Pedestrians too are careless

Complaints are often voiced against vehicle drivers’ carelessness on the roads but pedestrians’ inattentiveness is generally ignored. Pedestrians, who get most of the information visually by watching traffic and observing the signs that indicate when it is safe to walk, are also found negligent.“I was getting late for the office but headache and upset stomach turned my mood very bad. To top it off, instead of using the overhead bridge, one man decided to cross the road; without caring that there was another vehicle coming from the opposite direction,” says Nayyar Abbas, a doctor.“I generally drive very carefully and dislike speed, because of the side streets traffic. Today was no exception. I luckily had noticed the man and didn't have to slam on my brakes, but the vehicle coming from the opposite direction laid on his horn and the man still didn't get a clue and just lazily finished his walk across as if he owned the road,” adds Nayyar.Zamir Hussain, a trader, says: “Although there are sidewalks on both sides of the street, some students casually walk to school down the middle of the street. I once blew the horn, stopped and said to the students. "I won't drive on the sidewalk if you won't amble down the street."“Yesterday I was out, and a young guy man pulled up from a side street to the road I was travelling. I was quite close to hitting him. He loitered out into the road directly in front of me, and proceeded without bothering. I had to swerve around him, and got to lay hand on my horn. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, oblivious to the world around him,” says Sibte Hasan, a retired air force guy.Waqar Ali, a real estate man, says: “Near Koral Chowk Bridge I observed a pedestrian who assumed that only he had the right of way and that cars will stop for him. He was not at all attentive while crossing the road. He let the music take his attention away from the sounding of the horn by the oncoming vehicles.”“The other day I saw a strange scene. A woman just sauntered across the road, stopped in the middle, turned around to talk to her relatives she just left and continued walking backwards towards the other side with no clue that a multi-ton vehicle could sandwich her,” recounts Zainab, a college student.“It sounds most fortunate to get to work and back home without hurting anybody due to intrusion by ill-mannered persons that have no concept of walking safely. I was glad to be okay and not abused. Good luck to me that I stayed safe,” says Jawad Naqvi, a professor.

from The News International - Islamabad https://ift.tt/2Ykurb7