Almost an nasty accident
Almost an nasty accident
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Discussion

kevinday

Original Poster:

13,770 posts

308 months

Monday 10th February 2003
quotequote all
Witnessed an 'nearly' accident this morning on my way to work.

I stopped one car back at a pedestrian crossing just round the corner from a school (T junction just a few metres up the road). School kid (12-ish) decides to run across the road as the traffic our side had stopped, but he did not look the other way. Numpty in a Citroen Picasso MPV decided he was not stopping at the crossing and was actually accelerating at circa 40kmh. Kid sees car-thing (an MPV is not a car but that's another story) just in time and slows enough to just make contact with the wing of the car and bounce off without falling over.

MPV driver stops to see whats up, father of school-kid gives kid a clip round the ear and some verbal and tells driver to go as it was the kids fault.

IMHO it was more the driver at fault because it was a pedestrian crossing and just near a school at school opening time. Sure the kid should have checked both ways as well so in my book its 70% driver error and 30% pedestrian error. What do you all think?

BTW I am of course glad nobody was hurt except for a minor briuse or two.

Big Chris

378 posts

286 months

Monday 10th February 2003
quotequote all
Not good stuff.....

Strangely enough came out of my flat this morning to see some poor bugger had beeen run over by what looked to be a royal mail van. Lots of people round him and lots of cars pulled over so difficult to see what had happened.

miniman

29,816 posts

290 months

Monday 10th February 2003
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Kid should have checked that both cars were stationary before crossing.

HOWEVER - there's no excuse for driving round school areas and not stopping at crossings. At the end of the day, regardless of whose "fault" it was, the driver has got to live with himself if he runs down someone's child.

What happened to crossing patrols (i.e. lollipop men) round schools? They were always around when I was at school. A bright yellow coat and a big sign on a stick work wonders for making numptys see the crossing.

kevinday

Original Poster:

13,770 posts

308 months

Monday 10th February 2003
quotequote all
There is a crossing person on the crossing right outside the school, but this one is 150 meters away and the kids have to cross this one to get to the other one.

If I spoke better Hungarian I would have had a right go at the driver, but unfortunately I don't

LRdriver

154 posts

290 months

Monday 10th February 2003
quotequote all
I agree that we have to drive cautiously around school, BUT, I find it good to hear that the parent clipped the kid and told it off. Shows some parental responability which is sadly lacking in todays world.

DanH

12,287 posts

288 months

Monday 10th February 2003
quotequote all

Dunno, but maybe the parent is at fault given that he wasn't holding the little bastard down.