Never tickle a sleeping dragon.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Damn near hit by car
So I was out for my afternoon run, when I came to an intersection where I've almost been hit before. The intersection in question is actually an exit from West Valley College, in Saratoga.
Two or three weeks ago, as I ran through the crosswalk, a car drove up, the driver looked right at me, and proceeded to drive through the crosswalk about a foot and a half in front of me. I could have reached out my hand and touched the car as it passed.
The exit, in question, has a stop sign. Stopping isn't optional. Yet the 19-year-old (or so) driving the car, apparently didn't feel he was in any way a danger to me.
Today, a little after four, I approached the intersection, saw an SUV several yards, back, ran through the crosswalk, and noticed as I approached the mid-point, that the SUV wasn't making any effort to stop. Instead, it drive right into the crosswalk, about eight inches in front of me. It was moving quickly enough that by the time I put my hands out to stop, I'd collided with the side panel behind the child seat behind the driver. I slammed into it, using it to stop my forward momentum, at which point the driver apparently decided *then* was the time to stop.
I started yelling at the driver, "What the fuck?! Pay attention! Watch where you're going!" Etc. From the driver's window, I heard, "I didn't see you!" How could she not!? I was IN THE MIDDLE OF THE F'ING CROSSWALK! Practically in FRONT OF HER CAR, at the point she decided to drive through, utterly ignoring both the octagonal, red SIGN *and* the PEDESTRIAN! Unless she was looking behind her, or at her cell phone, or at the radio, or pondering clouds, or putting on makeup, or picking up something the kid behind her, in the child seat, had thrown on the floor -- all of which are possible -- there's no way she could have missed me. People generally face FORWARD when they're driving, yes?
So I pretty much chewed her out, and continued my run.
What is it with people not bothering to stop at stop signs? When did people decide it was okay to drive through a crosswalk, especially when there are people in it? I'm not sure which is worse -- this one, or the one a couple of weeks ago, where the driver looked right at me, and went anyway.
I'm thinking I should start carrying my cell when I run, and start taking pictures of license plates.
Two or three weeks ago, as I ran through the crosswalk, a car drove up, the driver looked right at me, and proceeded to drive through the crosswalk about a foot and a half in front of me. I could have reached out my hand and touched the car as it passed.
The exit, in question, has a stop sign. Stopping isn't optional. Yet the 19-year-old (or so) driving the car, apparently didn't feel he was in any way a danger to me.
Today, a little after four, I approached the intersection, saw an SUV several yards, back, ran through the crosswalk, and noticed as I approached the mid-point, that the SUV wasn't making any effort to stop. Instead, it drive right into the crosswalk, about eight inches in front of me. It was moving quickly enough that by the time I put my hands out to stop, I'd collided with the side panel behind the child seat behind the driver. I slammed into it, using it to stop my forward momentum, at which point the driver apparently decided *then* was the time to stop
I started yelling at the driver, "What the fuck?! Pay attention! Watch where you're going!" Etc. From the driver's window, I heard, "I didn't see you!" How could she not!? I was IN THE MIDDLE OF THE F'ING CROSSWALK! Practically in FRONT OF HER CAR, at the point she decided to drive through, utterly ignoring both the octagonal, red SIGN *and* the PEDESTRIAN! Unless she was looking behind her, or at her cell phone, or at the radio, or pondering clouds, or putting on makeup, or picking up something the kid behind her, in the child seat, had thrown on the floor -- all of which are possible -- there's no way she could have missed me. People generally face FORWARD when they're driving, yes?
So I pretty much chewed her out, and continued my run.
What is it with people not bothering to stop at stop signs? When did people decide it was okay to drive through a crosswalk, especially when there are people in it? I'm not sure which is worse -- this one, or the one a couple of weeks ago, where the driver looked right at me, and went anyway.
I'm thinking I should start carrying my cell when I run, and start taking pictures of license plates.
