Rules of the Road (For Idiots)

Alright, let's start this little lesson off with a nice anecdote about how I had a heart attack while driving!

This late afternoon, I was driving to go pick up my boyfriend. To get out of my neighbourhood, I have to drive through a forest area. At one point, there's a path that ends on one side of the road, and continues on the other side. So the city put a crosswalk here. They were even smart enough to put in a stop sign for the crosswalk, so that anyone trying to cross the road has to stop for cars, not the other way around. This is important, because while drivers going North can easily see pedestrians from far away, the drivers going south are blocked by a curve in the road, and do not have as much reaction time. Thus, pedestrians stop for cars.

So I'm driving south, maybe doing 55kpm in a 50kpm zone. I had to slow down because of the curve in the road, but still doing around 50kpm. I get around the corner, and I see a bicyclist on the road. This is normal, I have enough room to get past them. But just as I'm maybe five metres away from the crosswalk, this cyclist suddenly turns to cross the crosswalk. They didn't look behind them, they didn't check for cars, they didn't get off their bike, they didn't see the stop sign for them. I have to slam on the breaks, and luckily the person had seen me and stopped their bike, or else I probably would have hit them. Not hard, I managed to stop barely in the crosswalk, but I definitely would have bumped them over. So they guy gives me a weird look, and I slowly continue to drive. He continued across the crosswalk, still riding his bike (that means he's technically a vehicle).

At this point, I'm angry, but I can continue on this my life. At least I didn't hit him, and the world is all good. I stop at the stop sign at the next intersection, then continue.

And then I hear a siren. I freak out and see a ghost car behind me, so I pull over, thinking that I was going to get in trouble for not letting the cyclist cross before I continued on again.

The police car drives right past me, and zips down the street. I just sat there for a few seconds, until it clicked that I was not being pulled over. Once I was able to breathe again, and my heart started working, I continued on my way.


Moral of the story for everyone:

Drivers: Expect everyone to suddenly pull out in front of you. If there is a cyclist near a crosswalk, at least slow down. They might have no idea what they're doing.

Pedestrians: Please be aware of all cars around you. It is possible for you to have to stop for cars, not the other way around. Even if you normally have the right away, don't think that you're invincible. Make sure that a car will be able to stop for you before you step out onto the street.

Bicyclists: GET OFF YOUR GOD-DAMNED BIKE BEFORE USING A CROSSWALK! If you stay on your bike, you are considered a vehicle, and other vehicles do not need to give you the right away, unless it is deserved, like at a light or a stop sign. Learn to use hand signals, so that other vehicles know that you're planning on turning. Same rules as when you're in a car, but you have to use your hands, not a blinking light (though too few people use that now a days either...) And look before crossing a street. My car is far from being quiet. It is impossible for me to sneak up on anyone. It would be like a toddler in squeaky shoes running up to a shelf of stuffed animals. So there is no reason for you to believe that there could not possibly be any cars on the road.


You know, come to think of it, I don't even know if that cyclist was wearing a helmet.