News Flash: Prius Pokes Pedestrians, Bimmers Bump Blithely, Ladies Catch A Break
You’ve always suspected that BMWs don’t respect pedestrian safety. Now there’s a survey that confirms what you already believed, making you feel very warm and fuzzy inside.
The study also found that male drivers were less likely to stop for pedestrians than were women, and that drivers of both sexes were more likely to stop for a female pedestrian than a male one.
“One of the most significant trends was that fancy cars were less likely to stop,” said Mr. Piff, adding, “BMW drivers were the worst.”
Stupid fancy cars and their fancy-pantsy drivers, probably wearing ascots and whatnot as they drive their $219/month 320i Sportronic X Drives home from their soul-destroying cubicle jobs! But it turns out the narcissists behind the Roundel aren’t the only villains:
In the San Francisco Bay Area, where the hybrid gas-and-electric-powered Toyota Prius is considered a status symbol among the environmentally conscious, the researchers classified it as a premium model.
“In our higher-status vehicle category, Prius drivers had a higher tendency to commit infractions than most”
AHA! We all know why that is, right? It isn’t lack of courtesy or consideration. It a concern with regeneration. Stopping for pedestrians in a hurry necessitates wasteful use of the brakes, decreases fuel economy, and causes the planet to cry out as if a thousand BTUs were suddenly silenced or something like that. Every time you save a life near People’s Park, a polar bear winds up floating on a tiny little iceberg! And nobody wants that. I mean, you could wind up stuck on that iceberg with that polar bear. And then we all know what happens next.
Note: Listening to this video, even at home, will cost you your job. It has the F-word in it. At least twice. Don’t watch this video unless your mom says it’s okay and you are independently wealthy and have already heard the song and know what to expect. Other songs from this group, “Method of Destruction”, are offensive to people of all lifestyles and make light of the tragic incident in which Jim Gordon, the guy who wrote the piano coda to “Layla”, murdered his mother. Also there are jokes about Ethopia. I really cannot emphasize enough that you don’t want to watch this video. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.
It’s also no surprise that men are more likely to both commit and receive motorist-on-pedestrian offenses, unless you really and truly believe that men and women are alike in all ways, in which case it will be a surprise. Last but not least, although the survey’s authors speak in reverent terms about the pedestrian courtesy displayed by “beaters”, I wouldn’t step out in front of anything labeled “Eurosport”, “Brougham”, or “Ghia” while within the city limits of Detroit, Michigan.
More by Jack Baruth
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I always break for pedestrians no matter what... Do you have any idea of the amount of paperwork involved if you hit one? Just don't
I am reminded of an experience I had with a pedestrian in a crosswalk. I was driving near a hospital one night where there is a crosswalk in the middle of the block. I was going to make a turn at the intersection a few hundred feet down the road, and so I was changing lanes. That detail is actually quite fortunate. As I crossed over the cross walk, which was right after I completed my lane change, I saw that there was a person in navy blue scrubs walking in the lane I had just vacated and was still walking toward the lane I was driving in. If I had not just changed lanes, I believe I would have hit that person. Obviously, I should have stopped and yielded. However, in my defense, there were no street lights, and because of the dark scrubs, I did not see the person until it was too late to stop. I think the hospital recognized the danger there, so they got a yellow diamond crosswalk sign with flashing light and a speed indicator device installed. So, now it's very clear to drivers that there is a crosswalk there and how fast they are going, but I believe they missed an important detail: there still is no lighting on or around the crosswalk. Knowing there is a crosswalk does little good if drivers can't see whether anyone is in the crosswalk. I can't say whether hosptial employees still wear dark scrubs. I also found it odd how the pedestrian acted. I assume they could see me (my headlights were on), and presumably could tell that I wasn't slowing down (because I couldn't see them). However, they still stepped nearly into my path. A lesson I learned a while back is that while you may have right of way & the law on your side, but if something happens, you still lose. In the time since that incident, I've been much more observant in that area. I've noticed that a lot of people there don't even cross the road at that crosswalk, which at first seems strange, but considering the number of people I see cross streets between stopped cars waiting at a light (with a crosswalk) less than 50 ft away, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.