If the power is out at an intersection...

[SpottedCrow]

In MA if you squish a pedestrian in the cross walk you are SOOO up the creek. If the pedestrian is not in the cross walk, just scoop the carcass to the side of the road and move away quickly (J/K)
I've seen too many people who just hop off the curbs and don't look to see if there's any traffic. I've also seen lots of folk just go straight through red lights without stopping.
They seem to ASSume that the rules apply to everyone else.

 

[mudhen]

All jokes aside (as funny as they are

) it really burns me when I see the morally corrupt blatanly ignore common courtesy.

Even if there wasn't a law to stop at an intersection when the power is out or the lights have gone wonky, and one has to treat it like a 4-way stop, it saddens me when some people think they are somehow special and can do what they want (like drive without stopping and/or block the intersection entirely).

Same with crosswalks. Sure, some pedestrians step off curbs without looking (dummies!) but if a driver squishes them, talk about the end of life as you know it...for both of them.

Especially annoying are those who don't stop for pedestrians at crosswalks, or the ones like have been mentioned (and it has happened to me too) that PASS you when you've stopped to let someone cross. Idiots.

Instead of fighting and arguing about whether or not to make courses mandatory such as spanish or religion at school, I wish they would teach mandatory courses in common courtesy.

OK, I'm stepping off my soapbox, thanks for listening to me rant. (Can you tell the topic of this thread was a sore spot with me? LOL)

 

[Royicus]

Haha, I really do read the traffic laws for fun. Oregon Revised Statues can be an entertaining read on a Friady night

With respect to pedestrians, they do not always have the right of way. Pedestrians only have the right of way in marked crossings. If there is one and you hit a pedestrian, you are up a creek without a paddle. However, if you hit one who just ran into the street, then you are usually alright provided you commited no other offense when you hit them (speeding, reckless, DUI, etc).

As far as crossing the road, the biggest issue is safety. Even if you do have right of way and are crossing in a marked and lit crosswalk, if a car does hit you, YOU lose

Even if you win in court, you are the one injured. Be careful crossing the streets!

Also variable by state is when you can proceed forward when someone is crossing the street. In some instances, it is when they completely cross a lane of traffic adjacent to you. I know that in my state, if someone with a white cane is at the curb, all traffic must stop until that person has completely crossed the street, not just the lane closest to yours.