Do people want to get run over?

Shantara

Shantara

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Through no fault of my own, I nearly ran 2 people and a dog over :(
I do not want to be responsible for someone's death, but they make it so hard!!

The first woman walks the same route every day, so I constantly scan the side of the road for her and even though I was looking for her, she still managed to hide in the shadows. She covers head to tow in camo or brown/black/green and not a stitch of hi-viz. She doesn't move off the road either!

The 2nd man was in the road with his dog (who was more or less in the middle of the road) on a blind bend, in the pitch black! Luckily I was going slowly so I could stop in time. Again, black dog, man dressed in black.

I would never be able to live with myself if I killed or even just hurt someone :( I wouldn't dream of going somewhere with no footpath without hi-viz.
A friend of a friend was killed last week, walking down a dark country road, it terrifies me!
 
I completely agree with you. I walk my dog on country lanes in the dark before and after work but I always wear a high viz waistcoat and super bright head torch. Dog wears a fluorescent collar with flashing red lights and is always on a lead. a few years ago nobody else bothered but I reckon I have set something of a precedent as I have noticed a few people following my lead and a lot of local dogs now wear flashing collars
 
piebaldsparkle said:
If you hit them, you would be liable.
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Not necessarily. If they were walking in the dark in dark clothing with no light on a blind bend and a motorist driving at a reasonable speed hit them, they would certainly be guilty of contributory negligence and the motorist could conceivably not be guilty of anything.

If you kill a person who steps out from between two parked cars into your path and you are not speeding or drivign carelessly, you have not committed a crime. It is possible that people walking in the dark taking no concern for their own safety could be killed with no crime having taken place by the motorist.

I have this problem all the time too, living in the country. For heaven's sake at least carry a torch!
 
There are lots of walkers and power walkers on the roads here (rural Ireland) and they all wear high viz. Often the verges can't be walked on either. Very sensible imo.
Wearing dark clothing is especially dangerous... it is a real worry for drivers on country roads the same (or even worse) as riders with no high viz.
I've had a few frights in UK I must say. :(
 
Yes! The cyclists here all wear high viz too. In fact, thinking about it the ones that don't are riders! lol Mind you not many round me it's all breeding.
 
I was going 15mph with normal headlights. It's a 30mph zone, but the corner is terrible, traffic is always on the wrong side of the road, so I'm super careful. The man was wearing a black top, black trousers, black gloves and a black hat, dog was black and had a black collar and lead. Even with headlights on they were impossible to see until I was just a few metres away. I felt sick :(

Just a flashing collar on the dog and a hi-viz waist coat and I would have seen them much sooner!

I'm not very "up" on the law, but I would like to think it wouldn't be my fault. I wear as much hi-viz as I can cram on myself and Ned, I don't understand why some walkers think they are more visible than a horse and rider...they're not! When wearing the sort of clothes those people were, they're invisible!
 
Oh I've had the same problem recently! Some woman walking her black dog on a national speed limit road, no street light, she's always in dark clothing and I struggle to see her and she blends into the night, no hi viz, no light clothing and no lights!! How stupid can you get! Grrrr!
 
Nicnac said:
Have you seen this? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ing-high-visibility-jacket.html#axzz2K9ozgKj2

Lots of threads on here about it.
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That is exactly what happened to poor friend of friend, however she didn't make it :(

They both should have done something to make themselves more visible, if I ever have kids they will wear hi-viz and like it. However, I find it disgusting that they won't pay out :( poor girl and poor family. This is the sort of thing I dread and why I get so cross and upset when I see people walking in the dark, wearing dark clothes.
 
I nearly ran a woman over the other night. I was driving back from the yard along a dark country road ( no pavements) with lots of blind bends and she was out running dressed head to toe in black in the pitch black.how I missed her god knows. At the last second I saw movement at the dise of the road and swerved. Silly cow
 
They are taking a terrible chance....did your brakes squeal etc?you'd think nearly being hit frequently would make it obvious!!!
Maybe speak to the police and council....maybe they could stick an article in the local or something??
 
cptrayes said:
I can't stop without creating a safety hazard myself. These people are walking on blind bends.
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I might stop if I see the woman on the long straight bit of the road. I see her every day and she never fails to blend in. The other man...yes, I would have been tempted to stop but it would have been dangerous for me and anyone else on the road.
 
amandaco2 said:
They are taking a terrible chance....did your brakes squeal etc?you'd think nearly being hit frequently would make it obvious!!!
Maybe speak to the police and council....maybe they could stick an article in the local or something??
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I might see if I can write in the S.C.A.N, which is my local paper/newsletter. I've had an article in there before about horses and it made a few people think. Might help do the trick, even if I just get through to one person.
 
Interesting that the topic of pedestrians on dark lanes has come up on here. I am a member of a running club, we meet on evenings through the week, and at the moment, this means running in the dark. We all wear hi-viz jackets, red lights to rear and headtorches. We are clearly visible, yet this seems to have angered one of the local residents, who just so happens to be the farm manager of my yard owner. He had a right go at me the other day, saying that the torches are all moving and that we shouldn't be out running in the dark. When he passed us last week, he beeped his horn aggressively as he sped past at about 50mph. He obviously doesn't want to slow down, yet he is of the opinion that it is our fault if he hits us!!! The fact that he had probably been in the pub all afternoon would account for the fact that he finds the torches a problem. Everyone else we meet slows down.
 
lhotse said:
Interesting that the topic of pedestrians on dark lanes has come up on here. I am a member of a running club, we meet on evenings through the week, and at the moment, this means running in the dark. We all wear hi-viz jackets, red lights to rear and headtorches. We are clearly visible, yet this seems to have angered one of the local residents, who just so happens to be the farm manager of my yard owner. He had a right go at me the other day, saying that the torches are all moving and that we shouldn't be out running in the dark. When he passed us last week, he beeped his horn aggressively as he sped past at about 50mph. He obviously doesn't want to slow down, yet he is of the opinion that it is our fault if he hits us!!! The fact that he had probably been in the pub all afternoon would account for the fact that he finds the torches a problem. Everyone else we meet slows down.
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Urg! He sounds like a menace! People like that shouldn't be on the road.
 
Good high vis and plenty of it should be sufficient for a careful driver to see, a hand torch if necessary too.
Those bloody head torches people have taken to wearing whilst dog walking are a menace to other walkers, people look at you in them and don't realise that A, they have just blinded you and B, they can see you but you can't see them, just a dazzling bright light darting about 6 foot from the ground.
Also, I saw two boys on motorbikes last night, racing down a dual carriageway with no lights or reflective s of any kind. They won't live very long if they keep doing that...
 
If you hit them and could prove you couldn't see them you wouldn't be held liable. They would actually have to pay for damage to your car. saw a program where a motorist hit a cyclist and killed him. He had no hi viz on and no lights the motorist couldn't see him. The motorist was not charged.

They will check what speed your going in an accident, and they can find out if your speeding.

I hate road users without hi viz or lights on. No excuse for it.

I also wrote to the Watchdog program about those two who used to be on the motorbike wearing black without any hi viz on. Got no reply.
 
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