Shame wasn't collecting points

[The PIT]

Grrr school kids and parents.

Don't they teach the little blighters how to cross the road. I could have run three over at the recommended safty speed on 20 or less. Not looking at all.

They even tried sneek tatics of stepping onto the pavement then stepping back into the middle of road so they could talk to a pal.

Then one of the mums in her people carrier pulls out nearly takes my wing off. Grrrrr.

The crossing lady thanked me for driving carefully which is nice.

On the way back an older boy is daring cars to run him over. He lost his nerve though.

[Tempest]

When the schools started it wasn't once or twice that I almost ran over some small human being who suddenly decided to run into the middle of the road.
Around here they seem to be all too well informed about their rights, but someone has forgotten to tell them about their obligations: The most irritating situation was when I spotted this kid approaching the crosswalk and, since I was in no hurry, decided to stop.
Big mistake, the little bugger proceeded onto the crosswalk and then cut his walking pace down to a third of what it had been. While s-l-o-w-l-y walking over the crosswalk, he simultaneously made faces at me and wiggled his little forefinger at me in that all too familiar "nah-nah" style. Guess he'd been told that cars should stop if he crosses a crosswalk. They just didn't tell him that he too has some obligations in that situation.
I later thanked my luck for having just eaten, 'cause I'm one of those people who can do a LOT of damage if hungry

[Wombat]

Tempest, that's why you keep a water pistol in the car.

[MultimediaMan]

Re-direct your Windshield Washer Nozzles....

[ZokesPro]

When kids walk slowly if front of my car because they have the right away, I wait until they are out my path then I squeal my tires and take off like a bat out of hell, makes them think twice before purposely pissing me off, and it's funny to see them jump out of the way out of fear even though they are out of harms way.

But this RARELY happens, cause I am one of the more lenient people around here, some wouldn't even take the time to stop, so pedestrians kinda have to wait until there are no cars to pass.

[Technoid]

Here in Sweden we have got a new "Zebra law" a some year ago.

It states that cars HAVE to stop at people crossing streets at the crossovers

And now the situation is pure chaos

Kids just run out on the street believing that cars can magically stop on a dime

Had to save my brother from being run over when he just stepped out infron of a car

Believe me; He'll never do it again

other way around its almost as bad, the drivers that is going in one direction might stop, while the otherside drivers wont, and when the people waiting wont walk out pass the firs car and get mooved down by the cars runing in the difrent direction the first driver gets mad and starts to first wave than honk their horns and then drive at the moment the other side clears up casing the now walking pedestrians to almost get moved down by him

this is not a situation that are either the pedestrians or the drivers fault, they both have part in it including the lawmakers that has put out yet another "fuzzy" law

so it comes down to this:
Pedestrians:
Never trust a car, if it has the slightest chance of hitting you within its current speed, STAY on the ****ing walkway
Check both Lanes

Taxicabs are special cases: they WILL increase speed and swerve to hit you , never ever go out in front of them even when they are standing still!

Other large vehicles like busses, lorries, tanks, aircraft carriers are also not to be trusted at all, they wont aim at you or increase speed but due to their size they are dangerous anyway

Motorcycles, Mopeds: These things are FAST and do not have brakes or sane drivers and usually travels at such speeds that when the drivers see you, you are already getting a toe tag.

DRIVERS:

Pedestrians should not be trusted at all!!!
You never know when someone will try and suicide against your vehicle.

And contrary to local rumors you get fines and maybe prison if you hit one even if the pedestrian threw himself at you.

Some points to think of that can save you from fines or costly repairs.
Never drive faster than 50km/h in a city

Pedestrian types:

Kids up to 12 years of age:
If you see one beware, they can run out on the street anytime if not with a parent that has a tight grip on their collars and even then it’s not safe (see parents).

Teenagers:
Are almost worse than kids, they are even more unpredictable and are often also combined with other pedestrian types (See walkmans, Inliners, skaters and mobilers)

Adults:
This is usually a Driver that has been transformed into a Pedestrian, unfortunately they get a temporary amnesia and forgets everything they about how to NOT cross a street as an pedestrian, can also be severely dangerous if they survive a impact.

Parents:
Depending on the situation they can actually be trusted to keep kids from your hood, but other times be totally blocked of the world and not see or hear anything, beware.

Walkmans:
These can be kids, teenagers and adults; they are usually listening to blaring music from a freestyle device (nowadays mp3 players) and are obvious to anything else.

Inliners:
These flash around on skates and usually don’t have the sane safety devices that are available like helmets, wrist knees and arm joint protectors.
They have NO breaks and usually think that they are invincible.
Can reach speeds normally reserved for cars.
All ages.

Skaters:
Are basically a slower inliner that has something that might under some generous circumstances be called a braking device.

Mobilers:
They have their mobile phone pressed to their ear and don’t react to anything else.
These can also be drivers and in that case are really dangerous to anything anywhere.

On the pedestrian side your worst enemy is a Combined Teenaged inliner walkman that also carries a mobile phine, if you see one, TAKE A DETOUR!

And now to mention the Bicycles:
They are in a gray zone as they are by driver’s thought of as pedestrians sometimes and other vehicles other times.
According to the law they are usually a vehicle and as such should follow those rules.
The bicyclists themselves often think that they are indestructible and light speed fast.
Basically a nightmare on two wheels.

[agallag]

Originally posted by Wombat
Tempest, that's why you keep a water pistol in the car.

I really, really want to install a truck air horn in my car. Preferrably the kind they use on fire trucks. That'd sure make them jump

[Paddy]

I belive here you have to stop once they place a foot on the crossing - not before. How f*cked up is that!

[Kooldino]

Originally posted by MultimediaMan
Re-direct your Windshield Washer Nozzles....

HAHAHHA

[Kooldino]

Originally posted by Technoid
Here in Sweden we have got a new "Zebra law" a some year ago.

It states that cars HAVE to stop at people crossing streets at the crossovers

Ahhh, perhaps that's where the group "Scooter" got the title for their one song..."Zebras Crossing the Street".

[Nowhere]

^^^here's that way, Paddy

Oh, and most people don't realize that once on crossing they have priority over the car anyway, so there's not that much risk involved in driving because of this

But walkmans can be dangerous everywhere...happened to me once. I was listening to music, thinking about something...and suddenly I had one thought I remember very well...
OMFG, I'm in the middle of road (one of main ones)and I've walked into it just like that

Luckily there was no traffic at the moment.

[KvHagedorn]

Originally posted by agallag
I really, really want to install a truck air horn in my car. Preferrably the kind they use on fire trucks. That'd sure make them jump

I had this same idea.. but not with a firetruck horn They actually have some locomotive horns for sale on eBay from time to time, and I've been very tempted. Of course, I'd need a Ford F350 1 ton pickup or some such to mount it in (got to mount it under the hood facing the pavement so it would be REALLY loud to the pedestrian. ) Then there is the compressor to feed the thing.. a big chunk of machinery that.. It could probably go in a big bed toolbox in back.. The truck, of course, would be black. Gloss black, with black wheels and black tinted windows, and lightbars on top and in front, with 4 of the brightest lights I could find on each bar.. oh, and a cattle guard across the front for good measure (black, of course) . If the vehicle itself didn't scare the poo out of whoever crosses in front of it, wait til they hear that diesel locomotive horn!

Got the inspiration from an absolutely awesome movie from New Zealand called Goodbye Pork Pie. The scene where they have a locomotive horn mounted on a Mini, and some cop stops them is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

[agallag]

Oh man, that'd be sweet. But you see, I want the surprise factor. Having the horn in a monster pickup truck like that wouldn't be as startling, because they'd already be wary of a huge truck with a big-ass diesel rattling away under the hood. Having that kind of blast coming from a non-descript Accord would really make them lose bladder control.

So, do the truck horns need a big compressor, or just the locomotive ones? I'm hoping the truck ones have a built in blower or something that I can just hook to the battery. If I can't do that, I'll just have to find a used Audi horn. They're waaaay better than a stock Honda horn. Nice solid loud honk, instead of the weenie Japanese beep I've got now.

Time for some googling

[KvHagedorn]

The truck horns are much less loud, so don't require nearly the volume of air.. the locomotive horns are usually about three feet long with a 15 inch bell. This might be difficult to fit under the hood of an Accord. I remember standing in front of an Amtrak engine at a station once and he blew his horn. I nearly jumped out of my skin, and it was LOUD.

Another fun thing to do would be to stop at a railroad crossing, and just sit there until a car comes up behind you.. let him fume for a bit until he sees that there are no lights and no train coming, and then as he furiously steers around you and guns it toward the tracks, fire that horn a big long blast!

[DentyCracker]

Muahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!