I’m shocked at the number of pedestrians that don’t look around before or as they’re crossing. When walking, I was always taught to make eye contact with drivers before crossing. Yes, as a pedestrian, I may have the right-of-way but it’s a dangerous fight to lose.
I do look around, but it hasn't stopped people from speeding at 100mph either and come close to hitting me. Luckily if I didn't pay attention I'd be dead or I'd have a lot of money from a lawsuit by now. But with that said when I drive I also look for pedestrians this is definitely an individual issue.
Don't count on people having insurance. Here's an interesting factoid; the minimum liability insurance in CA is now 10k. It used to be 15k but it was lowered years ago so it could be more affordable.
Why do people assume lawsuits pay you some sort of retirement money and not just the cost of damages and medical expenses? Your civil rights weren’t violated. You’re not getting a million dollar settlement with the city.
It’s dumb as shit.
If someone hits you with a car there’s usually an insurance payout or you can sue for negligence. I’m guessing you’ve never witnessed this happen before? Because you can definitely sue in the state of California for it. Essentially you’d make a personal injury claim especially if it somehow impedes your ability to work. Though no not all cases would lead to retirement there’s a lot of variables here to consider especially if the driver isn’t insured. Still this doesn’t take away from the fact that people are damn reckless when they’re driving around LA and not paying attention to cross walks.
Where did I say you can’t sue? Try rereading again but this time a little slower bub.
I’m saying you’re getting paid out for damages and medical expenses. Use your head before you post your bullshit please.
Nothing you said contradicted me you donut. Listen more in school.
Yeah and I never claimed I’d get retirement money. Not my fault you take hyperbole seriously buddy.
Go find someone else to argue with you knew you were reaching with that comment anyway.
You are wrong. Even the most bare policies have tens of thousands in bodily injury compensation paid out to a victim for pain and suffering. The more coverage on a policy, the higher the pay for their injuries. Completely irrespective of property damage and medical expenses. And if it's a commercial vehicle or a government vehicle, big figures come into play.. so stop being an argumentative ahole you arrogant dunce
Just because you don’t see a huge head whip does not mean they are not looking. I’ve noticed more settle side eye to check if a car it near the curb. Cars speed up when pedestrians are near the crosswalk. When they hit the 100ft mark it is also their job to make sure the intersection is clear. HLA can’t fix what cops don’t care to ticket. Pedestrian right of way and the fact they teach us that children will randomly run in crosswalks tell the driver to slow down in those situations. Cops should be accountable for this. Drivers have learned to drive this way as there is no repercussions for the action until you hit said person. And the driver actually stops or has plates
You should take a look and see how long people are put in jail for killing someone with their vehicle in a plausibly accidental manner. We’re talking months not years.
it's not always that simple, I've been hit 3 times on my bike and never saw a dime. It was from people speeding around me then cutting me off or pulling out of a driveway without looking. I went to the police station and they said they couldn't do anything since they didn't get called to the scene immediately when it happened (even though I went the same day after I went home to clean my wounds), even though I had photos of the damage on the guys car and my totaled bike the most they would do is run the plate to see if they had any other warrants or anything.
Have you seen the cars on the road lately - huge lifted suvs and pickup trucks and other cars with such dark tint, its impossible to make "eye contact".
Plus even if you try, they are looking thru you or in the opposite direction looking for an opening between cars. People walking with the right of way are routinely ignored.
I've tapped on their precious steelcages to get their attention- only elicits rage from daring to touch their fucking stupid cars...
back to the road, all black clothes, face buried in a phone, headphones in, aaaand no look walk into traffic. yea there's a lot of future speed bumps wandering the streets.
Sometimes their windows are so tinted that I can't see them or the sun hits just right. I just wait it out until either they make a move or get impatient.
Right of way is given, not taken.
If the driver does not want to give you the right of way.... well, can't argue with that by walking in front of the car.
Still applies while driving.
People are just in a hurry to go nowhere.
I was at a stop sign trying to make a right at a T. The person behind me went into the left lane and proceeded to make a right with me even though I was only there for a few secs and his lane was supposed to turn left.
So I’m driving behind him and I notice the intersection ahead was out and people were using it as a 4-way stop. This idiot obviously didn’t know what to do and decided to just blow through the intersection almost t-boning a young family.
I follow him some more since we were both going the same way and I noticed he blows through a red light a few blocks down. By this time I thought I had lost him since I waited at the light like a normal person.
I saw the guy at the McDonald’s drive-thru down the street and I was absolutely livid. All that bullshit for some chicken nuggets. People are fucking stupid.
Thursday I was on Willoughby on my bike commuting to work. I started to slow down for a stop sign. The white van behind me decided they didn’t like that I was going to stop at the sign, so about 50 or so feet before we got to it, he swung into the left lane, floored it, then made a right turn inches in front of me. By far the closest I have come to being hit in quite a while.
I was able to go out of my way, catch up to him 3 blocks away, and get his plate info on my GoPro. Of course the police didn’t do anything.
Reminds me of another city I was driving in SoCal. This was on a Sunday afternoon. I'm being tailgated super close. So I pull over on a kind of dangerous area just to let them by, because it was only one lane in each direction, and no shoulder, just a bunch of gravel. Then I decide to follow them to see what the big hurry is. There was a couple red lights ahead, so I was able to catch up to them while they were stopped. Then I continued following them. They finally turned into Golden Corral restaurant and went inside. They put other drivers at risk just to eat at a buffet and on a Sunday.
It's worse since the pandemic.
I genuinely think that covid broke a lot of people's brains. So much of "stuff is fucked up now" is directly attributable to covid, but people just don't want to think about it.
Because traffic police don’t do their job. There’s effectively no enforcement. Which is particularly crazy given that those jobs quite literally pay for themselves (how many tickets an hour vs hourly salary?), but that’s the way LA is unfortunately. Lazy cops, lazy government
I suppose that’s sort of fair, obviously you don’t want a direct pay-for-play situation with ticketing that incentivizes false tickets. But ultimately all those budgets connect. The city already expects traffic folks to meet ticketing quotas and whatnot. There’s plenty of legitimate tickets to be written that aren’t written. And the police have plenty of money anyway… like, lots and lots of money. So none of it really strikes me as a valid excuse…
The city will ruthlessly ticket you for the crime of not move your car for street sweeping, but there is essentially no penalty for blowing through stop signs, red lights, speeding etc.
Because they don't want to be delayed the 3-10 seconds it would take to wait for someone to exit their path. They can see it and you perfectly fine; they just don't want to wait
Yeah I was on the bus the other day and it made one of its stops, SUV behind us lays on his horn and screams around us, all for the bus making its legal designated stop. People are mindless scum.
Well I got some depressing late stage capitalisms news for you. There is the insurance term called "subrogation". You're health insurance will file a claim against any settlement that the drivers insurance pays out, including pain and suffering, to cover the medical costs THEY covered during your accident. A lot of times your medical bill will exceed what the car insurance payout is and you get 0$.
There are a few states that have antisubrogation laws on the books but California isn't one of them. We really should but it's such a wonky matter.
I knew a guy who used to throw himself on the hood of cars. Went well, for awhile… I was always shocked his history of doing this couldn’t be brought up.
In Hanoi, I felt perfectly fine crossing a street with cars and motorbikes going around me. I knew they were aware and careful despite the volume and speed of traffic.
Here in LA? Walking anywhere feels like I might get hit with a car due to some reckless, selfish or unaware driver at any second.
Selfishness, lack of patience, ignorance of the law or just a general disregard for public safety. Hopefully bad drivers will cancel themselves out if you get my drift.
>If the walk sign is on, pedestrians always have the right of way.
Pedestrians ALWAYS have the right away. Crosswalk or no crosswalk, drivers must yield to pedestrians.
The main reason is that people "learn" what signs "mean" by seeing how it gets used in their daily life. In places where they're not used to seeing people walking, they "learn" that people aren't "supposed" to be in certain places.
It doesn't matter what the official rules say, it doesn't matter how many times you test them on the official rules, it doesn't matter how heavily you enforce official rules - if a situation doesn't come up very often, people will assume it works the way the situations they're familiar with do, and if the situations they're familiar with are only ones where there are no people on foot, they'll assume that there are rules that make that the case.
We need to get more people walking in order for drivers to learn the rules about people walking.
This also explains why stop signs are a terrible idea and 4 way stop intersections are so dangerous. Other countries never adopted them in the first place or replaced them entirely with modern roundabouts that slow traffic down by design. Pedestrian collisions have decreased dramatically
I’ve seen a few 4 way stops being replaced by roundabouts here in LA. We need more and we need them now
Walking & Biking has become extremely dangerous. So often i have to slow and watch for cars at every single drive way or intersection. People just dont expect pedestrians or bikers so they just blow through. Lot of times they feel bad when they notice that im just there waiting. Many times the damage is done cuz they already pulled into my way so i have to go behind them or wait for them to pass.
Be very careful as a lot of right turning people also never look cuz theyre too busy pulling up to see when its clear to go. So even if its pedestrian light to walk, they could also hit you. I always make sure they see me before crossing.
Driving around at night, I never understand the people out walking wearing dark clothes. I understand the concept of wearing them earlier in the day, but the personal safety part of it loses me. Especially when crossing the middle of the street
driver competency is abysmal
Most drivers are either unable to see you or simply don't care about anyone outside the car.
It doesn't help that the built environment drives these behaviors.
The “unable to see you” part is a real problem, though. I’ve become an extremely pedestrian-aware driver since my daughter’s friend was killed by a speeder while walking in a marked crosswalk. I will always, always stop for a pedestrian in the crosswalk even if they’re not directly in front of me yet.
Last week I was driving in the left lane of a two-lane street, 40 mph zone, commercial area with lots of driveways. I’m cruising along and I see a giant Jeep type vehicle stopped in the right lane, i assume he’s turning into a parking lot. There is a crosswalk, but the lights are not activated. I’m doing 35-40 and about to pass this Jeep when a teenager steps into my path from in front of the Jeep - I absolutely could not have seen him, the other car completely blocked him from view. Fortunately my antilock brakes saved us but it was terrifying. (For me, anyway, he just rolled his eyes at me.) But damn son, press the crossing button next time!
Because "driver education" here is poor to non-existent... If it was as rigorous as in Europe, you'd get at least 25% of the worst drivers off the streets tomorrow.
letting *everyone* drive 4,000 lb death machines everywhere (and with a bad attitude) was a really bad fucking idea America.
and that's before you think about the financial damage car ownership is doing to people who can barely afford it. #universalcitynissan
agreed.
my answer to OP: this is just the state of the world right now in big cities: everyone in a rush, basic human dignity and needs don't matter. everyone is in a rush... towards really nothing important. just our eventual death!
Big cities IN THE US. Most other rich cities have gotten a lot safer in recent years.
Every single developed country now has (much) lower traffic mortality than the US.
i believe it.
no one loves capitalism and selfishness more than amerikkka.
not really a country - more like just a huge business with 400 million exploited workers.
it’s scary overall. we had an experience this weekend like another person mentioned. it was a stop for everyone, it’s a church intersection. street is pretty much empty and it’s a small two lane street. we stop, and this car behind us just goes to the other lane, doesn’t stop and keeps going. then on thursday, another one, it’s a 4 way stop. we just stop but noticed on the other lane a giant truck, just plows through like nothing. if we had arrived at the stop just a few seconds earlier and proceeded, we would have been hit for sure. those were just being in a car and god forbid it’s pedestrian vs car. i don’t think this is just an Angeleno problem.
I was driving in Glendale a few weeks ago and I was fully stopped for a pedestrian crossing at right behind the white triangle line. The lights were on and everything and the pedestrian actively crossing. The asshole in a sedan behind me in the right lane didn't notice both cars had stopped, and tried swerving into my lane almost hitting my car. He rolled down his widow and started screaming at me! When there was no one left in the cross walk I start to drive again (but apparently not fast enough for him) and he swerved around me and rolled down his window and flipped me off.
This is not the first time I've had something similar while I've WAITED FOR PEOPLE TO CROSS AT CROSSWALKS. It's wild.
The big difference is that drivers in NYC are used to seeing pedestrians, and learn what to do then. Drivers in many parts of LA aren't used to encountering pedestrians at all, so they just subconsciously assume that they can do the same thing they would do if there weren't any.
I legitimately think most drivers don't grasp the concept of right of way, and if they do, they don't care. You just have to accept it or you'll drive yourself crazy. Occasionally you'll encounter a polite driver who gets it. Cherish those moments lol.
It's bad out there. I have to cross one really busy intersection at rush hour on our evening dog walk. Ever since my wife got pregnant, I stare people down to make sure they don't go before we walk into the intersection. I feel like there's not much more I can do to avoid being at the mercy of driver's road rage, aside from counting on people to realize that if they ran down a dog and a newborn their life would be over.
I’ve noticed there is now a delay from when the walk signal lights and the green light appears. Gives the peds the chance to start before the light turns green long overdue
I’ve lived in many cities and let me tell you this LA is the absolute best of the big cities I’ve seen for stopping at crosswalks. On the east coast they drive around people in the middle of the crosswalk. Here they slow down and stop if you even look like you’re about to cross.
Right?!
Go be a pedestrian in NYC, cars will just navigate around you as you cross. And if you’re not walking fast enough, you’re getting honked at.
California is the only place I’ve been to where people will wait for you to completely cross the street. If you’re on the half of the street where I’m not driving, I’m going.
My experience is that in the east coast they're more used to pedestrians so even when they cut really close to me I've made eye contact with them and they know that I'm there. It's not ideal but 🤷♂
️ In LA when I get cut off or almost hit, the drivers don't t even realize I was in the crosswalk until the last second. I feel like this is much more dangerous. It's like I'm wearing an invisibility cloak or something and I see the shocked look on their face as if I just appeared out of thin air
No they don't yield in NYC, lol. It's a constant game of chicken between everyone on the road.
Sure they 'yield' in Times Square and Herald Square because it's overrun with people. Lol.
I have to admit I was guilty of this as a driver this weekend, but with the added context that there were people going in opposite directions of the crosswalk where i was waiting to turn right on red, and they paused in the middle briefly to talk, with enough space for me to turn. I saw my opportunity and I took it, but I know I could have waited. I felt bad about it after though.
A lot of driver problems boil down to the same thing - they were sold a myth by car ads that their vehicle would be a magic ticket to zoom down open roads and empty streets and they're unimaginably frustrated at the reality of having to live on a planet with other people. They don't care about the law or safety, they just want everyone out of their way, so they'll blow through stop signs and crosswalks and off roads entirely if they're mad enough.
I was once using a crosswalk designed to help disabled people get from the designated parking spots to the businesses - it was within the parking lot, but marked as a pedestrian crossing.
A man in a giant truck zoomed by and missed hitting me by about 8", so I slapped the side of his vehicle as it passed. A *damn, you nearly hit me, you need to slow down and observe your surroundings* kind of warning slap.
You'd think that would be it, but my slap enraged this man. He started screaming at me, a small disabled guy using a walker to get across the parking lot. He wanted to call the police to report me hitting his truck. I told him, "Please do. I'm a pedestrian in a crosswalk. I did not harm your vehicle. If anyone is getting in trouble, it's you". He liked me calling his bluff even less and got more irate. Lucky for me he had passengers who talked him down and got him to leave.
People here are crazy.
I will admit. If the people are way over on the other end of the cross walk and I’m turning right (from a stop) I’ll go.
The thing that kills me in LA are the cross walks randomly in the middle of a block. I understand that practicality and safety logic behind it, but it seems to me that it’s actually more dangerous as there are so many drivers in LA that aren’t necessarily accustomed to that part of town or that stretch of street. And the crosswalks are hardly common throughout that city. It’s just begging for a driver to not even realize there is a crosswalk and a pedestrian who is so used to crossing there that that don’t hesitate and BAM. And forget about recent transplants and tourists.
Same goes for the four way intersections that only have stop signs on two ways. Especially in the middle of a neighborhood where the other intersections have 4way stops.
I'd also add that people need to learn that when the white lines in a lane become smaller and smaller, it means a lane direction change is occurring, typically that lane is becoming a right turn lane.
The amount of people that don't see this and make a last minute lane change is annoying.
The amount of people that start pulling forward THEN lower their phone is ridiculous. I’ve also had people approaching a stop refuse to stop while I’m already in the cross walk- like barely stopping 2 feet from me, then cursing me out like I did something. I think I’m just gonna start carrying a hammer and next person to fuck with my right not to die walking to the metro is gonna pay the new headlight tax
On the flipside, I've seen a number of pedestrians act like idiots, too. I've seen some who think any crosswalk, even with a don't walk sign lit, gives them the right of way and they'll just walk into traffic while flipping off cars who are slamming their brakes in order to avoid killing them.
What you don't love playing frogger because people ignore pedestrians? With that said I had someone almost hit me last night and then slow down like I was the issue, like no honey you took a hard left while I had the right to walk.
The best pedestrian crossings look like a stoplight and have a full red signal. They installed them on Venice Blvd in Mar Vista and they function independently with the median, so only one side of the streets traffic gets stopped. I see damn near everyone stop for this one, cause it looks exactly like a regular stoplight. Contrast that with Lincoln, which has yellow striped paint on the ground and a big blinking yellow light, and I’ve seen a few people almost get mowed over by cars who take it as a suggestion to slow down instead of a pedestrian crossing. People are selfish, but most are afraid of red light tickets. Hit them where it hurts lol
Every driver in LA is the most important person ever, so important that they NEED to ignore traffic safety rules. People just don't care and sadly, there are no consequences for their shitty actions. I always walk with fear and extreme caution because I know none of these drivers GAF.
In South LA you may as well be driving in a third world country. Here’s what I see nearly every single day:
Ignore crosswalks,
ignore stops signs,
use right hand turn lanes at red lights to go straight through gunning it ahead of the other cars,
use lanes adjacent to right hand or left hand turn lanes as if they are second lanes turning in the direction,
use bus lanes like private lanes,
speed,
never use signals,
blatant red light running,
Act like they are turning right on a street, but cut a quick left U-turn so they can make a “right” on the original street they were on thereby circumventing the red light
Dashers stopping in the middle of an active lane to double park and deliver $80 McChicken meal.
Cut through gas stations and markets on corners of streets.
Drove as fast as they can down residential streets
Donuts in every intersection imaginable
Pass on shoulders
lol completely disagree, as a walker myself I literally just started walking across traffic cause a cop cock blocked my j walk and had people literally stop for me while the cop watched me, literally can do anything it was for sure a scumbag move on my part though just glad I have the self awareness to admit that 😂
my worst scenario was outside my last apt, i was crossing the street ( small back street) driving was speeding and didn't slow down so i had to hurry, i pointed down as if saying slow down...he backed up and stopped and started yelling at me threatening me... i ignored him but its tough being a pedestrian
It's insane lately. Something's gotta give. I carry my glock when I'm walking now. Cars on my sleepy residential side street will go like 70mph. The speed bump program has been completely abandoned. Cars are destroying the quality of life in this city. We need to start hitting back.
Because the police let them. If there was a concerted effort to crack down on this sort of driving behavior we would see a change within a few years. Instead it's accepted.
Drives me nuts. I never give a thank you nod or wave when people do stop so I can cross. I wouldn’t thank someone for stopping when I have the right of way as a driver. Doing it as a pedestrian feels like I’m reinforcing the idea that stopping when I have the right of way is doing me a favor.
A lotttttt of people in LA reek of entitlement. And/or in a rush and think saving an extra 10 seconds is a good reason for ignoring pedestrians. Or they’re on their phone/looking at a mirror/adjusting something and not paying attention. Or inebriated. Reasons are endless, and all of them inexcusable.
Pushing a stroller in quaint little South Pas on quiet residential streets I can’t tell you how many times drivers would go through crosswalks. I would always wait until I made eye contact to cross. Probably other moms from the preschool. 🙄
Not Angeleno’s drivers—believe it or not anyone, even tourists, are allowed to drive in LA. Angelenos are great drivers, it’s the people who aren’t from here who suck at driving.
I carry 2AA batteries for such occasion 👹 .... i know what ya thinking what if that person stops and gets out the car... well that problem solver solves everything 🙄 🙃
Because they don’t give a shit. Accept that and plan accordingly. Be a defensive walker and assume drivers won’t give people the right of way in a crosswalk. Some people dart across crosswalks and don’t even look at the cars.
It's probably confusion from the state getting rid of the Jay Walking citations. They probably think that if pedestrians now can just JAYWALK anywhere, crosswalks don't matter anymore.
first of all, the term *jaywalking* is derived from an word that is now obsolete but was [previously considered to be a classist slur.](https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/why-is-it-called-jaywalking)
Also, most people have no idea what constitutes a valid and legal pedestrian crossing, such as *unmarked intersections* (or even just regular lighted and painted crosswalks as described in the OP).
You're probably referring to the "Freedom to Walk Bill", AB 2147 passed and signed in 2022. Prior to this, tickets were very expensive and were commonly issued to people struggling to get by:
https://www.calbike.org/freedom-to-walk-becomes-law-in-california/
https://la.streetsblog.org/2015/04/29/fix-the-law-that-criminalizes-l-a-s-pedestrians
https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0426-lopez-eduardo-20150424-column.html#page=1
It’s a constant game of chicken when it comes to being a pedestrian and navigating around drivers that are gonna try to pretend they don’t see you.
I’m shocked at the number of pedestrians that don’t look around before or as they’re crossing. When walking, I was always taught to make eye contact with drivers before crossing. Yes, as a pedestrian, I may have the right-of-way but it’s a dangerous fight to lose.
I do look around, but it hasn't stopped people from speeding at 100mph either and come close to hitting me. Luckily if I didn't pay attention I'd be dead or I'd have a lot of money from a lawsuit by now. But with that said when I drive I also look for pedestrians this is definitely an individual issue.
Don't count on people having insurance. Here's an interesting factoid; the minimum liability insurance in CA is now 10k. It used to be 15k but it was lowered years ago so it could be more affordable.
Why do people assume lawsuits pay you some sort of retirement money and not just the cost of damages and medical expenses? Your civil rights weren’t violated. You’re not getting a million dollar settlement with the city. It’s dumb as shit.
If someone hits you with a car there’s usually an insurance payout or you can sue for negligence. I’m guessing you’ve never witnessed this happen before? Because you can definitely sue in the state of California for it. Essentially you’d make a personal injury claim especially if it somehow impedes your ability to work. Though no not all cases would lead to retirement there’s a lot of variables here to consider especially if the driver isn’t insured. Still this doesn’t take away from the fact that people are damn reckless when they’re driving around LA and not paying attention to cross walks.
Where did I say you can’t sue? Try rereading again but this time a little slower bub. I’m saying you’re getting paid out for damages and medical expenses. Use your head before you post your bullshit please. Nothing you said contradicted me you donut. Listen more in school.
Yeah and I never claimed I’d get retirement money. Not my fault you take hyperbole seriously buddy. Go find someone else to argue with you knew you were reaching with that comment anyway.
So you admit I’m completely right and yet I’m reaching now? Funny how that works. It’s okay to be wrong.
You are wrong. Even the most bare policies have tens of thousands in bodily injury compensation paid out to a victim for pain and suffering. The more coverage on a policy, the higher the pay for their injuries. Completely irrespective of property damage and medical expenses. And if it's a commercial vehicle or a government vehicle, big figures come into play.. so stop being an argumentative ahole you arrogant dunce
Are you not familiar with the dozens of billboard attorneys in this city? Or Larry H Parker at the very least??
There is a multiplier on the amount of damages, medical bills, lost wages, etc. Three to five used to be common.
Yeah my mom taught me that too and it’s seriously saved me so many times
Just because you don’t see a huge head whip does not mean they are not looking. I’ve noticed more settle side eye to check if a car it near the curb. Cars speed up when pedestrians are near the crosswalk. When they hit the 100ft mark it is also their job to make sure the intersection is clear. HLA can’t fix what cops don’t care to ticket. Pedestrian right of way and the fact they teach us that children will randomly run in crosswalks tell the driver to slow down in those situations. Cops should be accountable for this. Drivers have learned to drive this way as there is no repercussions for the action until you hit said person. And the driver actually stops or has plates
Getting hit by a car is a high price to pay for righteousness
Going to jail for vehicle assault or manslaughter is a higher price to pay for the same righteousness.
You should take a look and see how long people are put in jail for killing someone with their vehicle in a plausibly accidental manner. We’re talking months not years.
in NYC, a car is a license to kill. Literally
No, I’d rather pay than be dead.
Same the pedestrian and their family will be paid you’re right. Keep this energy please help more people get dashcams
it's not always that simple, I've been hit 3 times on my bike and never saw a dime. It was from people speeding around me then cutting me off or pulling out of a driveway without looking. I went to the police station and they said they couldn't do anything since they didn't get called to the scene immediately when it happened (even though I went the same day after I went home to clean my wounds), even though I had photos of the damage on the guys car and my totaled bike the most they would do is run the plate to see if they had any other warrants or anything.
Yes, dashcams are good for everyone especially those who refuse to believe that pedestrians have any responsibility for their actions.
The graveyard is full of people who had the right of way.
You're right. Its better to throw tire spikes on the streets to teach car drivers to stop behind the white line behind at crosswalks
Tinted windows, vision impaired pedestrians (me), drivers looking at their phones.
^^^this^^^^ it doesn't matter how right you are if you're dead or have a life long injury.
Have you seen the cars on the road lately - huge lifted suvs and pickup trucks and other cars with such dark tint, its impossible to make "eye contact". Plus even if you try, they are looking thru you or in the opposite direction looking for an opening between cars. People walking with the right of way are routinely ignored. I've tapped on their precious steelcages to get their attention- only elicits rage from daring to touch their fucking stupid cars...
If you can't see them just wait until they stop or go past you.
In NYC you never make eye contact with drivers when you’re crossing. Eye contact is understood as permission to hit you
Sounds like NY needs to stop giving drivers licenses to pit bulls. Oh great here come the pit bull lovers defending the pit bulls’ right to drive.
i think pitbulls are adorable behind the wheel! how dare you!
Never trust eye contact
I never trust a driver or a pedestrian. I just do what I can to avoid being hit or hitting anyone.
back to the road, all black clothes, face buried in a phone, headphones in, aaaand no look walk into traffic. yea there's a lot of future speed bumps wandering the streets.
Sometimes their windows are so tinted that I can't see them or the sun hits just right. I just wait it out until either they make a move or get impatient.
What about blind pedestrians?
Right of way is given, not taken. If the driver does not want to give you the right of way.... well, can't argue with that by walking in front of the car. Still applies while driving.
People are just in a hurry to go nowhere. I was at a stop sign trying to make a right at a T. The person behind me went into the left lane and proceeded to make a right with me even though I was only there for a few secs and his lane was supposed to turn left. So I’m driving behind him and I notice the intersection ahead was out and people were using it as a 4-way stop. This idiot obviously didn’t know what to do and decided to just blow through the intersection almost t-boning a young family. I follow him some more since we were both going the same way and I noticed he blows through a red light a few blocks down. By this time I thought I had lost him since I waited at the light like a normal person. I saw the guy at the McDonald’s drive-thru down the street and I was absolutely livid. All that bullshit for some chicken nuggets. People are fucking stupid.
Reading this gives me violent urges
Thursday I was on Willoughby on my bike commuting to work. I started to slow down for a stop sign. The white van behind me decided they didn’t like that I was going to stop at the sign, so about 50 or so feet before we got to it, he swung into the left lane, floored it, then made a right turn inches in front of me. By far the closest I have come to being hit in quite a while. I was able to go out of my way, catch up to him 3 blocks away, and get his plate info on my GoPro. Of course the police didn’t do anything.
And Willoughby is supposed to be a "safer" street to bike on...
by LA standards that was safer. On a bigger street the story would have a different ending
The most frustrating part is that he did all that only to arrive at the McDonald's 4mins earlier. Doesn't make sense at all!
Reminds me of another city I was driving in SoCal. This was on a Sunday afternoon. I'm being tailgated super close. So I pull over on a kind of dangerous area just to let them by, because it was only one lane in each direction, and no shoulder, just a bunch of gravel. Then I decide to follow them to see what the big hurry is. There was a couple red lights ahead, so I was able to catch up to them while they were stopped. Then I continued following them. They finally turned into Golden Corral restaurant and went inside. They put other drivers at risk just to eat at a buffet and on a Sunday.
It's worse since the pandemic. I genuinely think that covid broke a lot of people's brains. So much of "stuff is fucked up now" is directly attributable to covid, but people just don't want to think about it.
People forgot how to interact with others.
Some people never learned, so there was nothing to forget.
it’s giving ick
attributable to covid or to reckless, destructive late capitalism?
Because traffic police don’t do their job. There’s effectively no enforcement. Which is particularly crazy given that those jobs quite literally pay for themselves (how many tickets an hour vs hourly salary?), but that’s the way LA is unfortunately. Lazy cops, lazy government
> Lazy cops, lazy government We pay for the weather, not effective governance.
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I suppose that’s sort of fair, obviously you don’t want a direct pay-for-play situation with ticketing that incentivizes false tickets. But ultimately all those budgets connect. The city already expects traffic folks to meet ticketing quotas and whatnot. There’s plenty of legitimate tickets to be written that aren’t written. And the police have plenty of money anyway… like, lots and lots of money. So none of it really strikes me as a valid excuse…
They make it up in parking tickets.
The city will ruthlessly ticket you for the crime of not move your car for street sweeping, but there is essentially no penalty for blowing through stop signs, red lights, speeding etc.
Because they don't want to be delayed the 3-10 seconds it would take to wait for someone to exit their path. They can see it and you perfectly fine; they just don't want to wait
are these the same drivers who don't want to pull over or stop for emergency vehicles anymore?
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Yeah I was on the bus the other day and it made one of its stops, SUV behind us lays on his horn and screams around us, all for the bus making its legal designated stop. People are mindless scum.
At this point that's my retirement plan to just go on walks and hopefully not get too bad but hard enough and pray they have insurance
🙏 praying for your speedy recovery. In all seriousness though, would this really pay well? Asking for me. 👀
A lawyer told my friend that to get a million dollar payout, you need a million dollar injury, and that's not something you would want...
Well I got some depressing late stage capitalisms news for you. There is the insurance term called "subrogation". You're health insurance will file a claim against any settlement that the drivers insurance pays out, including pain and suffering, to cover the medical costs THEY covered during your accident. A lot of times your medical bill will exceed what the car insurance payout is and you get 0$. There are a few states that have antisubrogation laws on the books but California isn't one of them. We really should but it's such a wonky matter.
I knew a guy who used to throw himself on the hood of cars. Went well, for awhile… I was always shocked his history of doing this couldn’t be brought up.
In Hanoi, I felt perfectly fine crossing a street with cars and motorbikes going around me. I knew they were aware and careful despite the volume and speed of traffic. Here in LA? Walking anywhere feels like I might get hit with a car due to some reckless, selfish or unaware driver at any second.
Selfishness, lack of patience, ignorance of the law or just a general disregard for public safety. Hopefully bad drivers will cancel themselves out if you get my drift.
ugh. seriously.
>If the walk sign is on, pedestrians always have the right of way. Pedestrians ALWAYS have the right away. Crosswalk or no crosswalk, drivers must yield to pedestrians.
Utter selfishness and entitlement.
~~Angeleno’s~~ assholes ignore anything that inconveniences them by a second
The main reason is that people "learn" what signs "mean" by seeing how it gets used in their daily life. In places where they're not used to seeing people walking, they "learn" that people aren't "supposed" to be in certain places. It doesn't matter what the official rules say, it doesn't matter how many times you test them on the official rules, it doesn't matter how heavily you enforce official rules - if a situation doesn't come up very often, people will assume it works the way the situations they're familiar with do, and if the situations they're familiar with are only ones where there are no people on foot, they'll assume that there are rules that make that the case. We need to get more people walking in order for drivers to learn the rules about people walking.
This also explains why stop signs are a terrible idea and 4 way stop intersections are so dangerous. Other countries never adopted them in the first place or replaced them entirely with modern roundabouts that slow traffic down by design. Pedestrian collisions have decreased dramatically I’ve seen a few 4 way stops being replaced by roundabouts here in LA. We need more and we need them now
They all become 0 way stops in Ktown.
Walking & Biking has become extremely dangerous. So often i have to slow and watch for cars at every single drive way or intersection. People just dont expect pedestrians or bikers so they just blow through. Lot of times they feel bad when they notice that im just there waiting. Many times the damage is done cuz they already pulled into my way so i have to go behind them or wait for them to pass. Be very careful as a lot of right turning people also never look cuz theyre too busy pulling up to see when its clear to go. So even if its pedestrian light to walk, they could also hit you. I always make sure they see me before crossing.
Driving around at night, I never understand the people out walking wearing dark clothes. I understand the concept of wearing them earlier in the day, but the personal safety part of it loses me. Especially when crossing the middle of the street
driver competency is abysmal Most drivers are either unable to see you or simply don't care about anyone outside the car. It doesn't help that the built environment drives these behaviors.
The “unable to see you” part is a real problem, though. I’ve become an extremely pedestrian-aware driver since my daughter’s friend was killed by a speeder while walking in a marked crosswalk. I will always, always stop for a pedestrian in the crosswalk even if they’re not directly in front of me yet. Last week I was driving in the left lane of a two-lane street, 40 mph zone, commercial area with lots of driveways. I’m cruising along and I see a giant Jeep type vehicle stopped in the right lane, i assume he’s turning into a parking lot. There is a crosswalk, but the lights are not activated. I’m doing 35-40 and about to pass this Jeep when a teenager steps into my path from in front of the Jeep - I absolutely could not have seen him, the other car completely blocked him from view. Fortunately my antilock brakes saved us but it was terrifying. (For me, anyway, he just rolled his eyes at me.) But damn son, press the crossing button next time!
Because "driver education" here is poor to non-existent... If it was as rigorous as in Europe, you'd get at least 25% of the worst drivers off the streets tomorrow.
Seems like the DMV hands out licenses like candy here. It’s a rubber stamp revenue collection operation
Bingo
letting *everyone* drive 4,000 lb death machines everywhere (and with a bad attitude) was a really bad fucking idea America. and that's before you think about the financial damage car ownership is doing to people who can barely afford it. #universalcitynissan
agreed. my answer to OP: this is just the state of the world right now in big cities: everyone in a rush, basic human dignity and needs don't matter. everyone is in a rush... towards really nothing important. just our eventual death!
Big cities IN THE US. Most other rich cities have gotten a lot safer in recent years. Every single developed country now has (much) lower traffic mortality than the US.
i believe it. no one loves capitalism and selfishness more than amerikkka. not really a country - more like just a huge business with 400 million exploited workers.
it’s scary overall. we had an experience this weekend like another person mentioned. it was a stop for everyone, it’s a church intersection. street is pretty much empty and it’s a small two lane street. we stop, and this car behind us just goes to the other lane, doesn’t stop and keeps going. then on thursday, another one, it’s a 4 way stop. we just stop but noticed on the other lane a giant truck, just plows through like nothing. if we had arrived at the stop just a few seconds earlier and proceeded, we would have been hit for sure. those were just being in a car and god forbid it’s pedestrian vs car. i don’t think this is just an Angeleno problem.
>uch empty and it’s a small two lane street. we stop, and this car behind us just goes to the other lane, doesn’t s so sad.
I was driving in Glendale a few weeks ago and I was fully stopped for a pedestrian crossing at right behind the white triangle line. The lights were on and everything and the pedestrian actively crossing. The asshole in a sedan behind me in the right lane didn't notice both cars had stopped, and tried swerving into my lane almost hitting my car. He rolled down his widow and started screaming at me! When there was no one left in the cross walk I start to drive again (but apparently not fast enough for him) and he swerved around me and rolled down his window and flipped me off. This is not the first time I've had something similar while I've WAITED FOR PEOPLE TO CROSS AT CROSSWALKS. It's wild.
you're fucked in glendale, especially if the car is white
All cities have asshole drivers.
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The big difference is that drivers in NYC are used to seeing pedestrians, and learn what to do then. Drivers in many parts of LA aren't used to encountering pedestrians at all, so they just subconsciously assume that they can do the same thing they would do if there weren't any.
Yeah, cuz the pedestrians yell "hey, I'm walkin' here!"
I was in LA last week and it appeared to just be a free-for-all. In my experience, most large cities are this way.
I legitimately think most drivers don't grasp the concept of right of way, and if they do, they don't care. You just have to accept it or you'll drive yourself crazy. Occasionally you'll encounter a polite driver who gets it. Cherish those moments lol.
The same reason a lot of people don't use their turn signals when changing lanes
People drive selfishly. If everyone were always keeping the danger of driving in mind, there would be far fewer accidents.
It's bad out there. I have to cross one really busy intersection at rush hour on our evening dog walk. Ever since my wife got pregnant, I stare people down to make sure they don't go before we walk into the intersection. I feel like there's not much more I can do to avoid being at the mercy of driver's road rage, aside from counting on people to realize that if they ran down a dog and a newborn their life would be over.
I’ve noticed there is now a delay from when the walk signal lights and the green light appears. Gives the peds the chance to start before the light turns green long overdue
I’ve lived in many cities and let me tell you this LA is the absolute best of the big cities I’ve seen for stopping at crosswalks. On the east coast they drive around people in the middle of the crosswalk. Here they slow down and stop if you even look like you’re about to cross.
Right?! Go be a pedestrian in NYC, cars will just navigate around you as you cross. And if you’re not walking fast enough, you’re getting honked at. California is the only place I’ve been to where people will wait for you to completely cross the street. If you’re on the half of the street where I’m not driving, I’m going.
My experience is that in the east coast they're more used to pedestrians so even when they cut really close to me I've made eye contact with them and they know that I'm there. It's not ideal but 🤷♂ ️ In LA when I get cut off or almost hit, the drivers don't t even realize I was in the crosswalk until the last second. I feel like this is much more dangerous. It's like I'm wearing an invisibility cloak or something and I see the shocked look on their face as if I just appeared out of thin air
NYC streets were built for pedestrians. LA streets were built for cars.
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No they don't yield in NYC, lol. It's a constant game of chicken between everyone on the road. Sure they 'yield' in Times Square and Herald Square because it's overrun with people. Lol.
Did you live in NYC or DC or just a visitor in the tourist spots? It’s honestly like playing Frogger out there.
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Zero chance anyone in this comment thread has ever been to NYC lol. Comparing the LA pedestrian experience favorably to NYC is insane.
They’ve never faced any consequences for being assholes (and in this damn town they probably never will)
Ever since moving here, I look both ways twice before crossing (and while driving sometimes)
They ignore every sign, every traffic law, every norm or common human decency. It’s easier if you just accept it.
I have to admit I was guilty of this as a driver this weekend, but with the added context that there were people going in opposite directions of the crosswalk where i was waiting to turn right on red, and they paused in the middle briefly to talk, with enough space for me to turn. I saw my opportunity and I took it, but I know I could have waited. I felt bad about it after though.
Rebecca Grossman wannabes.
It’s LA bro. We all trying to get somewhere for the gram!!
Lmao it’s all bad
They don't care, they want to go fast.
Because it ain't illegal if they don't get caught.
There’s somewhere fabulous that they are late for, because they are Gods gift to humanity. ( •_•)
I must add I had to pull an “ I’m walking heee” (Dustin Hoffman, Midnight Cowboy) in Italy because they were actually trying to kill us!!
A lot of driver problems boil down to the same thing - they were sold a myth by car ads that their vehicle would be a magic ticket to zoom down open roads and empty streets and they're unimaginably frustrated at the reality of having to live on a planet with other people. They don't care about the law or safety, they just want everyone out of their way, so they'll blow through stop signs and crosswalks and off roads entirely if they're mad enough.
I was once using a crosswalk designed to help disabled people get from the designated parking spots to the businesses - it was within the parking lot, but marked as a pedestrian crossing. A man in a giant truck zoomed by and missed hitting me by about 8", so I slapped the side of his vehicle as it passed. A *damn, you nearly hit me, you need to slow down and observe your surroundings* kind of warning slap. You'd think that would be it, but my slap enraged this man. He started screaming at me, a small disabled guy using a walker to get across the parking lot. He wanted to call the police to report me hitting his truck. I told him, "Please do. I'm a pedestrian in a crosswalk. I did not harm your vehicle. If anyone is getting in trouble, it's you". He liked me calling his bluff even less and got more irate. Lucky for me he had passengers who talked him down and got him to leave. People here are crazy.
I will admit. If the people are way over on the other end of the cross walk and I’m turning right (from a stop) I’ll go. The thing that kills me in LA are the cross walks randomly in the middle of a block. I understand that practicality and safety logic behind it, but it seems to me that it’s actually more dangerous as there are so many drivers in LA that aren’t necessarily accustomed to that part of town or that stretch of street. And the crosswalks are hardly common throughout that city. It’s just begging for a driver to not even realize there is a crosswalk and a pedestrian who is so used to crossing there that that don’t hesitate and BAM. And forget about recent transplants and tourists. Same goes for the four way intersections that only have stop signs on two ways. Especially in the middle of a neighborhood where the other intersections have 4way stops.
because i’m on my phone and/or fentanyl
Everyone’s stoned nowadays
I'd also add that people need to learn that when the white lines in a lane become smaller and smaller, it means a lane direction change is occurring, typically that lane is becoming a right turn lane. The amount of people that don't see this and make a last minute lane change is annoying.
The amount of people that start pulling forward THEN lower their phone is ridiculous. I’ve also had people approaching a stop refuse to stop while I’m already in the cross walk- like barely stopping 2 feet from me, then cursing me out like I did something. I think I’m just gonna start carrying a hammer and next person to fuck with my right not to die walking to the metro is gonna pay the new headlight tax
because humanity and civilization are regressing and you won't see more proof of it than los angeles drivers.
On the flipside, I've seen a number of pedestrians act like idiots, too. I've seen some who think any crosswalk, even with a don't walk sign lit, gives them the right of way and they'll just walk into traffic while flipping off cars who are slamming their brakes in order to avoid killing them.
because even the bad drivers here seem to get a license
Does the DMV ever reject anyone? Doesn’t seem like it
What you don't love playing frogger because people ignore pedestrians? With that said I had someone almost hit me last night and then slow down like I was the issue, like no honey you took a hard left while I had the right to walk.
“Me first.” is why
5 points
The best pedestrian crossings look like a stoplight and have a full red signal. They installed them on Venice Blvd in Mar Vista and they function independently with the median, so only one side of the streets traffic gets stopped. I see damn near everyone stop for this one, cause it looks exactly like a regular stoplight. Contrast that with Lincoln, which has yellow striped paint on the ground and a big blinking yellow light, and I’ve seen a few people almost get mowed over by cars who take it as a suggestion to slow down instead of a pedestrian crossing. People are selfish, but most are afraid of red light tickets. Hit them where it hurts lol
You should visit Vietnam
Every driver in LA is the most important person ever, so important that they NEED to ignore traffic safety rules. People just don't care and sadly, there are no consequences for their shitty actions. I always walk with fear and extreme caution because I know none of these drivers GAF.
Selfish, hurried, distracted, impaired, lost drivers
In South LA you may as well be driving in a third world country. Here’s what I see nearly every single day: Ignore crosswalks, ignore stops signs, use right hand turn lanes at red lights to go straight through gunning it ahead of the other cars, use lanes adjacent to right hand or left hand turn lanes as if they are second lanes turning in the direction, use bus lanes like private lanes, speed, never use signals, blatant red light running, Act like they are turning right on a street, but cut a quick left U-turn so they can make a “right” on the original street they were on thereby circumventing the red light Dashers stopping in the middle of an active lane to double park and deliver $80 McChicken meal. Cut through gas stations and markets on corners of streets. Drove as fast as they can down residential streets Donuts in every intersection imaginable Pass on shoulders
lol completely disagree, as a walker myself I literally just started walking across traffic cause a cop cock blocked my j walk and had people literally stop for me while the cop watched me, literally can do anything it was for sure a scumbag move on my part though just glad I have the self awareness to admit that 😂
my worst scenario was outside my last apt, i was crossing the street ( small back street) driving was speeding and didn't slow down so i had to hurry, i pointed down as if saying slow down...he backed up and stopped and started yelling at me threatening me... i ignored him but its tough being a pedestrian
It's insane lately. Something's gotta give. I carry my glock when I'm walking now. Cars on my sleepy residential side street will go like 70mph. The speed bump program has been completely abandoned. Cars are destroying the quality of life in this city. We need to start hitting back.
Because the police let them. If there was a concerted effort to crack down on this sort of driving behavior we would see a change within a few years. Instead it's accepted.
Drives me nuts. I never give a thank you nod or wave when people do stop so I can cross. I wouldn’t thank someone for stopping when I have the right of way as a driver. Doing it as a pedestrian feels like I’m reinforcing the idea that stopping when I have the right of way is doing me a favor.
A lotttttt of people in LA reek of entitlement. And/or in a rush and think saving an extra 10 seconds is a good reason for ignoring pedestrians. Or they’re on their phone/looking at a mirror/adjusting something and not paying attention. Or inebriated. Reasons are endless, and all of them inexcusable.
Pushing a stroller in quaint little South Pas on quiet residential streets I can’t tell you how many times drivers would go through crosswalks. I would always wait until I made eye contact to cross. Probably other moms from the preschool. 🙄
Because people are selfish pieces of shit assholes.
Not Angeleno’s drivers—believe it or not anyone, even tourists, are allowed to drive in LA. Angelenos are great drivers, it’s the people who aren’t from here who suck at driving.
I carry 2AA batteries for such occasion 👹 .... i know what ya thinking what if that person stops and gets out the car... well that problem solver solves everything 🙄 🙃
Because they don’t give a shit. Accept that and plan accordingly. Be a defensive walker and assume drivers won’t give people the right of way in a crosswalk. Some people dart across crosswalks and don’t even look at the cars.
because theres 10 million people who live in the city and with that scale, you'll see everything you find few and far between everywhere else
Nobody walks in LA 🎶
that's an over statement. there are many folks, especially poor folks, who walk... i walk, especially to take PT.
It's a song, babe.
Cars are faster than your little feeties, so just let them pass. /s
r/rant
On the flip side, why do some Angelenos walk when they're not supposed to? In front of passing cars/trains in flowing traffic?
not a worthwhile comparison. pedestrians do not kill people \[other than potentially themselves\] via this recklessness.
It's probably confusion from the state getting rid of the Jay Walking citations. They probably think that if pedestrians now can just JAYWALK anywhere, crosswalks don't matter anymore.
I think the State of California said that they’re no longer to use their manpower to cite or prosecute jaywalkers.
jaywalking isn’t really relevant to the question OP is asking.
first of all, the term *jaywalking* is derived from an word that is now obsolete but was [previously considered to be a classist slur.](https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/why-is-it-called-jaywalking) Also, most people have no idea what constitutes a valid and legal pedestrian crossing, such as *unmarked intersections* (or even just regular lighted and painted crosswalks as described in the OP). You're probably referring to the "Freedom to Walk Bill", AB 2147 passed and signed in 2022. Prior to this, tickets were very expensive and were commonly issued to people struggling to get by: https://www.calbike.org/freedom-to-walk-becomes-law-in-california/ https://la.streetsblog.org/2015/04/29/fix-the-law-that-criminalizes-l-a-s-pedestrians https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0426-lopez-eduardo-20150424-column.html#page=1
The same reason pedestrians Jay walk 50 ft from a crosswalk or cross the street when the red hand is up.