| DRIVERS VS PEDESTRIANS DRIVERS EDUCATION ONLINE I think just about everyone would agree that a pedestrian is no match for a car or truck weighing upwards of 3,000 lbs, and made of steel. Yet many drivers fail to be watching for pedestrians, and to give them enough space and courtesy. Children are the most vulnerable of all road users. They of course don't understand cars at all - such as how much space is required to bring a vehicle to a stop, what color backup lights are, how difficult it can sometimes be for motorists to see them, and so on. Children are carefree and very unpredictable.This is discussed in my defensive driver course which can be found by clicking here Realize too that some pedestrians, of any age, are not drivers themselves and so have never been behind the wheel before. They also may not know how much space is required to bring a vehicle to a stop, and therefore may walk out in front of your vehicle. There is also the matter of very elderly pedestrians. Don't forget, we will all be old some day, barring the unforseen, so let's be nice to them. The elderly often have poor eye sight and poor hearing. There can even be much younger people with poor sight and hearing, so if they walk out onto the road when they shouldn't, we can give them the benefit of the doubt. It's also a good idea when you're driving to remember that you are some times a pedestrian yourself, and to treat pedestrians the way you would like to be treated. Oh yes, I believe it's called The Golden Rule. The following are some tips to not only make you a more courteous driver, but to avoid ever coming too close, or striking, a pedestrian. Before pulling out of a driveway, check well down the sidewalk for pedestrians, joggers, or people on bicycles. In other words, don't drive over the sidewalk until you've checked that it's clear. The same thing goes for stop signs. If you just slow down and check for vehicles only, you may miss the child on his bike riding on the sidewalk.So stop behind the sidewalk first, and check that it's clear. Give pedestrians lots of space at all times. This includes stopping at a stop sign or red light. While you're waiting, stay behind the stop line in order to give pedestrians a good space. If you keep a good space, then if you ever got hit from behind, there would be less chance of being pushed into the pedestrian. Something else you can be aware of is that some people will try to fake an accident by bouncing themselves off of a car, then falling to the ground. The idea is to hopefully collect insurance money. So here again, by keeping lots of space from pedestrians, and keeping an eye on them, there's less chance of this happening. Try not to stay in a lane that has a lot of parked cars. People, especially children, can sometimes run out from between the cars. Also, there will be car doors opening sometimes, or drivers pulling out of their parking spaces. If you have to stay in a lane where there are parked cars, try to leave enough space for a car door to open. Also, scan the parked cars for any activity, such as someone getting ready to open a door or pull out. Look through the windows of parked cars. Look underneath parked cars. You may not be able to see a child through the windows of a parked car because of their height, but you may be able to see their feet, getting ready to run out between cars. Look well ahead and spot the pedestrian crosswalks. Scan from side to side as you're approaching, looking for anyone who wants to cross. As you know, the law says you must stop for anyone wanting to cross. Sometimes your view can be blocked at crosswalks, so in that case you would need to slow down and have a good look, and be ready with the brakes. Before starting a right turn check your side mirror and blind spot for pedestrians and cyclists. When you are in an intersection waiting for the oncoming traffic in order to make a left turn, scan for pedestrians, and make sure it's clear of pedestrians before starting your turn. So, as part of your job as a motorist, you must constantly be on the alert for pedestrians, giving them lots of space, and treating them with courtesy, even if they're not obeying the rules of the road or being courteous themselves. As you can see, it can be a difficult and frustrating job sometimes. You will find a vast amount of driver safety training in my ebook "Learn To Drive And Survive." http://www.ultimate-driver-training.com/index.html Webmasters: if you would like to link to this article you can use the following URL: http://www.ultimate-driver-training.com/drivers_versus_pedestrians.html
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