I am famous for nagging coworkers, friends, you readers, and other pedestrians into crossing at the proper places. “Yeah,” I’ll say, “You can still get hit, but at least you’ll have some satisfaction knowing the driver will pay for hitting you within a crosswalk. Well, now I can’t see any reason to try to convince those lazy, impatient people.
Turns out that crossing the street within a crosswalk while the “walk” sign is lit really gives you no satisfaction whatsoever. As was recently learned, if a driver runs the red light directly through your right-of-way, crushing you and leaving nothing but your sneakers on the pavement, the driver gets a ticket for running a red-light. That is all.
It has been reported that the driver is in anguish over his failure to follow the traffic safety devices. Doesn’t matter. Because this involved an accident, the driver should get every single citation possible, PLUS any imaginable criminal charges. Anything less sends a message that the activity is acceptable. In my humble opinion, running someone over while they are in a crosswalk should not be acceptable.
Many people blow through red lights and stop signs. Many more drive faster than the posted limit, too. Most of the time, no safety officer sees the infractions. Most of those witnessed are not ticketed or even stopped by police – they’re completely ignored! If the result of these traffic infractions ends up killing someone (and it happens all the time in Tampa Bay), and the most the driver gets is a ticket for violating traffic signals, the numbers will just get worse.
On the other hand, those cops do hate going to court. And, hell – if there aren’t going to be any sidewalks, you may as well paint over the crosswalks too, I guess.
Until there is a compelling reason to quit driving like maniacs, until the odds of getting caught are reduced, or until the penalty is more severe – the maniacs will continue to terrorize our streets. No pedestrian is immune. And you have to walk to your car at some point, don’t you?
My Single Mom Life
4 years ago
As someone who walks everywhere,
this really pisses me off and Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog » safety zone for no one said it best but it won’t stop me from saying it my own way. The guy fucking ran a red light. In…
Sarah
4 years ago
Definately agree! Deserves more than a simple ticket. I’m amazed at how fast people drive. In the parking lots, people are cruising like it’s still a street. Down my neighborhood street, people are vrooming up to 50. Makes no sense.
editengine
4 years ago
It was an accident I guess is what they are saying. Since it did not stem from a criminal event like DUI or fleeing law enforcement it does not rise to the “wanton disregard for human life” level?
editengine
4 years ago
fyi this is from Drunk Driving and Related Vehicular Offenses, Fourth Edition on Lexis Nexis [QUOTE]Such statutes requiring proof of death by the operation of a motor vehicle in a
reckless manner
33
traditionally define recklessness as a “willful and wanton
disregard for the safety of others.â€
34
This means that the prosecution must prove
that the defendant engaged in willful and wanton driving behavior rather than
ordinary negligence.
[/QUOTE]
Rachel might be able to tell us if this is relevant.
Charles
4 years ago
I bike most places and see this everyday. Biking on Tampa’s streets is like running a high-stakes obstacle course.
In California pedestrians ALWAYS have the right-of-way. There, if a driver sees a pedestrian about to cross a street, they slow down because they know there’s serious consequences for hitting a pedestrian.
Two pedestrians and a motorcyclist were hit on USF Tampa’s campus during the first day of the last fall semester. One of them was jaywalking and flipped over the car that hit her. She was issued a ticket and NOTHING happened to the driver. The motorcyclist was a cop on his way to one of the other pedestrian hits.
According to the Surface Transportation Policy Project, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area was the state’s second most dangerous metro area for 2002-2003. For those two years, the STPP reported 1006 total pedestrian fatalities, which were 16 percent of all traffic deaths.
I suggest telling the county commission and city council to do something for their constituents about this.
http://www.tampabayvigil.com
Chris Vela
4 years ago
I kind of figured this raging attitude was acceptable in this town. This is apparent when most of the drivers who have ‘30 mph on Davis Island’ or ‘40 mph on Bayshore’ are going well beyond that speed. Oh, and the electronic speed signs on Bayshore? How about thinking…,”gee, how many cars I will be adding on a road shared with pedesterians if I plop a couple of tall condo towers”. “Oh well, the city will do something about Bayshore after a few more deaths occur because someone was getting p.o.’ed trying to reach downtown or gandy to hit sam’s in time.’
It’s madness, might as well have a lance to deal with these crazied hummers lurking around these streets you know.
editengine
4 years ago
I don’t know I drive Bayshore every day and set my cruise control at 40, I never get passed by other cars. Maybe it is the time of day I go through. My boss wanted to speed through there and take a pic of the sign reading 99 and email to the Tampa Police. I think he eventually though better of it.
PortTampa
4 years ago
Husband, daughter and I just moved here after he finished a tour in Iraq. Chose a neighborhood SOG so he could bike to work. Didn’t take long to realize he’s in more danger here.
Bob
4 years ago
It would be an ACCIDENT if his tire blew out and he lost control of his vehicle and hit someone. This case was not an accident, it was NEGLIGENCE, and should be treated as such. We had a similar crash in Orlando and the driver only got a ticket after killing two little girls. Negligent driving resulting in a death should be considered manslaughter.
TheMax
4 years ago
Bayshore brings up a whole other issue. There are NO safe places to cross Bayshore. I wish the government cared as much about making the area safe for pedestrians as they did about getting rid of homosexuals and bikini bars.
Meredith
4 years ago
In all fairness, I think traffic on Bayshore Blvd has improved somewhat. (And you could always Photoshop the speed sign.)
It’s apparent that pedestrians are worth less than cars in most aspects of development and civic planning. Why? You can’t shop and carry as much on foot. It’s harder to take the whole famn damily out to dinner or movies on foot. You don’t use gasoline on foot. You are not doing your part as a dutiful consumer if you’re on foot.
If Tommy was an Amazon affiliate, I bet he’d link these:
End of the Road: The World Car Crisis and How We Can Solve It – Wolfgang Zuckerman
Down the Asphalt Path: The Automobile and the American City – Clay McShane
Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America and How We Can Take it Back – Jane Holtz Kay
tommy
4 years ago
you can get those same books at Inkwood. Support your neighbors!
Rachel*
4 years ago
That’s not really “all.” Since, as Spears admits, she wants the guy “to pay” – which always makes me frown – there’s nothing really stopping her from a civil suit.
tommy
4 years ago
No, there’s nothing stopping her from a civil suit. And although the phrase “I want him to pay” is a bit uncouth, the feeling is certainly understandable. I would be beside myself.
Fred
4 years ago
Well he should pay – in one way or another!