Comments on: The Near-Miss http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/the-near-miss/ falling indelibly into the past Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:32:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Vito Prosciutto http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/the-near-miss/#comment-702 Vito Prosciutto Fri, 23 Sep 2005 18:03:46 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=366#comment-702 <p>I’m always a bit amazed at the deference that California drivers show to pedestrians. Or for that matter the deference that California pedestrians show to traffic signals. In college, I went to a movie in Westwood with a bunch of friends and as we were walking back to the car. 11p, not a car in sight, and they were all planning on waiting for the “walk” signal. </p> <p> The flip side being that when I, using my habits acquired in the city of my birth cross ignoring signals and just watching traffic am amazed at cars that will stop even though there’s no chance of them coming anywhere near me. </p> I’m always a bit amazed at the deference that California drivers show to pedestrians. Or for that matter the deference that California pedestrians show to traffic signals. In college, I went to a movie in Westwood with a bunch of friends and as we were walking back to the car. 11p, not a car in sight, and they were all planning on waiting for the “walk” signal.

The flip side being that when I, using my habits acquired in the city of my birth cross ignoring signals and just watching traffic am amazed at cars that will stop even though there’s no chance of them coming anywhere near me.

]]> By: incline http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/the-near-miss/#comment-701 incline Fri, 23 Sep 2005 00:00:43 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=366#comment-701 <p>yeah, i was level with him when we made eye-contact, so my car was already passed his path as he was running up from a couple yards back, and i was waiting for an opening, so he would have had to change his path to run in front of me too, it would have been about as easy.  i don’t know.  i let people pass if they’re running in front of my car, but he was running at my car the whole time.  if he’d been on the sidewalk, it would have been a clear path around the back of my car, because the “tree-lawn” is wide on my block.  but yeah, i don’t know, he just seemed to run at my car and give me a dirty look for my car blocking his path, and i don’t know why it made me so mad in this one case.  i don’t know, i always feel bad ticking people off for just about any reason, but this guy’s running AT my car, and his dirty look, and his decision not to use the sidewalk on a notoriously busy street really got under my skin.  <br /> i don’t know if i’d pass up a chance to nudge a few profs with my bumper, but now that i’m stuck TAing stats, i am constantly watching my own back in the parking lot… </p> yeah, i was level with him when we made eye-contact, so my car was already passed his path as he was running up from a couple yards back, and i was waiting for an opening, so he would have had to change his path to run in front of me too, it would have been about as easy.  i don’t know.  i let people pass if they’re running in front of my car, but he was running at my car the whole time.  if he’d been on the sidewalk, it would have been a clear path around the back of my car, because the “tree-lawn” is wide on my block.  but yeah, i don’t know, he just seemed to run at my car and give me a dirty look for my car blocking his path, and i don’t know why it made me so mad in this one case.  i don’t know, i always feel bad ticking people off for just about any reason, but this guy’s running AT my car, and his dirty look, and his decision not to use the sidewalk on a notoriously busy street really got under my skin. 

i don’t know if i’d pass up a chance to nudge a few profs with my bumper, but now that i’m stuck TAing stats, i am constantly watching my own back in the parking lot…

]]> By: ogged http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/the-near-miss/#comment-700 ogged Thu, 22 Sep 2005 23:37:35 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=366#comment-700 <p>I almost hit a woman once, when it was dark and raining, and I turned and there she was right in front of me.  I jammed the breaks and went into a skid and stopped a few feet from her.  I still feel bad about that, even though she was nearly impossible to see. </p> <p> Then again, I once stopped to let a pedestrian pass, and he turned out to be my then-current English prof, who leaned in and said, “You just passed up a chance to run over a professor!” </p> <p> Incline, when I’m running and make eye contact, I assume that the driver will let me pass.  I think that’s standard. </p> I almost hit a woman once, when it was dark and raining, and I turned and there she was right in front of me.  I jammed the breaks and went into a skid and stopped a few feet from her.  I still feel bad about that, even though she was nearly impossible to see.

Then again, I once stopped to let a pedestrian pass, and he turned out to be my then-current English prof, who leaned in and said, “You just passed up a chance to run over a professor!”

Incline, when I’m running and make eye contact, I assume that the driver will let me pass.  I think that’s standard.

]]> By: incline http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/the-near-miss/#comment-699 incline Thu, 22 Sep 2005 22:14:26 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=366#comment-699 <p>yeah, you know, i was pulling out of my driveway the other day, which backs onto a busy street, and a runner was running NOT on the sidewalk, but on the road, and I saw him coming from yards away, and he saw me make eye-contact, but assuming he would be happy to jog behind my car, i slowly inched up to seize my moment to pull out into traffic, and instead of slowing down or jogging behind my car or even--heaven forfend--sticking to the sidewalk, he speeds up and runs right at my car, then glares at me for being in his path!!  AAAH! </p> yeah, you know, i was pulling out of my driveway the other day, which backs onto a busy street, and a runner was running NOT on the sidewalk, but on the road, and I saw him coming from yards away, and he saw me make eye-contact, but assuming he would be happy to jog behind my car, i slowly inched up to seize my moment to pull out into traffic, and instead of slowing down or jogging behind my car or even–heaven forfend–sticking to the sidewalk, he speeds up and runs right at my car, then glares at me for being in his path!!  AAAH!

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