Poll: Walking through a red light

[Llil]

You're about to cross the street, but the light is red. You look around and see no cars coming from either direction. Do you wait for the light to turn green, or just walk across?

The reason I ask is that from what I've seen, people don't usually care about the light being red when they're on foot. How often do you see cars driving through a red ligh? Not that often, I hope. Even when there's no other cars around, you're supposed to wait for green. So why does it seem to be okay to break the rules when you're on foot?

I almost always wait for green. The only time I don't is if I'm really in a hurry, like if I'm about to miss a bus and the next one leaves in an hour.

 

[Mr Shrike]

So why does it seem to be okay to break the rules when you're on foot?

Because you're not in charge of a tonne of metal going at 30 miles/hour.

OT: I cross whenever the hell I feel like it. Jaywalking isn't a crime in the UK and even if it was, I'd still go for it.

If I get squished, then it's my own fault, really.

 

[Hippobatman]

Eh, I wouldn't say I usually do either. It really just depends on how I feel at that precise moment. If I feel relaxed and have time to spare, I just wait. If I'm angry, distressed etc, I'll walk and curse at the lights.

 

[Tips_of_Fingers]

If there are no cars coming, why wait? If the cars are in a jam and not moving, why wait? Just seems unnessecary to me.

I pride myself in the ability to move fluidly through crowded streets so I'm definitely not the kind of person to halt my progress for a red light when there's no danger of me being hit by a car. Admittedly, I'll generally quicken the pace, usually to a light jog, when I'm "breaking the law", just in case some maniac comes tearing down the road.

 

[Llil]

So why does it seem to be okay to break the rules when you're on foot?

Because you're not in charge of a tonne of metal going at 30 miles/hour.

But if there's no other cars around, driving through a red light won't hurt anyone either. I know you can miss someone and cause an accident, but that's also true when you're on foot.
So it's okay to potentially cause an accident when you're likely to get more hurt than other people?

 

[Marter]

Do it in a car, and the red light cameras will catch you and politely mail you a ticket.

Do it by foot, and you only get caught if a cop is there. In that case, you wouldn't be walking anyway because one of the requirements to cross in the first place is for no cars to be there.

This is why people do it.

 

[crudus]

Do it in a car, and the red light cameras will catch you and politely mail you a ticket.

Do it by foot, and you only get caught if a cop is there. In that case, you wouldn't be walking anyway because one of the requirements to cross in the first place is for no cars to be there.

This is why people do it.

I never do it, because it is so easy to miss a car, then you have a broken pelvis and one hell of a hospital bill. I try to limit my crosswalk usage. Even when I did have a go-ahead/right-of-way (green light, walking man, etc), I still managed to get hit by a car ~8 times in the passed year. Fuck. that. noise. I always try to jaywalk now.

 

[daydreamerdeluxe]

Here in the UK, it's perfectly legal to do so, and I don't see the point waiting when I know it's safe. I'm now at uni, and in the last week and a half, I've discovered that, actually, the most convenient place to cross to get to my classes is dead in between two crossings. I tend to dodge across the road in between those, preferably when one or the other traffic lights stops the cars

 

[Llil]

Do it in a car, and the red light cameras will catch you and politely mail you a ticket.

Do it by foot, and you only get caught if a cop is there. In that case, you wouldn't be walking anyway because one of the requirements to cross in the first place is for no cars to be there.

This is why people do it.

I know I asked why people do it, and that's probably the reason for most. But what it's saying is that it's okay to break any rules when it's easy to get away with it. And that doesn't sound too good to me.

 

[TehKnifeh]

wait wha? This maybe the British-ness showing through but most people I see here don't pay that much attention to the "red man/green man" pedestrian crossings. If you can make it to the other side of the road before the car hits you then go for it Think the only people who stop to walk for the colour to change are the elderly or parents with young kids, everyone else pretty much makes a break for it.

I do remember however in the states (either SF or CHI) somebody shouting at my freind for walking across the road, not at a junction with no cars coming either way. That was just weird that he got grief from a random person "because he might have died"...

 

[Llil]

I do remember however in the states (either SF or CHI) somebody shouting at my freind for walking across the road, not at a junction with no cars coming either way. That was just weird that he got grief from a random person "because he might have died"...

I don't shout at people who ignore the lights, but I do give them the evil eye. No-one ever notices though. Maybe I should practice.

 

[Mr Shrike]

So why does it seem to be okay to break the rules when you're on foot?

Because you're not in charge of a tonne of metal going at 30 miles/hour.

But if there's no other cars around, driving through a red light won't hurt anyone either. I know you can miss someone and cause an accident, but that's also true when you're on foot.
So it's okay to potentially cause an accident when you're likely to get more hurt than other people?

It's not really ok, but I do it anyway. I'm an impatient kind of guy.

The way I view it is that if I get hurt through my own irresponsibility, then that's my fault and no-one else's. If, however, I were to be in a position where I could injure or kill someone else through irresponsibility, then that's a totally different story.

If on foot, the potential to cause others harm in an accident is a lot lower, but I guess distress can also be classed as harm. What I'm trying to say (rather ineloquently) is that we shouldn't take risks that could harm ourselves or others, but often do. I know I'm guilty of it.

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

So why does it seem to be okay to break the rules when you're on foot?

Because a guy walking across when it's red light doesn't run the risk of killing or seriously injure someone if they bump into them. A car however DOES present a huge risk of killing or seriously injure a person on foot.

Therefore it's not as bad for a person to cross the street while the light is red (as long as the car traffic isn't heavy) than it is for a driver to step on the gas when the light is red.

Really, was that one too hard to figure out for yourself? :/

 

[Llil]

So why does it seem to be okay to break the rules when you're on foot?

Because a guy walking across when it's red light doesn't run the risk of killing or seriously injure someone if they bump into them. A car however DOES present a huge risk of killing or seriously injure a person on foot.

Therefore it's not as bad for a person to cross the street while the light is red (as long as the car traffic isn't heavy) than it is for a driver to step on the gas when the light is red.

Really, was that one too hard to figure out for yourself? :/

Walking across and getting hit by a car can cause the car to crash, which can harm the people in the car. Of course, you'll probably get more hurt, but that's not a good excuse.

Breaking rules when there's apparently "no harm done" is still breaking the rules. Besides, you never know if harm will be done after all.

It's just something that's been bothering me, and it does make me feel slightly superior when I'm the only one who stays to wait for green (for what that's worth).

 

[Joccaren]

I never wait for green, and never personally press the button, due to the way that walking lights seem to work, at least around here. They will only turn green when there are no cars coming, and they will wait a good 10 seconds after the last car has gone past before they turn green. By the time they turn green, the second set at the other end of the traffic island have turned red, cars have pulled up and are now stopped, and I and many others could have walked.
It is a stupid way to do things; we can see when there are no cars coming, we know its safe to cross, we don't need a light to tell us to wait for a car to come, stop it to troll it, and tell us to cross. It is pointless, except maybe for blind people, though then it shouldn't be enforced for normal people...

 

[Jonluw]

Why wouldn't I cross when there's no cars nearby?
There has to be a limit to cautiousness, and it's not like it's illegal. At least not where I live.

"In Norway, a red man signal at the crossing indicates that pedestrians must not begin crossing if it would impede cars or entail danger, but a person may walk across if there are no cars nearby."
-wikipedia

 

[JochemDude]

I'll just walk 5 meters down the road and cross there.

 

[trollnystan]

I jay-walk a lot, but sometimes it's accidental because I'll start walking with everyone else waiting and they might not wait for green. Lemming, that's me. If I'm on a bike I usually wait, although that depends on how heavy the traffic is that day. If I'm with a child, or there's a child waiting at the light at the same time, I ALWAYS wait.

 

[DasDestroyer]

I'll usually run across. Just to be safe.