The guy I responded to did basically that, trying to assign blame to drivers. Why would I care what some drivers do when I'm crossing the street? I assume all drivers are bad and act accordingly. The people that don't do that, are more likely to get hit. That's what I meant.
It's not a dichotomy. Both parties are responsible for traveling safely. The argument you're trying to put forth is disingenuous, because controlling drivers as a pedestrian is obviously a ridiculous idea; that's why we have laws.
It's arguing in bad faith to pretend there is nothing to be done about unsafe drivers or vehicles, or to pretend that only pedestrians are responsible for their own safety.
I would say that yes, at any given moment in time, the pedestrian is responsible for themselves if they want to stay safe. It's too late for any laws at that moment. You either notice the car isn't slowing down and avoid stepping out, or you do step out and hope for the best. Not a good way to stay alive.
No, all parties are responsible for traveling safely. If a vehicle wants to kill a pedestrian or bicyclist who is being careful, they can. It's very easy to do.
And it's not too late to discuss laws, because I'm not a pedestrian right now. Again, it's a bad faith argument to pretend we don't have time to discuss laws when we're not walking in traffic.
If someone wants to kill a pedestrian, that's murder. Everything else is an accident due to negligence. You can keep going in circles saying the car is driver is responsible for this and that, but that's just relying on hope that they adhere to it.
If you want to increase the odds of not dying as a pedestrian, you need to be on the lookout. End of story. I'm from the SF area. There is no shortage of people that walk with their heads down in their phone with headphones, whole crossing intersections. IMO, they are waiting to die.
>If you want to increase the odds of not dying as a pedestrian, you need to be on the lookout.
Nobody in this thread is disagreeing with this statement. Again, you are creating a false binary, where you seem to think either one party or the other is responsible for traveling safely. That is false. Walking alertly and safely improves a pedestrian's chances of being safe, but it does not guarantee their safety.
