Don't Just Stand There...
Get mad and DO SOMETHING!
Today's Times- Standard editorial certainly rubs me the wrong way. They're upset because of all the traffic accidents on Humboldt's streets and they want something done about it.
They go on to say that all the things we already do to try and prevent accidents don't work, so we need to get real mad and demand something else be done.
Like what?
posted by Fred Mangels @ 10:20 AM
44 comments
44 Comments:
"Like what?"
Exactly. I had the same reaction. Where is it written that there will be no accidents on city streets.
If you have driven around town lately you might note how careless pedestrians have become. Maybe it's belligerance, but more than a few have stepped right in front of my car to cross in a cross walk.
Shouldn't they at least look both ways and proceed when there are no cars right on top of them.
Bicyclists also run red lights and then become incensed if on coming traffic crowds them.
Seems to me rather than getting mad, one should use a little caution before entering a pedestrian crossing.
Guess it must have been a slow news day, so the drill is to stir up controversy. Just what we need; another cause for the inmates to champion.
Yes, bikes and pedestrians have the right of way. HOWEVER, you being smaller than a car have an obligation to yourself to keep yourself safe.
What in the world is wrong with asking people to drive more responsibly...and right before the bad weather and low visibility kick in?
It would be nice to see drivers cited for bad driving, people in wheelchairs should also have flags BTW.
A blind person with a cane and a dog was hit on Myrtle Ave, an elderly man was run down in Old Town a seventy year old woman was run down on Harris crossing the street near Winco. This isn't bad pedestrians-its bad drivers!
When you see pedestrians especially near a school where kids have heard someplace that pedestrians have the right of way and they already think they're invincible-STOP! for Gods sake they could run out in front of your car for any reason. Running someone down when you are right and they are wrong-takes longer than stopping and letting them cross the street-it can ruin everyone's day, not just yours.
Eureka has some of the worst drivers I have ever seen. PSAs to explain road ettiquette would be nice but more importantly we have some really bad weather coming up so its more important to drive defensively and watch out for everyone-even the side streets where there is a stop sign.
Right of Way doesn't mean you are RIGHT-and if you hit someone it isn't always an 'accident', usually its a collision.
No I'm not a traffic officer, I'm just a Dad.
One problem I see is drivers stopping right on the crosswalks AND not looking both ways before moving.
Nick, you are a true spokesman for the disabled. Thank you for relating your experiences!
Two Words: Freeway Bypass.
Yeah, 11:38 certainly shares my setiments. How about driving safely and legally Fred. What is the big deal about asking people to be responsible. Obviously this isn't going to stop accidents but it could surely make a difference.
For those who need me to spell it out (Fred for instance):
-Follow the speed limit- not as a general guide but as a friggin rule
-Stop at stop signs, stop lights etc.
-Don't be a bastard and endanger mine or my children's lives by driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
-Rather than be first, consider being considerate
-Brush up on right of way rules, because I'm CONVINCED that few know them
-Cyclists, follow the laws please -you are not above them
-Get off your cell phone and pay attention
-If you have a yield sign, that means you DON'T have the right of way
I guess the moral of this story Fred, is that safety starts with yourself. Obviously no one expects you to run out in front of a car hell bent on hitting a pedestrian — but a little forethought into your experience behind the wheel is a good place to start.
If you already do these things, then this message isn't for you so stop being so sensitive
I hate people who speed up to pass you just before they about come to a dead stop to make a turn---all the room in the world behind (you) but the idiot has to pass somebody before the turnoff or loses idiot points.
I hate people who talk on the cellphone with such animation, they pull out in front of oncoming traffic barely tapping the brakes at their stop sign--gotta give it a little gas before the cars that were already there hit you (miss Brand New blue Ford without plates). Did you buy a new truck 'cause you wrecked the last one?
I hate people who speed up when they are pedestrians about to use the crosswalk.
I hate people who drive drunk when they could easily get a ride home instead.
I hate people who don't have insurance almost as much as people who drive with suspended licenses. Its just a matter of time before we see them in the paper for some wreck or another.
Why does every driver think they are the best driver on the road-there is always room for improvement.
Pay attention, use your lights when its raining. Yield to pedestrians even when they are wrong. Pay even more attention when its raining and don't drive when your windows are fogged up-wait until you have good visibility all the way around.
If in doubt-don't do it. Whenever you get to an intersection with a four way stop and you don't know who's turn it is--let the car with all the other cars behind it go first its probably their turn.
Be aware of other cars on the road-in your lane- in the other lane, on the side streets, coming out of alleys. Keep at least a car length in between you and the car in front of you for every ten miles an hour of speed and if someone cuts in drop back and keep your distance.
When travelling long distances pick a big truck and keep a good margin between your vehicle and the big rig-its pretty certain no one will cut in because they can't see around the truck and trailer.
If you are travelling on a windy road like hwy 36 when the roads are icey and someone comes over the line into your lane here's tip: Give them all the room you can safely give and keep an eye on their rear tire. If you happen to be looking at their front end its too late-your car will follow your eyes. Be Safe over the holidays.
Last time I checked the CVC book had no code that stated "People in crosswalks have the right-of-way"
2:32 are you advocating running them down because there is nothing in writing stating they have a right of way?
The problem with driving like mad when pedestrians are in the crosswalk (who don't have the right of way)--someone driving next to you may think this is a race and run them over for you!
How about just slowing down for pedestrians? "If its safer to stop than to go" SHOULD be the rule.
Courtesy is nice all year-what goes around comes around. Smile at the pedstrians and maybe they will notice, wave, say a little *thanks* because you were nice first.
saw this posted on a phone poll...
ACTION ALERT!
Eureka citizens are encouraged to exit their homes and stand on their curbs Friday at 5:45pm. We stand in solidarity with the Times-Standard, and Eureka will do something about it! So stand on your curb tomorrow and flip off those bad Eureka drivers!
Many Californians were born out-of-state, and they never heard about the old California Law: PEDESTRIANS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY. The law was never revoked, just ignored by most of the drivers on the road today.
Let's put the lives of pedestrians above our own damn convenience!
"Stop lights, stop signs and yield signs are supposed to give us safety in the streets. They don't." That's because there is no enforcement. And because to save a few seconds at a light, some drivers will risk their own lives - and ours.
"Suspended licenses are supposed to keep bad drivers out of cars, giving us safe streets. They don't." No, and they never will. What we need to do is seize the cars of drunk drivers. Every car or truck they own. Never give them back. And if a drunk driver borrows a car from a friend, seize the friend's car. No halfway measures will work when dealing with a person who has more than one or two DUIs on their record. Seize the cars and make it IMPOSSIBLE for them to drive drunk again.
Someone wrote: "I hate people who drive drunk when they could easily get a ride home instead." I don't care if they have to walk 5 miles through a rainstorm. There is NO EXCUSE for anyone to DRIVE DRUNK. Innocent people should not die because a drunk thinks he or she can drive as well stoned as sober.
Many Californians were born out-of-state, and they never heard about the old California Law: PEDESTRIANS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY. The law was never revoked, just ignored by most of the drivers on the road today.
There is no such law in California nit-wit
....pedestrians can not legally just cross whenever they want -- they must wait for a safe time to try to cross.
That's the law sparky
I bet you are one of those people that thinks people have to move over for you when you MERGE ONTO THE FREEWAY, and that you must always drive 25mph around school when school is going EVEN IF THEY ARE ALL IN THEIR CLASSROOMS.
Guess what, I don't have to move over to let you merge in, and that sign that says "when childern are present" only is legal when the kids are NOT BEHIND ANY TYPE OF FENCE and there is nothing "protecting them" from running out into traffic without looking both ways.
pedestrians shall not walk or run into the path of a vehicle [CVC 21950]
3:18 I don't think for other drivers I think for myself. If you want to move for me to merge great. I move so someone else can merge safely because I was taught to do so and passed that on to two teenagers of my own.
There are lots of jerks on the road not just you-hopefully fate will cause you to take some of the other jerks out with you when you are both arguing with your vehicles about the right of way.
The road isn't there for you to settle old scores and be a bully. If you have anger issues go to a class or something don't take out your frustrations on innocent people in crosswalks!
Whatever reason people have as pedestrians for walking where it isn't safe-whether they are distracted because their cat just died, they got yelled at this morning...you in a car, are bigger and can hurt someone.
Getting hit by a car can kill or cause serious injuries that can take months or years to heal from. Even if you are not found at fault for running someone down in a crosswalk-people will never look at you the same.
I didn't mention your conscience because it doesn't sound like you have one.
Yep 3:18 is an asshole.
Fred -
This is for all of you idiots who are delusional and refuse to believe that pedestrians in cross walks have the right of way.
California Vehicle Code § 21950. Right-of-way at crosswalks; Pedestrian's duty of care
(a) The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.
(b) This section does not relieve a pedestrian from the duty of using due care for his or her safety. No pedestrian may suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard. No pedestrian may unnecessarily stop or delay traffic while in a marked or unmarked crosswalk.
(c) The driver of a vehicle approaching a pedestrian within any marked or unmarked crosswalk shall exercise all due care and shall reduce the speed of the vehicle or take any other action relating to the operation of the vehicle as necessary to safeguard the safety of the pedestrian.
(d) Subdivision (b) does not relieve a driver of a vehicle from the duty of exercising due care for the safety of any pedestrian within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.
End of story...SHALL yield the right of way...this is not a may yield or is invited to yield but that it is the absolute duty to yield.
For all you nimbrods who don't think you have to....go back to the city and stop endangering pedestrians.
Hell, you are operating a couple of thousand pounds vehicle. Exercise a little responsibility.
IDIOTS!
There is not enough enforcement in the world to cite people into being courteous. There is nothing that the City or the County can do to legislate common sense.
I for one, believe that everyone out there...drivers, pedestrians, cyclists are out to get me.
The laws only work for those who respect them, there's a hell of a lot of drivers who are all too willing to risk their lives and mine to save a few seconds.
breaking news, EPD has another barricaded person.
Shots fired, shots fired!
I would have sworn it was a fatality traffic accident with all the flares in the road.
Then I would have been here to say-gee...I wonder who won the Right of Way Contest?!
Fast and Loose wrote: "There is no such law in California nit-wit"
Where did you pass your driver's education course, wise-acre?
I did in California, where PEDESTRIANS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY.
The TS is the same newspaper that editorialized about all those lawbreakers who pass you on 101 using the right lane. Hello??? That's legal. Read the Calif. driver's handbook. When the TS learns the law, I might care what it has to say.
"did not see the woman until she struck her."
That is a fine piece of writing right there.
"Laws against drunken driving are supposed to give us safe streets. They don't. Stop lights, stop signs and yield signs are supposed to give us safety in the streets. They don't. Suspended licenses are supposed to keep bad drivers out of cars, giving us safe streets. They don't..."
And laws against guns will prevent armed robbery. Laws against stupidity will stop inane comments on this blog. Go figure.
The T-S did its level best
to start a riot over Chris Burgess.
They twisted the facts to fit our fears.
We'll be suffering the ill effects for years and years.
Forget the crosswalks, how about the darters? I have never seen so many people just randomly walk across the street or Highway 101 going thru town. It is my worse fear that I will look away for one second and have one on my hood. I warn all my out of town visitors about the "darters".
Speeding can be a real hazard for a pedestrian. A pedestrian assumes that folks are driving the speed limit and there is no clue that an oncoming car is speeding until it is upon him. What begins as a brisk walk across the street becomes a mad dash. There is no reason to race up Fourth or Fifth Street.
I can't wait to run a bum over!
You're a class act 8:50. Your family must be very proud of you.
It makes me sad that some will be amused by your "humor" or whatever it is that you call that.
Yeah, reminds me of Barbara Shults and how funny she thinks everyone will find her violent assaults on jouralists.
There is a way to control the speed limit. Cameras do a fine job. It works very well in other cities and there is no reason it wouldn't work here. We could start with an installation at some of our most dangerous intersections. The speed limit on 6th street by the City Hall is 25 miles per hour. NO ONE obeyes this limit. Drivers actually speed up when a pedestrian enters the cross walk!
Eureka is one of the hardest towns in the US to drive through, I have never seen so many people just cross a street without looking or caring if there are cars coming. People need to at least look both ways before crossing a street!
12:22 wrote, "How about driving safely and legally Fred. What is the big deal about asking people to be responsible".
Nothing wrong about asking people to be responsible. My point was, the editorial in question said all the things we do to try and avoid traffic accidents don't work.
Then, to paraphrase, they say , "Get mad and go tell the city council to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT."
Well...like what? I find that disturbing if for no other reason than they seem to ask people to assume a lynch mob mentality while asking for...whatever, since nothing "works" anyway.
The City Council cannot legislate people into being better, more courteous drivers. The Ts would do better to davocate for a return to personal responsibility.
IMHO the is a lot of anger out there. The political polarization is being acted out by aggressive behavior in whatever public place people go. Plus there's a rampant individualist attitude that essentially sees everyone else as being "in the way". Locals are basically antisocial loners who distain mannerly behavior and espouse libertian misanthropy. Don't trust 'em further than you can see 'em.
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Eureka High School is still blocking J Street during school hours.
Apparently, they don't trust the students to cross the street when cars are being driven there.
When we as a society can not trust our 14-18 year old high school students to cross the street safely, without blocking vehicle access to the street, I contend that there is not much hope that our society will endure even one more generation.
To think: Our grandparents fought and defeated Hitler, Mussolini, and the Empire of Japan. How did we fall so far so fast?
After reading this post and these comments the one thing that is clear is... all the idiots aren't on the road. In fact it would seem as if more are online. I would encourage those of you who think it impossible to control this situation to go up to Gold Beach. Park your car and see what happens when you approach a crosswalk. If it works in Oregon, why can't it work here?
You have piqued my curiosity, but it will be quite a while before I can go to Gold Beach.
How about describing what happens there when you approach a crosswalk?
If you even look like you might want to cross Hiway 101 cars in both directions come to an immediate stop and will not proceed until you have completed the crossing. I have crossed the hiway numerous times with the same results.
I'd like to live in a town where people treated each other with respect, and helped each other when they could.
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