Another avoidable tragedy?

[sheepy]

It was just an ordinary evening as I drove home from work. I was a bit earlier than usual, and the traffic in Leighton was lighter than it sometimes can be. As I approached the center of town, traffic going the other way had come to a halt because of a bus trying to get out from behind a line of parked cars (the road narrows slightly to allow two-way traffic and a line of parked vehicles). I passed the bus, and the lorry behind it. There was a van behind the lorry, and as I drew level with the end of the lorry, a young woman ran out from behind the van. She took a couple of strides and then sort of stopped and half turned and looked right at me. She seemed to just freeze, like she couldn't decided whether to continue across or try and dash back.

I hit the brakes. I was doing just on thirty (I know, because I do keep checking my speedo, don't want to get caught going too fast). In fact I'd just looked up from the dash when she ran out. There wasn't anything I could do really, other pedestrians and traffic ruled out swerving, and there just wasn't enough distance to stop. The car's low front bumper hit her about on the knees, and she fell onto the bonnet with a sickening crack. I just couldn't stop in time. The ambulance got there really quickly, but they said she died before they got to the hospital. The traffic guys who attended were sympathetic, she just ran out, there was nothing I could have done, and I wasn't speeding. Just another tragic accident.

Of course, the above paragraph is just a work of fiction. The first one is true. The reality of the situation all too close for comfort.

Only I wasn't doing thirty, nor was I looking at the dash. I can't tell you exactly what speed I was doing, I'd just dropped to second, and was off the throttle, so I'd guess about twenty. I was looking ahead of the car, and saw the feet appear near the back of the van (actually one of those long-wheelbase sprinter things). I'd hit the brakes before she even emerged from behind the van (although I don't remember making this decision, by the time I really took in what was in front, I was already braking). Instead of the bumper hitting her below the knees, the car scrabbled to a halt about two or three foot from her. Instead of a sickening crack of her head hitting the bonnet, there was a crunch as her friend (still on the pavement) dropped her shopping in fright.

So why have I posted this (and believe me, I thought long and hard before doing so)?

Well, because I still keep hearing speed kills. I keep hearing that more cameras will save lives. Well, there was one that would have been dead whilst a camera at the road-side would have remained blind to the situation.

Better punishment for those caught transgressing a nominal value is no solution. Better education for drivers and sensible policing is got to be the way forward. Five or six years ago, I probably would have been writing the second paragraph as fact, but IAM membership and other driver training means whilst I'm probably not necessarily a better driver (still cant get the hang of go-carting), my observation and anticipation skills are way better than they were than after I passed the driving test (ten years ago).

Education, education, education. Get some, you might just save someone's life.

Sheepy

[JonRB]

[Mr E]

JonRB said:

x2

It's amasing the visual cues you can get if you're looking hard enough.

I'd never even though of looking for junctions by checking hedges and telegraph poles on flowing b-roads until someone told me about it.

[jwo]

Too right, eductation - learn to observe and assess the situation and keep at an appropriate speed!

Sheepy, we need a bypass!!!!!

[nonegreen]

On the other hand why the hell should anyone run out in the road without looking and how vigilant should we be in an area of maximum hazard? Jaywalking is a problem. The alternative as to operate like Germany. No one crosses the road based on their own judgement, they do what the lights say. Our pedestrians make their own judgements, that means after a while they are good at it. Some people want and need instruction and some want to learn by their mistakes. There are no right and wrong answers. Well done for not running the silly bitch over BTW

[Globulators]

nonegreen said:

On the other hand why the hell should anyone run out in the road without looking and how vigilant should we be in an area of maximum hazard?

Or rather 'ho humm here's another one' rather than 'splat...why did they do that?'... I find treating cyclists and pedestrians as completely unpredicable works perfectly, you can't change human nature! People in cars are only mostly unpredictable...

Travelling:
Velocity = speed with direction
Time = distance / velocity

Crashing:
Force = mass * acceleration
Energy = 1/2 * mass * velocity^2

It's a simple Newtonian physics problem, not some eastern mystery which the scamera schemes pedal.
...which is why sometimes even 20mph is much too fast and a quick 140mph blat is often perfectly safe.

Thanks for reminding us that education is king, and dumbing down just makes everybody dumb..

[james_j]

Globulators said:

Thanks for reminding us that education is king, and dumbing down just makes everybody dumb..

How true.

I also say: "...the more you try to control people, the more you will have to control them..."

[OBSERVER]

Excellent post Sheepy. I hope you don't mind me posting it on other forums.

[sheepy]

OBSERVER said:

Excellent post Sheepy. I hope you don't mind me posting it on other forums.

Not at all.

[Targarama]

Unfortunately Bliar and gang's reply would be something like:

BUT if you were doing 30mph or even 40mph and paying 100% attention would you have stopped in time? See, speed would have killed.

[hugoagogo]

nonegreen said:

The alternative as to operate like Germany. No one crosses the road based on their own judgement, they do what the lights say.

true enough, here in germany if she'd survived being hit she'd be fined as she went in the ambulance

easy to spot the foreigners at pedestrian crosiings in germany, we're the ones looking at the traffic, not the little red man

[sheepy]

nonegreen said:

On the other hand why the hell should anyone run out in the road without looking

We all make mistakes, I did it several times whilst a child.

nonegreen said:

and how vigilant should we be in an area of maximum hazard?

Extremely. And concentrating on the right things, not some number mounted on a board.

nonegreen said:

Well done for not running the silly bitch over BTW

I've had enough of birds making a mess on my cars

Sheepy