This goes out to the folks who work in downtown DC, or any other major metropolitan area. I need to see if I am the only person who thinks the way that I do. When crossing a city street before the light changes, have any of you ever found yourself walking next to someone, but consciously or unconsciously positioning yourself so that you are on the side of that person farther away from oncoming traffic?
I have found that I have a “better him than me” philosophy when it comes to jaywalking. I’ll do it, but only if it means that a car will have to hit and kill someone else, thus buying me an extra split-second to get out of the way. It’s sort of like an old saying that I heard a friend say when talking about being a camp counselor: “You don’t have to outrun the bear. You just have to outrun the rest of your friends.”
Maybe that’s self-centered…but I don’t plan on being anywhere close to any live bears. The closest thing would be going to look at Tai Shan and the rest of the pandas at the National Zoo. That is, if China hasn’t already taken Tai Shan back. I’m a little behind on my panda news.
Back to the original focus of this entry: Do any of you find yourselves doing what I do when crossing city streets before the light changes? I can’t be the only one!
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Ok, I won’t be right next to the person, but a little ways away and I really do think to myself, “if that car comes before I get across, it will hit that person first” thus leaving me to call for help and get my sandwich before lunch is over.
Fam, I may not live in DC, but I’m with you 100% got dammit, better him/her/fawn/puppy/kitty/bum than me!
-Ed.
I used to think that way until I realized that same person is cutting off my periphial vision, which means they would see it before me.
LMAO.. I thought I was the only one!
@allawishis, that may be true, but when that person runs/walks faster you keep up because of that very same reason lol.
I work downtown and I usually jay walk in packs. I figure if there are 5 people the odds of a car not seeing us is lower. Plus Mob rules so the cars have no choice but to stop and wait.
Yep…I do it all the time.
When I was in Atlanta over the summer, people seemed to be shocked that I jaywalked. I didn’t see much of a point in walking down the block to cross, only to walk back up the block.
Besides, living in a large city like Baltimore/DC, I learned to cross streets lane by lane and farthest away from oncoming traffic. I’ll let ol boy in the business suit get rammed by that truck and have time to move out of the way. lol
I do this all the time, but it’s not exclusively a walking phenomena. I do it when I’m in the car too. If I pull up to an intersection with a huge truck or some other large vehicle that I can’t see around, I’ll let them “block for me” when it comes time to pull off from the stop sign or traffic light. That’s my inner Quarterback.
I’ll do ya one better. I either let the whole crowd walk off in front of me so they all get hit and I can step over their fallen bodies or I run straight across the street after the firt line of cars have completely stopped. That way if after I’m safely on the other side somebody lifts up off their breaks to blast off just as the light is turning green ahead of time the crowd behind me gets tapped.
I rarely jaywalk now. A few years ago I started to jaywalk across Georgia Ave and changed my mind and stepped back onto the curb. The lady right next to me kept going and got hit by a car which then sped off. It was almost me.
I like to cross beside another person because then we are easier to see and the cars at the crosswalk will stop. So its sort of to protect both of us. I let other people jay walk and I wait on the corner. I’m not going to die just because I feel some peer pressure to j-walk.
Having just moved from NYC…I jaywalk like crazy but…because I just moved from NYC…and we are all sorta irritable…I get mad when someone takes advantage of my jaywalking…
I like to jaywalk alone thank you very much!!
When did you move down this way? Welcome to the neighborhood!
We’ll have to have a drink sometime, so you can finally see firsthand that the sh*t I write about REALLY DOES happen to me in real-life! LOL
Yeah, this pretty much seals it. You’re going to hell Leon.
Fear not though. First round’s on me.
Mr. Gotty™, I will take you up on that offer, good sir!
Man I do the same thing. Unless I am with Wifey or another female(friend) Then I position myself where I will get the hit. Call it the last bit of chivarly in the world. We are supposed to be the “protector” after all. I always walk closer to traffic if I am with a female also. I let the woman walk to the inside, again positioning myself for the hit in case a fool jumps up on the sidewalk.