing is there seems to be no specific demographic of people; it is the old, young, parents with kids, male and female alike.
At this point I'm sure some of you pedestrians out there are thinking you have the right-of-way so why should you bother to look.
The answer is simple: You may have the rightof-way, but you will be the one who will be hurt or killed, not the driver.
As a car driver and motorcyclist for many years, I can tell you there are a lot of distracted, obnoxious, aggressive and just plain bad drivers out on the road and I would not trust any driver to look out for my safety or at anytime assume they can see me.
The best way to prevent being hit (in a vehicle, walking or as a motorcyclist) is to always assume the other driver does not see you or even cares that you have the right-of-way. That means looking before, and especially during, crossing any roadway.
I don't know about you, but I would choose to have my right-of-way taken from me and be alive over being dead right any day.
Jim Rogers
