As a visually handicapped person, I spend a lot of time on foot. And one thing that’s become more and more apparent as I’ve gotten older is the fact that drivers are becoming more aggressive all the time. Has this ever happened to you…you’re in a car with someone else driving and they encounter a pedestrian crossing the road and the first thing they say is “ better get out of my way you SOB or I’m gonna run over ya!”. Yeah, you’ve heard that before too, haven’t ya!!!!!!
I’m like Mom, be cool, that guy’s on crutches! :D
You know, when they made that film, Death Race 2000 they weren’t dreaming up some sick fantasy. Well maybe they were, but anyway, they were making commentary based on current social trends. Almost all science fiction is based on social commentary that is germane to current trends yet is depicted in a future society or a future scenario. Well I feel like its Death Race 2000 everyday out there on the streets right now. People will get visibly angry because I want to cross the street! WTF? Over 5500 pedestrians killed in 03 . And I live in a small town with a large university….it’s scary. I’m sure this all has a lot to do with how we train our young drivers. Which I do not think we do very well. Take a 30 question test, take a driving test, of which the hardest element is the parallel parking part and there you go! At 15.5 yrs old, the responsibility associated with driving is the farthest thing from your mind. I have a progressive optic nerve disorder so I drove for a few years before having my license suspended for good. And I remember the feeling of terror I felt the first time I got my dad’s car out there on a freeway. My dad was in the car and he was like, “come on son, speed up, you gotta go with the flow of traffic.” And I was like “Holy Crap dad, these people are crazy!”
Europe places a good bit more emphasis on maturity when they dispense driver’s licenses. You have to be 18. And that’s for automobiles only. Someone told me that the primary reason that kids can a get a license in the USA at so young an age is because of the old days of farm traffic. Apparently it was not uncommon in the 40’s and 50’s to have 15 year old kids driving farm implements, tractors, trucks you name it. I’m sure there are a few out there that young still doing it now but it seems unlikely that those numbers are significant. Anyway, just another example of how a reasonable approach to a situation 50 years ago is a recipe for disaster now.
Anyway, my whole point was to ask all you drivers out there to put a little HUMANISM back in to your driving habits. We as pedestrians have to get where we're going just as badly as you do and we are having to walk. Get a grip and give us a break. Thank you.
