Opinion: Don’t Wear Reflectors

By Avi Gutfreund. 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 three separate incidents of pedestrians being struck by vehicles in Lakewood on Tuesday. In an earlier incident this week, a woman was struck and killed while crossing the 9. 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.

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16 COMMENTS

  1. I fully agree. I once.rolled down my window to ask, what looked like a respectable rabbi, if he could PLEASE wear a reflectors. He didn’t know what it him. If something would happen I would put FULL blame on the pedestrian! It is not fair that drivers have to drive around town with their hearts in their stomachs, waiting for a dark person to appear in front of their car!! Keep one in your coat pocket and USE it!!! Even in a parking lot, or if you cross a driveway!!! We cannot see you!

  2. majority of people that are hit by a car are hit while crossing in middle of the block & not by a traffic light,they are careless when crossing the street & these type of people wont care for reflectors

  3. i almost killed someone on a bike who rode straight into my car one night (he was also on the wrong side of the road) and HE WAS NOT WEARING A REFLECTOR! BH he wasnt hurt altho he jumped off his bike. when i yelled where is your reflector he got back on and rode off into the night

  4. Drivers should have more patience. If car in front of you is turning left don’t go around him driving on the shoulder there might be a pedestrian there that you can’t see.Wait a minute for the guy in front of you to turn and save a life.

  5. It’s truly frightening to driver in this town especially at night. I’ve had too many close calls with people dressed in dark clothing walking in the street and completely not visible.

  6. Very well said!
    I would like to add – watch your children! Little kids run into the street all the time. Do not allow your children to play games in the street

  7. I agree 100%. 1) EVERYONE SHOULD WHERE REFLECTORS 2) ONLY CROSS AT DESIGNATED CROSS WALKS. This is a tremendous issue around BMG where there’s heavy pedestrian traffic. I find myself driving down Clifton and there’s scores of pedestrians popping out of nowhere. It’s incumbent upon BMG to put up a sign about this.

  8. Lakewood is no longer a town, it’s a congested mismanaged city containing well over 100,000 people. I don’t think pedestrians are any more likely to be hit here anymore so than in Newark or other cities in NJ. The problem is that no new cross-through roads have been built as an alternative to rt.9. Prospect st & James are locked in with developments & commercial space, no thoroughfares. Same for Oak & Pine, no cross streets were built to access cedar bridge. Each year thousands of new cars are competing for the same roads in Lakewood. This overcrowding leads to accidents R”L. Lakewood needs more cross streets to be built between Prospect & James, James & Central, etc. Let’s place the blame were it belongs – the lack of foresight by the Lakewood Township regarding the local roads.

    • The only intersection that is safe for the pedestrian, is Pine/MartinLuther.
      When the Township put up the traffic light they added a right turning light AND a NO TURNING light. This way pedestrian has an opportunity to cross while no cars are allowed to drive in any direction! On all other roadways in Lakewood there is always cars turning, leaving no opportunity for the pedestrian to cross.
      And of course, everyone should wear reflectors at night!

    • Sorry – I live in Brooklyn and have had far too many near hits where people don’t use their seichel here too and try crossing in middle of the street. Lights haven’t helped that. Young girls in dark coats, older men in black garb… Just tonight I had to honk at a man dressed in black, on a cell phone no less, crossing in middle of the street without even bothering to glance my way. Sorry for driving down the avenue when you wanted to cross. right. here. right. now.
      And let me tell you, even in broad daylight it’s pretty dangerous how people try crossing. It’s quite scary, and frankly, mind-boggling!

  9. A lot of the people who are doing this are coming from brooklyn which is the “norm” way of crossing the streets just as frightening to drive there too.
    Wake up before it is someone you know who is injured!!!

  10. we are all aware as drivers that its illegal to hold a cell phone while driving

    but the pedestrian who talks on his cell phone while crossing a busy intersection or street is just as liable for his own life perhaps even being
    over an issur doraysa of venishmartem es nafshoseichem moed
    pedestrians who walk and talk are many times so engrossed in their very important conversations they are totally unaware of whats going on around them .
    as careful as drivers should be they cant stop someone from walking in front of their car with out enough time and space to stop
    so of course wear reflectors ( which many still dont due)
    but more then that please stop talking and take a moment when crossing a street as they say “the life you save may be your own “

  11. I don’t get why people just don’t use the sidewalks where they are available. People who should know better, especially women with strollers are constantly in the narrow streets where there are sidewalks. I don’t like confronting people but I find if I can, I’ll roll down my window and show them my handicapped tag and ask if they are trying to get one also. Usually gets the message across.

  12. While it is an issue that too many pedestrians aren’t taking the proper precautions, the Township has to do more as well. Most of the main roads in Lakewood were designed as country roads, with long stretches without any light or stop sign, and very few crosswalks. Maybe if the Township invested more in transforming certain roads, like County Line, River, and Kennedy, into streets that are more Pedestrian friendly (i.e. more crosswalks, sidewalks, lights, etc.), we can eliminate these terrible occurrences.

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