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Comment by freitzkriesler2 | Hacker News Reader

Unpopular opinion: pedestrians need to be MORE aware crossing streets. Stop jay walking and assuming people see you and will stop.

Same with bicyclists. You may have the right of way but it doesn't matter when your critically injured or worse: dead.

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Look, it's always a good idea to take responsibility for your own safety. I've seen people get in to accidents that were entirely avoidable and no one wins with that. I've often advocated this.

But at the same time, this just isn't a solution to a structural problem like this. All pedestrians and cyclists constantly being in fear and having to be on the lookout for mad idiots driving like a complete muppet because they're looking on their phones is just not a solution.

It's not being constantly in fear. It's called being situationally aware around 2 ton death machines and being mentally prepared to act accordingly.

The reason people get hurt is because they aren't paying attention and react poorly. I said it elsewhere but I almost got hit by a car whose brakes failed. I dove out of the way and live to tell about it because I walk with my head up and look forward. Too many people live with their head in the clouds (or their phones) and act surprised when freak accidents happen.

Situational awareness goes a long way to keeping one safe and it frankly doesn't surprise me that a site like this is filled with people who would rather safety pad the world than pay attention to his surroundings.

I don't think that's an unpopular opinion at all, but it's still just victim blaming. People are run over on sidewalks, cyclists on cycling paths or just standing at red lights. There's basically only one type of road user that is a danger to anyone else [0], the focus should be to make drivers less dangerous and not to make everyone else even more aware. Where I live people already wear high-viz clothing when riding a bike or even just going for a walk, but still get run over.

[0] https://transport.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2021-11/collisio...

Story time, I had to dive bomb out of the way of a car that lost it brakes and had ran onto the sidewalk. I am alive today because I keep my head up and pay attention to the world around me.

It's not victim blaming to be aware of one's surroundings and act accordingly. Too many people are passively going through their day and lack complete situational awareness.

Wake up and pay attention when there are 2.5 ton steel death machines around and no I'm not going to click your link.

Story time. I find myself to be pushing a stroller around a lot these days, and the number of times where I have to wait behind some obstacles to make place for another stroller, kids, someone in a wheelchair, a blind person, old people with walkers, is much higher than I thought it would be when I was just my agile, young self. I'm sure they'd all love to dive bomb away from cars that are running into them.

Sounds like a you problem. 〜 ( ꒪ ꒳ ꒪ ) 〜

Nah, it's just good situational awareness.

Maybe look in front of them and avoid trucks of peace.

Part and parcel of living in a big city ♪ ( ´ ε )

That's the world you want to live in?

Sadly, you can't seem to offer up any preventative safety advice to people anymore, without being accused of victim blaming. We tell kids to wear helmets on their bikes and to look both ways before crossing the street, and that's not victim blaming.

We need to normalize accepting responsibility for one's own safety (and the safety of others) in a world full of hazards.

Yup pretty much. Society is filled with pussies.

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