Pedestrians in dark clothing taking risks

[FiF]

Maybe it's just us but both daughter and I seem to think that there is an increase in pedestrians all dressed in black or very dark clothing taking more risks in crossing roads, mixing and interacting with traffic recently. The other evening having had the misfortune to be negotiating around West Midlands area, Dudley/ Sandwell, it seemed particularly bad.

Recognise that we are into darker evenings, clocks changed, weather quite grim so damp and windy and pedestrians have always taken more risks in those conditions, maybe increasing number of other vehicles with v bright lights doesn't help. Yet this year seems worse than usual.

It's got to the stage where although always cautious there must be times when a following driver thinks get on with it, only for someone to nip across at the last second and it was a good job just being really watchful, aware and not just barrelling on. Having said that do accept that the extra caution on our part may encourage someone to go for that last dash, whereas self preservation might stop them otherwise. None us want our conscience upset by an "If only I had just..." moment.

Anyone else, or is it really just us?

[Tycho]

There does seem to be an increase in pedestrians taking chances while wearing dark clothing that cannot be seen by drivers. Sometimes they can only be seen by a small reflective piece of their trainers etc. I'm also seeing a lot of e-scooter riders without lights, dark clothing with a big jacket and hood wearing headphones while riding down the middle of the road.

[Kawasicki]

I am also seeing far more pedestrians in dark clothing and less in high visibility gear.

It just doesn’t seem to make sense.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Have never worn any hig-vis to walk along a pavement in my life. Where is this expectation that people did do this / should do this?

Walking along a single track country round at night is a different thing.

[996TT02]

GiantEnemyCrab said:

Have never worn any hig-vis to walk along a pavement in my life. Where is this expectation that people did do this / should do this?

Walking along a single track country round at night is a different thing.

Should not all pedestrians will be obliged to have a number plate, lights installed and pay pavement licence and insurance?

[vikingaero]

Drive around London and there will be many recreational pharma delivery riders in black clothing, no lights and on black bikes darting out of alleyways and sideroads with consideration for themselves or others.

[Alex_225]

Pedestrians seemingly don't give much of a sh!t nowadays as it's the cars problem and drivers issue to see them not the other way around. Changes to the Highway Code and general attitudes have seen to that. It's not, 'Stop, look, listen'. It's walk out regardless and make traffic stop for you.

My great grandparents were both hit by a car, probably both in their 60s or 70s at the time. They'd been to the pub, they were wearing dark clothing and walking with their back to on coming traffic. Car comes round corner and hits them both. Fortunately minor injuries.

The incident was deemed their fault at the time (late 70s) because they weren't taking the necessary precautions to be seen and to see.

Bring that same accident to today, it'd be the drivers fault.

[Purosangue]

worst offenders are scooters with chavs in black no lights in the dark ,

Dawnism at its finest

[Smint]

Recent changes to the highway code made pedestrians the king of the road with an acending order of importance (self awareness and due diligence for your own welfare no longer required) culminating in drivers of the largest vehicles public enemy number one and polluters to boot, hence the increase in Darwin applicants either on foot e-scooter or bicycle taking full advantage of their new found superiority by putting their own heallth and safety in the hands of others.

The e-scooter mob are the worst for lack of self awareness of their surroundings and other traffic, closely followed by middle aged people sporting hoodies who presumably assume the hoodie affords the protection of Iron Man's armour.

That it doesn't dawn on them being declared technically in the right whilst laid out cold on a mortuary slab is an odd sort of victory.

[J4CKO]

The weird thing is, they by and large manage fine, saw a kid all in black riding an illegal E bike looking at his phone riding with no hands on the bars, the only light was his phone.

We arent hearing of scores of dead pedestrians due to dark clothing, and to be honest I wear dark clothes when I walk the dog but I walk on the pavement and when I cross I look for the big bright lights on the front of cars, much easier crossing at night as less cars and they are more visible.

I have got an Aldi Hi Viz fleece I wear, gives me a slight "Motorway Maintenance" vibe which I quite like but its kind of redundant.

And to be honest, even when you are visible cars can do stupid stuff, was running down a short cut through that cars dont tend to use unless the junction is blocked up, I was over to the side and its narrow and I had a Range Rover and Nissan thing plough past rather than waiting the 20 meters or so to the other end, Range Rover pretty much brushed me with the wing mirror, that was daylight.

Suppose it depends what road you are on, on a single track with no pavement, then Hi Viz and some LED lights, on a pavement seperated by a grass verge or just a decent pavement, doesnt actually matter if you have your wits about you.

[C5_Steve]

I've noticed this recently, I don't live anywhere rural but with more and more councils now switching off sections of street lighting to save money I've found it's becoming an issue where it really shouldn't. What use to be well lit main roads now have intermittent lighting at best, a few times I've had someone run across the road in front of me far enough away for it not to be an issue but I've not seen them until they've stepped onto the road.

[freakybacon]

Regularly wear hi-viz when out with the running club, and walking the dog because the standard of driving here in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire is particularly shocking. In the same way as I always use a helmet, hi viz and lights when cycling. This is not only so it's easier to be seen, it's so that if the worst should happen an I get hit by a car, clever lawyers can't use lack of visibility or safety equipment as a means of reducing any insurance payout to my family.

https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-hit-driver-ha...

[FiF]

Just to add in addition to my comments in OP, that as a pedestrian, usually with dog in tow, though more often the dog taking me for a walk, my dog walking gear is also dark. So in the case of unlit country lane then reflective harness for both me and dog plus lights and torches, just makes sense, but on lit streets on that late night round the block just before bed sniff and slash, dog not me, and also wearing dark clothing always as minimum have a small pocket torch handy to show presence, a Convoy S2+ for the torch geeks.

Plus obviously keep well away from that last second dash, even if it's raining buckets, you're already wet, be even wetter laid out waiting for the ambulance.

[Cold]

So you do see them?

[RizzoTheRat]

FiF said:

reflective harness for both me and dog plus lights and torches, just makes sense,

I see a few people walking dogs with LED illuminated collars, which are a great idea, but I've had a few times where the owner is one side of the path and the dog the other side and I have no idea if it's on a lead

Edited by RizzoTheRat on Thursday 16th November 09:10

[Pieman68]

freakybacon said:

Regularly wear hi-viz when out with the running club, and walking the dog because the standard of driving here in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire is particularly shocking. In the same way as I always use a helmet, hi viz and lights when cycling. This is not only so it's easier to be seen, it's so that if the worst should happen an I get hit by a car, clever lawyers can't use lack of visibility or safety equipment as a means of reducing any insurance payout to my family.

https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-hit-driver-ha...

If the worst should happen, the blame is solely on you for living in Doomsbury (even more so if Saviletown or Staincliffe)

Signed - a Batley lad (although I don't live there any more)

[FiF]

Cold said:

So you do see them?

Obviously, what an odd question.

The question was in relation to increased risk taking by others. As pointed out by another poster sometimes the person emerges far enough away to not be a problem but having not been seen until they're already in the road. Equally sometimes it's close enough to be a problem if, say, they're stepping out from behind parked vehicles.

It's been such that started to worry was it a developing eyesight issue, and before anyone goes down that route to an argument just been to optician in last 2 weeks, still 20/20.

[DaveTheRave87]

I'm currently on a bit of a mini-crusade about this. I go past a couple of schools on my commute and saw most of the kids were wearing dark coats. I decided to contact one of the schools after witnessing a couple of near misses and was told that the uniform requirements were for a dark coat when walking to and from school.

I spent an evening on local schools' websites and it concerned me how many schools require students to wear a dark coloured coat. Most of the schools had a contact form so I sent that off with my concerns.

I'm not concerned by the number of people I see in dark coats, it's the one I don't see that terrifies me.

[Pieman68]

DaveTheRave87 said:

I'm currently on a bit of a mini-crusade about this. I go past a couple of schools on my commute and saw most of the kids were wearing dark coats. I decided to contact one of the schools after witnessing a couple of near misses and was told that the uniform requirements were for a dark coat when walking to and from school.

I spent an evening on local schools' websites and it concerned me how many schools require students to wear a dark coloured coat. Most of the schools had a contact form so I sent that off with my concerns.

I'm not concerned by the number of people I see in dark coats, it's the one I don't see that terrifies me.

Has always been the case. Used to get me some right stick many (many) moons ago as Mum used to sew small reflective patches onto mine. Fortunately being a 5'9" rugby player (at 13) probably saved me a few beastings at school.

[RizzoTheRat]

I put my bicycle in to a local shop for a service the other day and they lent me a bike to cycle to work. It wasn't until I left work in the dark that I discovered the lights on it didn't work Luckily I can get home on mostly illuminated cycle paths without going on roads, but was amazed at how many other cyclists with no lights I saw, including food delivery riders, several of them on the road. Plus it was actually quite disconcerting not being able to see very well, for example I didn't see the inch deep sand that had blown across the path at one point until I was in it, and with wet leaves all over the path it was hard to see where it went in places!

DaveTheRave87 said:

I'm not concerned by the number of people I see in dark coats, it's the one I don't see that terrifies me.

A mate asked me once if it's a legal requirement for motorbikes to have the headlight on in the day as he'd never seen one without it on....