Four Ways for Drivers to be Courteous to Runners.
Like it or not, runners on the road with vehicle traffic are just part of life. From the runner's perspective it's just another workout day and a route that happens to involve roads and sidewalks. Runners should be responsible themselves by being aware of their surroundings (leave the mp3 player at home). Drivers just generally need to keep in mind that vehicles aren't the only thing on the roads. We can all benefit from general awareness of what is going on around us.
1) Remember who has the right of way. Pedestrians have the right of way in marked or unmarked crosswalks. This is generally the common rule no matter what State you are in. Each State has varying degrees of further detail about which situations provide for right-of-way or priority to pedestrians. It is always just best to yield to the pedestrian.
2) Give the runner room on the road. Approaching a runner from behind? Ease to the opposite side of your lane. Better yet, slip over a whole lane if traffic conditions permit. You may think it is refreshing for the runner to feel the air pressure your car generates, but think again. Not safe for either of you.
3) Pay attention while you are driving! This is just general good advice when driving anyway. You are driving a weapon. More like aiming it. Respect that fact and you'll be far ahead of most people on the road. From experience I had today, please pay attention when approaching intersections. Good thing I was aware of what was going on. The approaching driver would have run right over me. He seemed too involved in his phone conversation to even realize he was at an intersection. I hope his insurance knows how he drives.
4) Resist the temptation to honk your horn at a runner. If driving past a runner, use your horn only if you need to get that person's attention. Like need as in safety "need to". The horn is not for a quick toot toot. Though it may be useful motivation to more quickly get finished, it scares us and makes us reach for our mace. The next time we set out for a run, we'll probably avoid the neighborhood. That's not good for your property value or the neighborhood's reputation.
We seem to have slipped too far into the me bubble while traveling our roads. A little awareness and courtesy goes a long way. It can even reduce the stress you get from driving. Try it, you'll like it.
1) Remember who has the right of way. Pedestrians have the right of way in marked or unmarked crosswalks. This is generally the common rule no matter what State you are in. Each State has varying degrees of further detail about which situations provide for right-of-way or priority to pedestrians. It is always just best to yield to the pedestrian.
2) Give the runner room on the road. Approaching a runner from behind? Ease to the opposite side of your lane. Better yet, slip over a whole lane if traffic conditions permit. You may think it is refreshing for the runner to feel the air pressure your car generates, but think again. Not safe for either of you.
3) Pay attention while you are driving! This is just general good advice when driving anyway. You are driving a weapon. More like aiming it. Respect that fact and you'll be far ahead of most people on the road. From experience I had today, please pay attention when approaching intersections. Good thing I was aware of what was going on. The approaching driver would have run right over me. He seemed too involved in his phone conversation to even realize he was at an intersection. I hope his insurance knows how he drives.
4) Resist the temptation to honk your horn at a runner. If driving past a runner, use your horn only if you need to get that person's attention. Like need as in safety "need to". The horn is not for a quick toot toot. Though it may be useful motivation to more quickly get finished, it scares us and makes us reach for our mace. The next time we set out for a run, we'll probably avoid the neighborhood. That's not good for your property value or the neighborhood's reputation.
We seem to have slipped too far into the me bubble while traveling our roads. A little awareness and courtesy goes a long way. It can even reduce the stress you get from driving. Try it, you'll like it.
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