Okay, ignore the headline. Of course you should wear a reflector; it’s basic common sense. But don’t just wear a reflector. Staying safe as a pedestrian requires a lot more than wearing a thin glowing strip of plastic.
There were two separate incidents of pedestrians being struck by vehicles in Lakewood on Tuesday, and one serious incident last week. I don’t know the specifics of the incidents, nor do they really matter. What does matter is that it highlights a serious problem – the unusually high number of pedestrians that are struck by vehicles in our town.
It has become far too commonplace to hear of someone getting hit while walking somewhere in Lakewood. Just a few years ago, it was a communal tragedy and a time for introspection when any such occurrence took place. Now, the response to such news is a sorry shake of the head and that’s about it. It shouldn’t be this way.
The New Jersey State Police have responded to the high number of pedestrian accidents and fatalities by increasing patrols around Lakewood. I have seen no statistics that show a marked decrease in the pedestrian fatality rate since their patrolling began in earnest. I think the reason is because it has nothing to do with ways that people are driving illegally – it has to do with the attitude of both drivers and pedestrians.
Of course there are many ways in which drivers can improve safety on the roads. Driving around town has become more dangerous with a higher number of reckless drivers on the roads. But the fault of pedestrians being struck does not lie solely with drivers. Pedestrians have too be more aware of their surroundings too.
I often need to drive around Lakewood to run errands. The irresponsibility of many pedestrians truly upsets me. There are times I find myself swerving to avoid grown adults who don’t seem to have the primal instinct to stay clear of a 2,000-pound vehicle moving at 30 miles per hour. On several occasions I found myself shaking from the sheer fright of nearly clipping a pedestrian who tried to run between cars on a busy street. This behavior is ridiculous and needs to stop.
It is time that pedestrians become thoughtful and attentive when crossing streets. Don’t step into a street before looking to make sure there are no cars coming. Don’t jaywalk. Don’t cross streets while looking at your phone. Don’t take unnecessary risks when crossing, just wait a moment and stay safe. These are the kinds of things I was taught as a child. Unfortunately, it seems that some people were either never taught these things or have simply forgotten and lack the good judgement necessary to know this on their own.
It doesn’t take much effort to cross a road in a safe manner. Be aware of what is happening around you, don’t be self-absorbed, and don’t assume a driver can see you. Be an intelligent pedestrian – it just might save your life.
And when you see a car backing up maybe don’t walk right behind him cuz it’s harder to see.
Can we please have sidewalks along every street in Lakewood.
This is a walking community
Good points, but drivers also have to obey speed limits, be more attentive when making turns, make full stops at Stop signs, and stop giving themselves an extra two seconds to get through an intersection after the light turns red.
its a shame that the police turn a blind eye to cars parked on yellow lines near intersections! This puts all us pedestrians, bikers, and drivers in a massive sakana!
Wearing a reflector makes good common sense if walking in Jackson!
An earlier commenter mentioned putting in sidewalks. Unfortunately in my neighborhood (hearthstone) many people do not use the sidewalks. I frequently see people walking down the middle if the street.crossing without looking and stepping out of their car into the middle of the street without checking for oncoming cars. Please walk safely!
I would also like to add that sometimes pedestrians, including myself, can be crossing the street at night, and think that a driver in an oncoming vehicle sees them clearly. If it were daytime, the driver would probably see the pedestrian[s] clearly, but at night, that’s very often not the case. However, the tendency of the pedestrian is to assume the driver can clearly see him. I can’t blame the pedestrian for making that mistaken assumption, but nevertheless it’s a big mistake that pedestrians need to be aware of.
Is that a verified fact that lakewood has many more peds struck than similar towns with a similar population ? Any data to back that up
…..I lost my younger fifteen year old sister, supposedly to a hit and run in 1983…..That devastated my family to this day…..Sharon was the best sister in the world….Also, about 1975/1976, I was hit by a car around second avenue and eighty something street, in Manhattan…. A pin traction, a fiber glass cast that covered about half of my body, months healing, family difficulties, left back in school because the tutor showed up about twice, a soft femur bone, was a big mess for my family…. Lenox Hill Hospital, the Jewish doctor that ran into me, and the twelve thousand buck settlement, could have been way better….Plus, I fell on my bicycle a little while after, in front of my home, that I am writing this from, and still in….My leg broke again, and I went to Jamaica Hospital this time….I was about ten years old….There wasn’t a pin this time, but there was traction again to pull the femur into alignment…. I had a plaster cast that was almost as big as the fiber glass cast….Most of the kids in the neighborhood signed it….There wasn’t any settlement for this though…. I thought, it was my fault….My family went through a lot of trauma from this, and I never was a hundred percent after these accidents….. Please, be careful… Society has the technology to stop these car accidents, they just need the will to implement them…Sincerity, mishpuca MF….
Why would you NOT blame the pedestrian for such a dangerous and false assumption? It’s so simple, stay out of the road when you can easily see a car driving. Even if you are wearing a reflector. Also please make sure that your reflector is bright enough.
Many great comments…….
I need to drive through Lakewood for appointments and necessary
errands. Many times the pedestrians do not follow the the crossing signs. The sign will be flashing for “no crossing” and they will step out and cross. I agree with the writer in the weaving around a pedestrian crossing against the light. This has causes an unsafe event for the driver as well as the pedestrian.
I would also like to add those who are on bikes, the power scooters and other mobile devices. They cut in between stopped traffic and do not look.