Fedore Writer

My three siblings and I walked and biked a lot in our youth. We were a two-wheeler convoy navigating many miles in England, Germany, and the United States. As a child, I remember learning pedestrian and bike-riding rules that kept me safe, and the rules must’ve been effective, because my siblings and I were never hit by a car.

Some of the guidelines we followed were:

Look left, look right, and then left again before you cross the street and, when the coast is clear, run like hell.

Resist the urge to pop a wheelie on your bike, and instead sedately walk it across the road.

When in England, look right, left, then right before crossing because the Brits drive on the opposite side of the road.

When a sidewalk isn’t available, face oncoming traffic when walking on the side of the road.

Wait for the pedestrian signal before crossing even if there’s no traffic and everyone else has ignored the red hand and the techno-voice barking, “Wait. Wait.” It doesn’t matter that you’re the only person on the other side. Wait for the signal.

Do not repeatedly press the pedestrian crossing button. It’s annoying, so don’t even think about it.

Wave “thank you” to drivers that stop to allow you to cross the road. This is especially important because drivers that don’t receive thanks may become bitter and stop being kind.

Which brings me to current-day occurrences. During daily walks with our dogs, my sister and I joke that we’ve become grumpy old ladies. We point at drivers who don’t stop at intersections when we’re crossing with our dogs. We shake our fist at a driver when that person almost hits us. We yell in intersections, “It’s the law to stop,” and hold out our palms like traffic patrol officers.

What the laws say

We grumpy old bats have facts on our side. About two months ago, I passionately pointed at a Davis Law Group television commercial when my sister and I were watching Jeopardy. “See?” I said to my sister. “It’s the law to stop for pedestrians, even if they’re not in a crosswalk. We could take legal action if we’re hit.”

I guess we’re lucky to walk our dogs in Washington State, because according to our Department of Transportation (WDOT), we have a favorable collision record compared to other states. Any collision is terrible, so using the adjective “favorable” seems like a stretch. Another lucky fact is that police are not looking for jaywalkers on a well-traveled road in our suburban neighborhood. We don’t use the crosswalk a hundred yards down the street because there’s a large, barking, and lunging dog behind a four-foot fence near the crosswalk, which creates an unpredictable hazard for my sister and her two German shepherds.  Squirrels, cats, and an occasional dropped ball that one of her dogs carries are additional hazards.

We’re not fond of standing for more than twenty seconds next to swerving, inattentive, and speeding drivers that could injure or kill us. According to the WDOT, a vehicle driving 30 miles-per-hour has a 50-50 chance of killing a pedestrian. Seems like a strong incentive for vehicles to stop for us to cross. We’re managing a lot – leashes, barking dogs, taunting squirrels – so we’d like drivers to manage their vehicles. We’re not asking much.

During our walks, we observe at least three out of four drivers that are distracted, usually looking down at their phones or screens. And why would any car manufacturer place a large computer screen next to the driver with quick links such as a YouTube icon? YouTube! Is this so the driver can watch a how-to video on safe driving? My grumpy-old-lady reflexes twitch just thinking about it.

If you’d like to become an expert on pedestrian laws, go to WDOT’s website. The short version is:

All roadway intersections are legal crossings for pedestrians regardless if the crossings are marked, with very few exceptions;

Pedestrians yield to vehicles and cross when it’s safe;  and

“In Washington, the leading action by motorists that results in them hitting someone is failure to yield to pedestrians.” So, drivers that tap their breaks and then burst past a stop sign to save thirty seconds while we cross would be at fault. At least at approximately twenty miles-per-hour, we have a 95 percent survival rate, which would give us the opportunity to take legal action.

Pedestrians have responsibilities, such as wearing bright clothing or reflective vests. We ought to stay off our phones while walking too. Lastly, our dogs should be trained to wait at intersections and cross on command.

If drivers aren’t willing to yield to grumpy old ladies, maybe they’re more willing to watch out for kids that are waiting for their buses in the morning, walking to and from school, and riding their bikes.

If you can’t be safe for grumpy old ladies, at least be safe for kids.

Sources included: Washington State Department of Transportation pedestrian laws

and “Proposed bill would change Washington’s jaywalking laws.” KOMO-TV Seattle.