Page 10 of 10
Re: Be safe or risk injury?
Posted: 28 Sep 2023, 8:51am
by deeferdonk
Have seen a couple of people do it in real life and almost crunched by cars behind having to slam their anchors on ( although obviously would be the following cars fault)
Hopefully, the brown trouser moment will stop the bad driver doing it again in future, but even if it doesn't, I would probably choose a few bad drivers hitting innocent other drivers who are protected by airbags and roll cages, instead of have innocent vulnerable road users crossing junctions killed by good drivers who don't stop because of fear of those bad drivers.
Yes, the brown trouser moment of having a car almost slam into you is likely to make you not stop for pedestrians waiting to cross! Stopping/avoiding pedestrians already crossing is common sense and in line with what is stated in the HWC but I don't think i would stop for a pedestrian patiently waiting to cross if there is a car close behind me - because i don't trust that driver. It would completely be their fault but I'd still be involved in crash, which could could kill me, my wife in the passenger seat and the pedestrian that my car gets pushed into - so on melodramatic reflection not the best choice. You are right that you could use that excuse for any other rule/infrastructure that makes you stop or slow down, but i am not doing that - i think the risk of coming to a dead stop on a roundabout is that much higher. If there is not a car behind me i probably still wouldn't stop as it would be probably quicker/less confusing for the pedestrian to cross after i had passed. Stopping for pedestrians waiting on the entrance to a roundabout makes more sense as it is a give way at that point and the risk is no greater than at any other give way line.
Re: Be safe or risk injury?
Posted: 29 Sep 2023, 3:25pm
by the snail
deeferdonk wrote: ↑28 Sep 2023, 8:51am
Have seen a couple of people do it in real life and almost crunched by cars behind having to slam their anchors on ( although obviously would be the following cars fault)
Hopefully, the brown trouser moment will stop the bad driver doing it again in future, but even if it doesn't, I would probably choose a few bad drivers hitting innocent other drivers who are protected by airbags and roll cages, instead of have innocent vulnerable road users crossing junctions killed by good drivers who don't stop because of fear of those bad drivers.
Yes, the brown trouser moment of having a car almost slam into you is likely to make you not stop for pedestrians waiting to cross! Stopping/avoiding pedestrians already crossing is common sense and in line with what is stated in the HWC but I don't think i would stop for a pedestrian patiently waiting to cross if there is a car close behind me - because i don't trust that driver. It would completely be their fault but I'd still be involved in crash, which could could kill me, my wife in the passenger seat and the pedestrian that my car gets pushed into - so on melodramatic reflection not the best choice. You are right that you could use that excuse for any other rule/infrastructure that makes you stop or slow down, but i am not doing that - i think the risk of coming to a dead stop on a roundabout is that much higher. If there is not a car behind me i probably still wouldn't stop as it would be probably quicker/less confusing for the pedestrian to cross after i had passed. Stopping for pedestrians waiting on the entrance to a roundabout makes more sense as it is a give way at that point and the risk is no greater than at any other give way line.
That's why dutch roundabouts are designed so that cyclists/pedestrians cross a bit back from the roundabout, so that a car can stop for them without impeding traffic on the roundabout. A lot of the issues here are exacerbated by poor design that encourages motorists not to slow down.