Saturday, August 13, 2011

Is jaywalking really safer than crossing in a crosswalk?

 Don't assume that because you're in a crosswalk that you're safe.  You're not!!!!

While Marash Boy was standing in a crosswalk waiting to cross the street today, an automobile backing up hit him on the side of his knee.  Practical man that he is, because he could still walk, he kept walking.

Those of us who live in Newton will recall that a pedestrian crossing within a crosswalk on a side street in Newtonville Square was struck and killed by an automobile several years ago.
Perusing the internet, Marash Girl found mention of a book about the sociology of driving entitled Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) in which the author, Tom Vanderbilt, assures us that more people are killed in crosswalks crossing legally than jaywalking!

So for the second time in this blog, Marash Girl is asking her readers to be careful when crossing streets, especially if you are crossing in a crosswalk!!!!
Posted by Marash Girl at 4:12 AM
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3 comments:

  1. LorigAugust 14, 2011 at 6:42 AM

    Does the study control for the fact that more people probably cross in crosswalks?
    How's the knee?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Marash GirlAugust 14, 2011 at 8:22 AM

    @Lorig
    Not a study; just a statistic, and you, as an economist, must know how figures can lie! Having witnessed abuse of crosswalks with my own eyes, even one person hit in a crosswalk is one too many! And as far as the knee goes, it won't be going very far for many a day!

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  3. DCAugust 24, 2011 at 10:22 AM

    Agreed. I often don't feel safe walking across streets in crosswalks in New York City. Especially when the intersection is controlled by Stop signs instead of traffic lights. In Lower Manhattan, the Stop signs are treated as "Rolling Stop" signs.

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