Do you look before crossing the road?
By Emiese
@Emiese (994)
Sweden
May 15, 2008 12:27pm CST
Here is a thing that I am honestly curious about to hear about different countries and common practises!
In Sweden a few years ago there was legislation that all cars had to stop for a pedestrian crossing the road on a zebra crossing. In practise this means that if I put my foot out on the road on a zebra crossing the cars should stop, and if they don't they can be fined for that. I also used to live in Australia for a while, and there it was the same thing (even though the cars always came from the wrong way :) I do not know the rules about this in the US.
However, when I discuss this with friends it is always very interesting, because in my opinion I do not care if I have the right to walk before a car, if the car isn't stopping I do not want to prove a point! After the legislation was brought into place in Sweden there was also a rise in number of accidents because people simply walked out in the road without looking!
I myself always look around for cars, they might not see me walking out, or especially in the winter it can be really hazardous to try to make the car stop, then I'd rather wait til after they have passed. And even if they just do not care to stop I really do not want to be in their way. Still I have friends that just walks out anytime, and just say it is up to the driver to look.
How do you do it? Do you care about the driver, try to get eye contact, or do you just walk and leave it up to the driver to work it out. Are you concerned about getting run over? Is there any rules like this in your country, or what is common practise when it comes to crossing the road?
9 people like this
30 responses
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
16 May 08
sadly there are not rules like that in theUSA and I wish there
were when we use a c rosswalk without a light we have to wait until there is no traffice. now on a one withtraffic lights when it turns green for the pedistian we can walk and they have to stop. I never trust drivers to stop I always wait until I see thatthey have stopped then I walk. no sense taking unnecessary
chances.
1 person likes this
@Emiese (994)
• Sweden
16 May 08
I guess it might be different in different states of the US, I believe you have laws that only applies in certain states etc.
But either way, I agree with you, when there are no such rules then a driver will certainly not stop, making it really hard to cross the road. I hope you have plenty of crosswalks with lights then, and maybe you can choose them instead of the other ones, so you stay safe!
@desertdarlene (8910)
• United States
15 May 08
I don't make eye contact with the driver, but I do watch where the vehicles are going. Sometimes, I might look at the driver if I'm unsure of what he/she is going to do and they often wave me through. But, I know in Mexico, or at least around the border there, if you make eye contact with the driver it means they can go ahead because they know that you see them. So, if you don't look at the driver, he/she will probably stop for you on the crosswalk. But, I always look to make sure there are no cars coming before I just step out on the street.
I thought it was funny when you said "zebra crossing" because I thought it meant that you had zebras crossing the roads where you live. I know that you mean those crosswalks with the white stripes going across. 
1 person likes this
@Emiese (994)
• Sweden
15 May 08
No, we don't have zebras running around, even though that would be a very exotic and funny feature if it was like that. That would certainly make more than cars stop :) Otherwise the common misconception is that we have polar bears running around on the streets here in Sweden, but that is not true that either :)
I thought that "zebra crossing" was the right word to use for those white striped crossings, but I am sorry if I was wrong. what do you call those crossings? Crosswalks?
1 person likes this
@desertdarlene (8910)
• United States
16 May 08
Yeah, that's what we usually call them. Boring, huh. Zebra crossing sounds much more interesting.
@dpk262006 (58678)
• Delhi, India
16 May 08
I do look before crossing road or a Zebra crossing. You never know about the agility and sharpenss of a driver, behind the wheels, so in my view, it is better to be safe than feel sorry later. Now a days, the volume of traffic in the metropolitin city is so huge that it sometimes becomes difficult to cross a road, it take more than 5-10 minutes to cross a road. On the other hand, when I am driving my own vehicle, I do take adquate preacautions and if a pedstrain is crossing the road,I slow down my vehicle and allow him to cross the road first.
Good Post.
@eihdra (3115)
• Philippines
16 May 08
Here in the Philippines, it's a must to look first before crossing the road. The drivers here most especially those who drives passenger vehicles are what they call "the king of the road"..They dont usually stop at traffic lights and pedestrian lanes..They are always in a hurry to get to the next waiting passengers..Even if you cross or use the pedestrian lane, most of the time, if you got hit, you're the one to blame..
@Emiese (994)
• Sweden
16 May 08
I guess it should come naturally the whole "king of the road" thing. Here it is like that between trucks and cars. The trucks assume the cars would stop since the trucks are bigger and more powerful than the cars. The cars are pretty quick to stop when they risk being hit by a several tons heavier truck!
It should be the same with pedestrians and cars, you don't walk if you risk being hit, but yet every day you still see people that jeopardize their lives by doing that!
@jonesy123 (3948)
• United States
15 May 08
The zebra crossing as you refer to it, I think the rule is internationally that cars have to stop and let pedestrians cross, just like at a traffic light, if it is red for the car. That doesn't mean they'll obay the rule and stop. Therefore, the prudent thing to do is still to look before you cross. Yes, they can be fined for not stopping, but what does it help you, if they hit you, especially, if you get injured or even killed? I think anybody, who just steps out and doesn't look is recklessly putting their own life at risk. Behavior like that is just plain old stupid!
1 person likes this
@rupturetissue (114)
• India
16 May 08
yes i definitely look on both sides just to make sure that there is no vehicle around and that i can cross with minimal risk
1 person likes this
@wayz12 (2059)
• United States
15 May 08
I think it is a good habit to look before crossing any kind of street. Even though there are rules, not all drivers obey them, and while I'm on foot and he is in a vehicle, I'm not willing to prove I'm right at the cost of my life. Getting hit by a moving vehicle can kill you or maim you for life, and you could have prevented that just by taking a few seconds to look if there is an oncoming vehicle.
In Asia where I came from, the traffic rules are not very strict. You cross the road at your own peril. Here in the States, the pedestrian is king. Still, I think it is wise to err in caution, than to trust the driver to obey all traffic rules.
@Emiese (994)
• Sweden
15 May 08
I have been in Thailand for holidays and I have never been so scared for my life when being anywhere near the streets. The cars and tuk-tuks are coming from everywhere, in lanes that don't even exist and as a European you are not at all used to the pace. It is however interesting to see the people that lives there enter the street to cross it, they do it with such certainty whereas we just stand there and see no way of crossing!
@wasim989 (2298)
• India
16 May 08
No matter what the laws are but you must look before crossing the road because cars are more stronger then human beings and if their is a collision then it is the human that will suffer everything and not the car and the driver may be fined but nothing more.
@subha12 (18441)
• India
16 May 08
i do not think its funny. the way they are thinking is not funny, but they are out of n=mind. there is always generation gap between parents-children or inlaws. it will be there. but they should know its not always disrespecting them. If its the reason they are not going to visit you, its not at all right. they should understrand what seems so wrong tio them, may be in reality do good to the child.
@austinbell (491)
•
16 May 08
you would be pretty stupid if you did not look before putting a foot onto a road, you never know if there are any cars and how fast they are travelling. I have seen cars going over a red light on a pedestrian crossing so I always look every if the lights are in my favour
@Emiese (994)
• Sweden
16 May 08
Yes, I agree. You would be pretty stupid to cross without looking, I think so and most of the posters here seems to think so, and yet there are so many people out there that does exactly that!
I am sure that if everyone would think like you and me and the other responders here, than there would be a lot less accidents and traffic victims in the world!
@kezabelle (2974)
•
15 May 08
A car could kill me im not going to wait and see if they decide to stop or not i dont wish to end up under its wheels to prove a point!
I always look im partially sighted and often will walk further down the road to a crossing or lights so I can walk across safely especially with the children.
I want my children to grow up and live their lives therefore I have to teach them how to cross the road safely. A teenage girl walked out in front of my mum once and she hit her, not her fault she just stepped right out my mum was in peices aftewards because of this silly girl too busy laughing with her mates to look and see where she was going you should always care about the driver they have to live with it forever if they hit you wether it was their fault or not
@kezabelle (2974)
•
15 May 08
Thats a good thing for you to do as you are right its hard to teach your children when so many others are ignoring the lights although at 4 my daughter normally shouts why didnt they wait for the green man that always has them looking a bit shamefaced and hopefully makes them think twice next time.
@Emiese (994)
• Sweden
15 May 08
I agree, you would really feel bad forever if you hit someone. It doesn't matter if it is their or your fault, just knowing that you were part of such a horrible thing would be really painful.
That is another thing I have thought about, when I am at a crossing and there are kids around I always wait for the light or for it to be safe. Even though they are not my kids I want to show them what is right so they don't learn. It must be awful as a parent standing at a light trying to teach your kid that it is important to wait for the green light, when you have person after person just ignoring the red light and walking. It is not easy for a kid to understand why certain things only apply to them etc.
@mikeysmom (2088)
• United States
16 May 08
i always look both ways and always remind my son as i am holding his hand to do the same. lots of drivers are inconsiderate and do not even notice pedestrians nor do they realize pedestrians have the right of way so you have to look out for yoursel. it is a good habit to get into and stick with.
@meiteoh (416)
• Switzerland
16 May 08
It's supposed to be the same in Switzerland whereby cars are supposed to stop the moment you put your foot on the street but here's the funny thing, there are non-Swiss drivers around and they don't work that way.
I've done that before and got honked at even when the car stopped and when I put out my hand to thank them. What was worse, I got eyeballed throughout the whole thing (it was at a roundabout) and the car had to go around and pass me again. I actually got pretty upset and scared to go out because I was still new to the country and well, adjusting to being stared at ALL the time (Asian in a predominantly homogeneous country like Switzerland) like I had three noses and six hands.
Ever since then, I learnt my lesson - look before I cross and I just don't walk across. If there isn't a traffic light for pedestrians where I'm crossing and just a strip, I run across.
In Malaysia, you have to wait for the road to be clear before crossing because if there is no traffic light at the pedestrian crossing, the car won't stop for you. There is joke about it. Malaysian pedestrians have short lifespans because the moment a driver sees them, they hit the accelerator.
@Emiese (994)
• Sweden
16 May 08
Yeah, I think you make a good point there. Even if the local drivers knows the rules you can never be to sure which the drivers are! It just takes one tourist to end your life.
It is a bit of a sad joke the one about Malaysia, I think! And the whole thing about waiting til the road is clear to cross, I don't know.. If Malaysia is anything like where I was in Thailand, then I doubt that the road will ever be clear enough for me to walk :) But I guess if you live there you have more practise and can judge it better!
@abdulmajeed (75)
• India
16 May 08
I from India have to follow some important rules and regulations of roads -safety.
1.Roads are designed with certain signs and symbols to facilitate the free flow of traffic.
2.Roads are classified into national highways , raods in town and cities , streets , narrow lanes and fair weather roads.
3.In big cities raods have been designed keeping in view the evergrowing population , rush of vehicles, traffic etc.
4.Adherence to raod rules is essential to prevent accidents.
Zebra crossing is a point where a path is marked with white stripes across the road from one side of the road to the other. It is intended for the pedestrains to cross the road safely . It is called a Zebra crossing because the stripes marked across the road are like the stripes of an animal called Zebra. At the time of red signal we have to cross the roads at the Zebra crossings.
@Emiese (994)
• Sweden
16 May 08
I think the roads and streets are pretty similarly constructed everywhere in the world, based on how many people that uses it. The speed limits mirrors this too. The zebra crossings with lights are normally easy, yet many people does not wait and cross til it goes red. But in Sweden we also have crossings without lights. For those the rules are for the drivers to stop, like I have written about. Do you have this type of crossings without lights? Does that work, or do people get hit when trying to cross?
@MGjhaud (23240)
• Philippines
16 May 08
I guess we don't have zebra crossing here in my country. Not that I know of. What's a zebra crossing anyway? hehehe.. But so far I never saw a sign like that here.
We only have the pedestrian lights. Good thing we have them now. Before, in our city, we don't have it and vehicles just pass or take a go whenever they want. Now, praise be they Mayor here, there's a little discipline now. If the light goes red, they stop and people as well knows when to cros and where to. Before, people competes with the vehicles to. They just cross whenever and wherever they want.
@Emiese (994)
• Sweden
16 May 08
Sorry about the misunderstanding! A zebra crossing is a crossing of the road which is painted with white stripes, so when the road is black and there are white stripes on it it looks like a zebra. :)
Seems like a very good thing from your Major to put up street lights for crossing the road. It is always safer, mind you I still look at the cars to make sure they have actually seen that their lights has turn red. In my city there is a lot of traffic and it is easy to miss a light turning red when you drive, because you are to busy looking out for other cars and the cars ahead of you!
@RenaCeline (170)
• United States
15 May 08
Whenever I am crossing the road, I always make sure to look both ways. I will never cross unless it is clear and/or the cars stopped for me. I think people who just blindly walk out into the middle of the road are stupid and crazy. There's no guarantee that the cars are going to stop for them.
@Emiese (994)
• Sweden
15 May 08
When I was a kid there was not this rule for cars to stop, and then we used to learn in school always to look both ways. You were supposed to look left - right - left and then walk (the cars drive on the right side of the road in Sweden)!
Even if you look there is a chance that a car is coming up really quickly, but at least it reduces the chances! Its an easy thing to do just look around and it could save you so much!
@recycledgoth (9894)
•
15 May 08
Not very long ago a pedestrian stepped straight out in front of me as I was driving up my local road. The guy didn't look at all, he was listening to his music on headphones and simply ignored the drivers on the road. Fortunately I have good reactions and very good brakes.
And again, only last night, I was driving home and was following along behind a bus, the bus pulled away from the stop and a woman stepped directly in front of my bonnet. She didn't even acknowledge my existance, much less appreciate the fact that I could have run her down.
When I am walking along I am always checking the traffic, I use a crossing where I can but otherwise I always check both ways first before stepping onto the road.
@Emiese (994)
• Sweden
15 May 08
That is horrible to hear! I cannot believe that people are that careless with their lives. And let alone thinking about you, I bet you had your heart on your sleeve for a while after, acknowledging what could have happened had you not had that good brakes or quick reactions!
When it comes to bus stops that is insane how bad they are placed sometimes. I had a friend in school that got of a bus and went in front of it to cross the road. When she stepped out that step from in front of the bus onto the free road there was a car just there hitting her. In her case she spent many weeks in and out of hospital and with broken bones but has fully recovered. Imagine though how fast your life can end.. In her case she was talking to a friend and didn't think about the fact that she just stepped into the middle of the road.
Again I think it is important to teach the kids not only to look around but also to respect the drivers, especially small kids are not always visible behind fences etc. So many times you see kids running out onto the road to catch an astray ball or something, it just scares me every time!
@daveisdavid (878)
• Singapore
16 May 08
I would make sure that the driver slows down before I attempt to cross the road. I think it's our responsibilities to ensure that it is safe to cross the road rather than relying on the drivers to make the judgment. After all if an accident occurs, the pedestrians are the ones who suffered.
@Emiese (994)
• Sweden
16 May 08
Exactly, that is why I normally tries to make eye contact with the driver. He then normally makes a sign so as to walk, wave you over etc, and then you can be certain he has seen you. It is normally really hard to see if a car is slowing down, unless he does it a long way before the crossing. Here people often drives very aggressively, which means that they do not brake until they are close to the crossing. I'm afraid to cross the road when someone comes in high speed, and I prefer waiting til he has stopped, even though the driver has normally seen me and is preparing to stop! You can never be to careful!
@sid556 (30959)
• United States
16 May 08
I was raised to look both ways before crossing. Here they have passed that too. Now we have to stop for pedestrians on a crosswalk. It is very hard in heavy traffic to watch the road and watch the sidewalk as well. Of course, I stop if I see someone standing there clearly waiting to cross. What I really hate is those that are walking along and just without pausing walk out into traffic. I had one guy do that to me once. I slammed on my brakes. He turned around and went back up on the sidewalk. I guess he just wanted to say something to his friend and then cross because when I started moving, he began swearing at me. It was ridiculous. I do agree that we should stop for pedestrians but at the same time, they should stop and wait until we are stopped.
@Emiese (994)
• Sweden
16 May 08
I guess that is the other side of the story, the uncertainty for the drivers. I myself has done that too, slowed down for someone you think is crossing and then it turns out they aren't. So annoying! But its even worse in the situation you described when people walk along and then just changes directions or starting crossing a bit diagonally over the road. It is impossible for a driver to know, and you can't just stop all the time!
Also in city traffic this is scary, and the pedestrians should really be careful. Even if I see the pedestrian and stop in my lane, the car that comes behind me in the second lane might not see the pedestrian until she is out there, so the pedestrian really need to look past my car before walking on to the next lane.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
15 May 08
I think it is common courtesy to stop for a pedestrian, especially in nasty weather. You are in the comfort of your warm, (or cool in summer), dry car, while they are walking in the blistering cold, blazing heat, or pouring rain.
Unfortunatly common courtesy is rare these days. There are laws like that in my state, and signs up at particular cross walks, however few actually pay attention to these.
I have been taught since childhood to look before crossing, regardless of the laws, and I teach my children the same things.
Recently there was a 12 year old girl in my neighborhood hit by a car because she was crossing the road without looking. She is still in critical condition.
@Emiese (994)
• Sweden
15 May 08
I am very sorry to hear that, hope that girls recover well! But that proves my point though, I am so surprised that people lean on these laws, even though your own common sense should say, okay they are supposed to stop, but what if they don't.
It is nice to hear that you say about stopping in bad weather. I normally try to stop too, all the time, but as a driver you know it could be hard to see in bad weather, bad angles etc so when I walk I never trust that the driver has seen me. Also in winter time when it is slippery I prefer not making the car break since that could mean he could loose his grip and that could become more hazardous.
I am glad to hear you teach your kids to be responsible on the road, whatever the laws are you can never be to cautious with your own life!
