Drivers Vs Pedestrians

[Kiwichef]

Hi there today I was coming out of a Tesco carpark and I was the next to get onto the road and I was going left so I was looking to the right for the next gap so when it came time to do so I powered up looked in front and proceeded to move but all of a sudden a pedestrian walked right in front of me and almost hit him but ended up in a verbal altercation so was it his fault for stepping out off the kerb to walk in front of my truck or is it my fault for not looking all the way left to see if he was about to step off the kerb?

[Baldric]

In my opinion you failed to carry out proper observations

[douglas9401]

If you hit him it's your fault, real world though, they're idiots.

[jno]

yours. I think. The law says you have to have eyes on both sides of your head, and the back. If you moved first you could reasonably argue that you can't do anything about suicidal pedestrians, but you might need a dashcam to prove it.

[Mamyalynne]

As a pedestrian,before even thinking of crossing in front of a waiting vehicle I would look if there were any upcoming gaps in traffic.

[Mozz71]

As a pedestrian, if I'm finding myself in such a position, I make sure I make eye contact with the driver. They can becken me across if appropriate then.

[Buenchico]

If you'd collided with the pedestrian, there might well have been sufficient evidence to justify a charge of 'driving without due care and attention' against you. You're expected to remain vigilant about possible hazards in your path, so you're definitely expected to check what's to your left before turning in that direction. (I assume that the pedestrian you refer to was an adult but you need to be looking out for children, who might be more likely to step into traffic, as well).

However in a civil case (if you'd hit the pedestrian), it's likely that a court would rule than an (adult) pedestrian stepping into the path of your vehicle was partly to blame for the accident.

[jno]

yes, as a pedestrian I always wait for a proper gap (including drivers waving me across - I do that to pedestrians myself). And I do not talk on the phone while I'm doing it. Other people don't always share my lofty standards, though.

[Peter Pedant]

I am sight impaired and have the crap frightened out of me around once a month by situations like that

also drivers jumping lights because they MUST save 5 s.
One passenger did a out-take from Airplane - and started screaming and gesticulating - "stop stop for chrissakes stop !"
( you know the scene where they start slapping her)

[Peter Pedant]

// crossing in front of a waiting//
god I never do that
go behind
has a car reversed over me because he thought I was going frontwards ?

it will happen

[Prudie]

When I was little it was 'look right, look left and look right again'

[Arksided]

I never walk in front a any vehicle waiting to pull out and always walk behind it... any waiting drivers are sure to see me as all there attention is on the vehicle in front... even if on a mobile etc...

IMO its the driver of a potential killing machine that should be in control of the situation.

[Musictv2019]

I'd say that both you and the pedestrian is to blame .

[THECORBYLOON]

In the proposals for the next Highway Code, it says,

"At a junction you should give way to
pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a
road into which or from which you are
turning."

That appears to cover your scenario and in future, you should look out for pedestrians waiting to cross.

[douglas9401]

How does one differentiate between 'waiting to cross' and 'having a chat in an asinine place' or 'doing a drug deal'?

Take some bloody resposibility for your actions you entitled morons.

An angrier man might say.

[rockyracoon]

IMO, it'll be your fault.

As Prudie said - Left, right, then left again.

[tiggerblue10]

As a pedestrian I always stand at the curb and wait or walk behind a turning car. As a driver I always look both ways before edging out.

[bhg481]

One of the things I find difficult when I'm on the continent is crossing the road. Driving is no problem, perhaps because I concentrate on what I'm doing, but when it comes to crossing the road or deciding which bus stop to use I have to think very carefully.

[pastafreak]

// I was going left so *I was looking to the right* for the next gap so when it came time to do so I powered up *looked in front* and proceeded to move but all of a sudden a pedestrian walked right in front of me...//
So you looked right and front...and you wonder why you were surprised by a pedestrian to your left???

[bhg481]

Too many drivers only look right when pulling out of a side road; they work on the assumption that any traffic to their left is going the same way as they will be going so can't be a hazard. Then someone coming from the left overtakes another vehicle and ...............

[Ellipsis]

I love the surprise appearance of the word "truck" near the end of the story ...