Home › Forums › West Seattle Rants & Raves › Aggressive driver on Walnut tonight
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July 17, 2014 at 3:05 am #612018
PLSParticipantI thought I’d share a driving story from today as a teaching moment for us all.
At about 4:45 this afternoon I was driving North on Walnut, just passing the high school and approaching Forest.
It was busy around the park, as always, with single lane of traffic in places as usual. On the SE corner I noticed two kids – one maybe 11, the other younger – waiting to cross. I slowed to stop for them and looked in my rear view mirror and noticed a silver Mercedes right on my six. So I let off the brakes a bit to give them room and then stopped again so the kids could cross. After I stopped, the Mercedes swerved around me and sped past me through the intersection and down Walnut, left onto Lander.
It’s so lucky that the kids had not started across because if they had he certainly would have plowed right through them. Probably scared the pants off the kids, as well as me!
I continued on after they crossed and went to the gas station on Admiral as I’d planned. Lo and behold, look what car is over at the pump down the line! So I went over to talk with the driver and share my thoughts.
He was a large, bearded man, about 6’2 or so, maybe 240 and burly. I mentioned the incident and asked politely if he would please slow down on the residential streets around here. I said I was worried by his swerving around me back there.
He then stepped away from the pump, toward me, and he said he lives nearby and always goes 25 on the streets. He felt I was going “excessively slow” and so he passed me. I explained that two kids were trying to cross Walnut to the park and that was why I stopped and that he could have hit them. He claimed that there is a “no crossing” section there and that the kids shouldn’t have been crossing. I said “well, that may be so but I’m not going to NOT stop if a child steps out into the street, right?” He retorted “if you slam on your brakes in the middle of the street you’re going to get hit.” I explained that if you give the car in front safe distance that is not true – only if you’re going too fast or driving too close is that a risk.
He was moving closer and closer over me with each defensive word – I’m not a small guy, six feet and two bills myself – but it was clearly threatening and uncomfortable. I decided this was fruitless so I walked away to finish gassing up. Clearly not a wise decision on my part to share my feelings – these days I guess that can end badly. I’d loved to have heard, and frankly I excepted, an apology or some weak promise to do better. Sadly disappointed but at least no one got hurt.
Here are a few pertinent things, sir, though for you and all our readers to know.
1. There is not any such “no crossing” section there. From my review, that is a very normal, everyday across-the-street-from-a-park three way intersection and pedestrians are allowed to cross Walnut normally. In fact, the law defines that as an unmarked crosswalk:
RCW 46.04.160 – Crosswalk.
“Crosswalk” means the portion of the roadway between the intersection area and a prolongation or connection of the farthest sidewalk line or in the event there are no sidewalks then between the intersection area and a line ten feet therefrom, except as modified by a marked crosswalk.
2. As well, per the city ordinances, vehicles are required to yield to them:
WAC 132E-16-040 – Pedestrians — Right of way.
(1) Stopping for pedestrian. The operator of an approaching vehicle shall stop and remain stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross the roadway within a crosswalk unmarked or marked when the pedestrian is upon or within one lane of the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling or onto which it is turning.
3. Passing a car stopped for pedestrians in a crosswalk, marked or unmarked, is not only wildly dangerous, aggressive and unsafe – it’s unlawful. Period.
(4) Overtaking vehicles stopped for pedestrian. Whenever any vehicle is stopped at a marked crosswalk or at any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection to permit a pedestrian to cross the roadway, the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass such stopped vehicle.
4. Unless you are a personal injury attorney with an ad on a bus stop, the driver who rear-ends a car in front of them is nearly without fail presumed to be negligent. The thought is that they should have been driving in a manner that allowed them to stop in time. I have a reasonable presumption to be able to stop quickly and safely on a residential street for good reason without fear of being rammed from behind. You should be further back and monitoring your speed to adapt to the driving circumstances, especially in a crowded street along a park.
The short of it is – you were in the wrong. You should have just admitted it, apologized and learned to be more cautious. You’re not that kind of person, though, so I welcome Karma.
Folks – it’s summer time . . . days are long, kids are out and the streets around our homes are busy. We need to pay attention, be cautious, careful and keep everyone safe. Beyond that, have some respect for your fellow West Seattle drivers please.
July 17, 2014 at 4:44 am #811028
kayoParticipantPLS – Thank you for having the courage to confront this person and for the information. Even if it didn’t seem to make a difference at the time, you probably made that person think at least a little bit about his driving behavior. I also think that stretch of Walnut by the school/park should get speed bumps. They have made a huge difference on our street (26th Ave in N. Delridge). I wish every residential street that gets heavier traffic or that people use as a shortcut (as ours used to be before speedbump installation) could get them. They really slow people down.
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