Thread by @PaulAtkinsonPDX

Now that we've changed the clocks, let's remember that driving a car in the dark means you have to be extra careful! Lots of people get out walking and it's going to be harder to see them, so you'll want to be attentive.

Long thread coming. #pdxtraffic #bikemore #drivesafely

Before you respond with a variant on "but pedestrians should always [action] if they want to keep themselves safe," hold on to that until later in the thread. It's coming. First, 7 important things for drivers:

1) Not every pedestrian will be dressed like a safety orange Christmas tree modeled after the Vegas strip. If you think wearing jeans and a peacoat makes a pedestrian too hard to see until it's too late, and you're driving where people walk, then you're driving too fast.

2) Eye contact with pedestrians is impossible for them after dark, especially in the rain. They can't see through your windshield, so don't rely on that to know whether they've seen you. Yield as required to people at crosswalks whether or not you see them see you.

2a) In Oregon every intersection, marked or unmarked, is a crosswalk unless explicitly signed otherwise. Elsewhere, check your local laws. If visibility is blocked (e.g., by vehicles parked too near the corner) slow down a bit to see whether anyone is waiting.

3) When the first rain comes after a long dry spell the roads are exceptionally slick. Not only should you leave longer following distance, but also leave extra room when passing pedestrians and cyclists -- enough that if they slip and fall they won't go under your wheels.

4) "Blind spot" is a poor moniker. It's perfectly visible if you turn your head. That was the lesson they were trying to teach when you learned about that. Check it by turning your head before you turn the wheel, just in case anyone is there.

5) When you're about to turn right you naturally look left for a break in traffic. Before you press the accelerator, look back to the right and over your right shoulder to check for pedestrians or cyclists. In Oregon a cyclist on your right often has the right of way.

6) Your phone: you know better but you're doing it anyway. You especially do it when you stop at a light, imagining it's safe because you're not moving. Trouble is that intersections are where your attention is needed the most. Break the habit. #HangUpAndDrive

7) When you come to a stop (light or sign), stop before the crosswalk (painted or not) and look again for people before creeping forward to check for cross traffic. Blocking a pedestrian crossing while you wait for a break in traffic is dangerous.

You're bursting with "but PEDESTRIANS..." or with "cyclists ALWAYS..." or "safety is EVERYONE'S responsibility" or "do you want to be DEAD RIGHT?" Breathe. Let's talk.

When you're driving you can't dictate how anyone else will behave. When you're driving the only person you can control is you. If you're walking then this thread doesn't apply to you; this is only for when you're driving, so stay focused on that.

You KNOW there are dark-clad pedestrians out there, even if you're quite sure you would never ever wear dark clothing between dusk and dawn. They exist, and you know that, but when you're startled to see someone too late it's scary.

You don't want to kill anyone, I assume. That's why it's scary. And they have responsibilities: not to jump in front of you when you don't have time to stop, not to cross mid-block, cyclists need lights after dark. It's in the law.

But they don't have a responsibility to dress in any specific way. Zero. None. Maybe they don't even own any high-viz. Poor people are allowed to exist, and allowed to walk or even ride bicycles. No law compels them to also shop for fancy reflective clothing.

Also not a responsibility: eye contact. You don't have to see them see you. Maybe they saw your car coming a block away when you hadn't noticed them yet. Maybe they're vision-impaired. Either way your job is the same: be attentive and don't drive faster than you can see.

Regarding the absolutely inevitable "dead right" comment that happens every goddamn time? "Might makes right" is a terribly shitty moral code and you should feel bad for invoking it.

When a driver injures or kills a vulnerable road user it's common for people to remark that the victim should have been more careful in order to stay safe. This is based in kind of a lazy tautology.

How careful should people be? The answer usually boils down to "careful enough not to be hit." Do you know how many people have ever been hit who were careful enough not to be hit? Yeah, you do. It's zero, obviously, and it's as useless as most other tautologies.

Similarly no driver has ever hit anyone while being careful enough not to hit anyone, but oddly drivers rarely assert that. So now that those are out of the way let's focus on meeting just the minimum level of care required of drivers.

Yes, drivers, because driving is a terrible combination of banal and dangerous so it results in ~40,000 deaths per year in the United States, plus many times that number of people injured and a tremendous amount of other damage. Pedestrian-on-pedestrian crashes not so much.

The whole point is that when we're driving cars people all too often get impatient and do aggressive, irrational things because we're *not going as fast as we want,* and sometimes that kills innocent people.

Belief in personal responsibility never means pointing to someone else. Personal responsibility sounds like "I should" and not "they should."

When driving don't say "pedestrians should take responsibility for their safety." Instead say "I'm responsible for driving safely."

I don't always drive, but when I do I try to do so responsibly. I hope you will as well. Peace.

@threadreaderapp Unroll