brihoppy

look lads, lets stop all this point scoring nonsense...i had a close call, and if idve hit the guy and his kids, im pretty sure i wouldnt have been at fault, thats why i dont feel guilty about it...it doesnt matter what speed i was going or what hazard i was focused on, there will always be someone saying i shouldve been doing it differently, and thats all very well with the benefit of hindsight, as it always is...

however, its just another cautionary tale of what can and does happen on the roads, and if it makes one more person think about their driving, then thats cool...i certainly learned from it

Reality

I once ran over two pissheads that walked straight infront of my car (nothing I could have done).

One of them got up and started screaming - the other was laying face down in a pool of blood - fitting.

Certainly made me more aware of pedestrians et all all around me when driving - it might not be your fault - but trust me - It aint a nice feeling running over two young girls .

OllyK

Except you would more than likely be charged with Driving without Due Care at the very least and possibly Death by Dangerous Driving as you had not adjusted your speed when you could not see the road in front of you.

Do you slow down in the fog or do you consider that clear driving conditions as well?

brihoppy

and by the way when i say i dont feel guilty, i meant about not hitting them because i wasnt driving like an idiot...under the same circumstances, if i had hit them im sure id feel differently, despite not being at fault

OllyK

I'm glad it has made you more of the risks, sadly Shonen seems to have a f*ck the pedestrians attitude, I'll be all right, it's your problem. We don't need people with that kind of attitude on the roads.

Shonen

But he could see the road ahead, the pedestrians were obscured. THEY should have waited for the little green man.

brihoppy

yes they should shonen, but they didnt...

Reality

That's a bit harsh - Shonen described almost exactly what happened in my incident. I saw the Girls - they were walking towards a lights controlled pedestrian crossing - I had right of way. Two people in front of them stopped as they had to wait for the green man - I continued on my way. The two girls just walked past the two people waiting and straight into my path.

If the pedestrian has a death wish there's **** all anyone can do about it - Except give up driving all together !

Shonen

I am not that bothered what OllyK has said as in my arguments I have stuck to the facts but OllyK cant put forward a reasoned debate with out insults. So if my **** the pedestrians attitude winds him up, good!

brihoppy

bad news that mate, glad i didnt end up in a similar situation...and ollyk, im glad youre glad i learned something, but a bit patronising dont you think...?

point i was originally trying to make, well i wasnt really but i will now, is it never ceases to amaze me the stupid things people do without thinking...that guys kids could be dead now just because he had a brain fart crossing the road...we all screw up on the roads from time to time, and anyone that says they dont is an out and out liar...

Spoon

Shonen - Sadly pedestrians don't do what they should and ultimately put the onus on vehicle drivers more and more nowadays.

As a driver you need eyes in the back of your head and it's made far more difficult by these useless individuals who don't think before acting whilst walking on or across a road.

Sometimes you can't win because driving cautiously often upsets vehicle drivers who maybe haven't seen the potential hazard that you have.

I'm with you on sentiment though, roads aren't for clueless idiots whether pedestrian or driving.

It's interesting to see the new government adverts that appear to highlight pedestrians in the wrong rather than blaming a speeding motorist.

Reality

If you think about it we're all one bad decision away from being dead.

brihoppy

very well put

OllyK

Sure - but it has been pointed out several times to Shonen - that a van stopping you from seeing people means they are obscured, it means the bit of road they are on is obscured and that if the road is obscured you need to slow down. Shonen seems to think that becuase you couldn't see them, it means they don't exist. It could have been they were trying to peek round the van to see if anything was coming - I don't know. But trying to claim the view wasn't obscured it just plain blinkered.

Frosty The Snowman

This was purely the fault of the pedestrian, even if brihoppy been travelling at 5mph looking on all directions someone walking out at the wrong time WILL get hit. Drivers cannot be held completely responsible for every accident that occurs on a road between them and pedestrians and the pedestrians, especially in this case, should not have been doing what they were doing definitely when they have kids in tow too.

To add...I'm amazed at the driving perfection some Scoobynetters hold people to.

imlach

I never said the pedestrian wasn't at fault..........

brihoppy

so patronise shonen, not me please...i get the feeling that in those circumstances i couldnt have been going slow enough for some people and shouldve in fact stopped at the green light and waited until the van had moved away...?!

Shonen

Last time I stick up for you Brihoppy! Help you out, get loads of ****e and then you leave me to it!

OllyK

And I'm amazed the lack of responsibility some SN's seem to think drivers have.

Yes the pedestrian was at fault, but so was the driver. Thankfully a serious accident was avoided, however both could have done more to have prevented it getting to the stage that it did. Nobody is perfect but that's no excuse for accepting mediocraty either. Brihoppy has learnt and others have been reminded to take a little more care at junctions, even more so when your view is obsucured and a small minority seem to have learnt nothing.

Frosty The Snowman

No, but there are a fair few people replying to this with their hindsight spectacles firmly on and I would bet the vast majority would have done exactly as Brihoppy so why all the criticism?

If everyone drove round always expecting a loony to jump out of a hedgerow, or from behind a car, for no apparent reason they would never get anywhere.

OllyK

I thought I was?

I think it was your mention of 3rd gear that raised my initial concerns and led me to belive there was room to be travelling slower.

Frosty The Snowman

People can drive round reasonably though and Brihoopy doesn't seemed to have done anything particularly bad to me, yes we can all be more careful but as I have just said there are limits. The pedestrian in this case was most definitely in the wrong crossing against a red light and stepping into the path of an on coming car.

OllyK

I think the bee that both imlach and myself have is the attitude that "it's all the pedestrians fault, the driver did nothing wrong and could have done more"

We are both saying, "both" are at fault and let it be a lesson to us all to take that bit more care when your view is obscured. If it is a wide open road, then there is nowhere for anybody to jump out from without you getting some warning. When the reaction time is reduced, around town and in heavy traffic then we have to drive accordingly.

brihoppy

theres that word 'fault' again...im pretty sure that if idve ended up in court over this, no fault wouldve been laid with me...i wasnt driving dangerously or recklessly, or withough due care and attention and i wasnt speeding...this guy didnt peek around the van, he literally strode stright out into the road with 2 kids in tow...had i been going any faster in fact, they wouldve been behind me, so its arguable that it was because i was going so slowly that i almost hit them...

i have done some silly things on the road in the past that have had me kicking myself, but this wasnt one of them and if youre driving is so perfect ollyk, then i bow to your magnificence...

brihoppy

Originally Posted by brihoppy
so patronise shonen, not me please...

I thought I was?

'youre glad i learned something...' little bit patronising...

Frosty The Snowman

But but but Brihoppy missed the pedestrain which clearly shows he was driving according to his abilities and the conditions even when in this case some loony did jump out in front of him.

brihoppy

i think well be going round in circles here boys...like i said, there will always be those according to whom i was at fault, even though i was able to avoid a collision, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion (i hate that phrase but cant think of a better way of putting it)

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

I think the lesson learnt here is never to post about your close calls/racing/donuting on Scoobynet

brihoppy

by the way frosty, where in beds are you...?

Reality

The pedestrian was at Fault - Brihoppy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

To say he was "at Fault" is putting it a bit stronger than most would agree with - yes he could have been driving even slower than he was - but the ******** not looking would still have just walked into the road without looking and was still putting the kids in danger !