Quote:
Originally Posted by Fiat_Lux
Take a look at photographs of streets taken prior to circa 1910. Pedestrians, and stalls for selling things littered the road.
In most places, it was only after 1920 that pedestrains lost the right of way. A change in laws that was funded by the AAA and automobile manufacturers, becuase they didn't want the didn't want the bad PR of deaths and injuries that result when people walk into moving vehicles.
Amber
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In 1910, the number of automobiles registered in North America was less than 550,000. In 2017, the number was about 275,000,000. When I was a kid, I lived in areas where there were virtually zero automobiles but when we went south for vacation (Edmonton, for example), my parents drilled the kids on stop and look both ways before crossing, if there is a light, pay attention to it, etc., the usual bits of parental wisdom aimed at keeping the kids alive. Later when I took driving lessons, my instructor passed along two bits of wisdom I have treasured:
- assume the other drivers are suicidal morons who want to take you with them
- assume any pedestrian wants to commit suicide by automobile.
Today? We have pedestrians listening to and watching their devices and paying no attention to the world -- a quick search on YouTube for example will find an almost unbelievable number of videos of distracted pedestrians striving to qualify for a Darwin award.
In the case I mentioned, there is a pedestrian crossing signal but for whatever odd reasons, it doesn't give a pedestrian walk signal when the left turn signal light is active.