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heightened sense of awareness

hooligan

Registered User
Alaska
Recent tragedies; jogger on the beach struck and killed by aircraft during a forced landing; jogger killed by wolves... is a reminder of how important it is to use all of our human senses to be aware of our sorroundings. Those of us that are pilots have an advantage. We have been trained to be more aware...be cat like and question everything!

I can not rest easy unless I can see, hear and smell what is going on around me. If I were to lose one of these senses I would ask for help.

Life is precious.

Lose the ear buds!
 
I drive 17 miles to work each day along a beautiful lake road that is narrow and winding and in alot of places has no shoulder and during the warmer months about half of the joggers are plugged into there Ipods and are on your side of the road going away from you and your never sure if they know your going to go by them with less the 2' between your righthand mirror and there head, when I was a kid I was taught to walk and ride a bicycle against traffic so that once eye contact had been established between you and the driver we all had a better idea of what each other was doing, but now a days they want every body going with the flow but I still swim upstream.

Glenn
 
walking roadside

Interesting point. My wife and I walk every day in our rural town in New England and now wear high-viz vests because most people seem incapable of moving over a foot or two for people walking. They are totally insulated from nature and reality. 2 people were run down and killed by inattentive drivers in our town within a year or so. It seems like a lack of situational awareness. I don't believe it's pure meanness. New SUV's are so insulated and cozy, there's little connection to the outside. As for ear-buds, well, why bother going outside? I have to laugh, with our high viz vest, we suspect people think were being punished and picking up garbage. Maybe the close shaves are intentional? That's OK, many of them work in a cubicle and I get to fly all over in a Super Cub instead. Life is great! 8)
 
Re: walking roadside

Stearman600 said:
Interesting point. My wife and I walk every day in our rural town in New England and now wear high-viz vests because most people seem incapable of moving over a foot or two for people walking. They are totally insulated from nature and reality. 2 people were run down and killed by inattentive drivers in our town within a year or so. It seems like a lack of situational awareness. I don't believe it's pure meanness. New SUV's are so insulated and cozy, there's little connection to the outside. As for ear-buds, well, why bother going outside? I have to laugh, with our high viz vest, we suspect people think were being punished and picking up garbage. Maybe the close shaves are intentional? That's OK, many of them work in a cubicle and I get to fly all over in a Super Cub instead. Life is great! 8)

My point exactly, most drivers don't see you, I love the ones with the stylish head to toe black outfits, that lake road that I drive winds all over the place and even at 40mph when you come over a rise and there are on coming cars and the sun is in your eyes and the windshield is covered with smashed bugs and instantly 2 joggers side by side and not fitting on a 2' wide shoulder looking the other way listening to music, I thing that poeple are just stupid to think that every car can see them and will be able to avoid them without hitting the on coming traffic, but what do they care it will be the drivers fault even if there lucky enough to also survive. People walking also have a responability to be aware of there enviorment, I like to walk and I do it against the flow, when eye contact is made the contract is signed.

Glenn
 
Sad outcome.Pretty long odds on getting hit by an airplane while jogging on a beach.

Situational awareness seems to be rare with the general population though.

There was a time when people who did dumb things would get a good dressing down and learn from others.
Can't do it now because you might hurt their feelings(saving their life is not as important)
My pet peeve is joggers pushing baby carriages on busy roadways.I guess they figure a little car exhaust is good for the baby's future learning dis-abilities.



Bill
 
we spent a few million to put paved bike paths along one of the major roads in the big housing district here...


Of course, the dog walkers/baby carriages all tangle it up so the bikes are on the road, two and three abrest :evil:

What I don't understand, is why anyone would choose the BUSY street with no shoulder instead of a more safe road that has room? And why do they all think it is a good idea to be two and three wide when traffic has almost enough room to pass without trading mirrors????

Sorry, if you are dumb enough to choose the busy street/highways with no shoulder, you deserve to get run down in this day and age.

I bet it is the same folks that honk at me for going a slow when they get behind me... shucks, pulling 12,000 lbs of trailer, I feel the ability to stop in control overrides their need to arrive 1 minute faster :roll:
 
You do have to be aware ALL the time. I try to teach my son that while riding his bike HE needs to watch the cars because the drivers are too busy doing other things...like talking on their cell phones and etc.

The bike paths here are a great place for families to get off the road. There are some serious bikers here and quite frankly they are dangerous on the bike path. Many of them do opt to ride on the road....and at the speeds that they are riding....they are best to be on the roads. That being said...some of them are so majorly arrogant that they do ride abreast with total disregard for the traffic.

I got stuck behind one guy that road down the middle of my lane so that there was no way for me to get around him for over a mile. He was not unaware of my presence...it was intentional. Just arrogant. Then they wonder why they get struck by cars??

cafi
 
I love being out doors and dont begrudge anyone for riding walking or etc...but it IS possible to be considerate...both as a motorist or biker/walker.

I lost an old friend by being struck by a vehicle mirror...she worked for DOT and became complacent about the traffic whizzing by her every day. Long armed truck mirror hit her. Very sad!

cafi
 
Joggers and bicyclists are out enjoying their lives. My truck has a very effective brake pedal and I'm happy to use it in order to give pedestrians a wide berth. My presence on this earth isn't more important than theirs. I can find time to coexist without getting my shorts in a wad.

I've lost three good friends in the past three weeks. It seems to me that I need to spend my moments being happy, not being caustic and angry. I sat last night with a new widow and listened to her recount how the last words she had with her husband had been in anger over some stupid detail that didn't matter to anyone. That's not what I want my wife to remember. Life's short. Live it well.

Stewart
 
StewartB said:
Joggers and bicyclists are out enjoying their lives. My truck has a very effective brake pedal and I'm happy to use it in order to give pedestrians a wide berth. My presence on this earth isn't more important than theirs. I can find time to coexist without getting my shorts in a wad.

I've lost three good friends in the past three weeks. It seems to me that I need to spend my moments being happy, not being caustic and angry. I sat last night with a new widow and listened to her recount how the last words she had with her husband had been in anger over some stupid detail that didn't matter to anyone. That's not what I want my wife to remember. Life's short. Live it well.

Stewart

+1
 
StewartB said:
Joggers and bicyclists are out enjoying their lives. My truck has a very effective brake pedal and I'm happy to use it in order to give pedestrians a wide berth. My presence on this earth isn't more important than theirs. I can find time to coexist without getting my shorts in a wad.

I've lost three good friends in the past three weeks. It seems to me that I need to spend my moments being happy, not being caustic and angry. I sat last night with a new widow and listened to her recount how the last words she had with her husband had been in anger over some stupid detail that didn't matter to anyone. That's not what I want my wife to remember. Life's short. Live it well. Stewart

+2

And I would like to add that in the current environment it sure seems easy to get really PO'd about stuff on an almost daily basis - have to keep focused on what really matters and ignore the flack.
 
Stewart, I need to print out, laminate your post and put it on the refrigerator. It is awfully easy to face the road rage, inconsiderate types without letting one's blood pressure build, and to become a half-empty kind of person. I think that is why I enjoy folks who are on this site, and who are in aviation....they tend to be optimistic kind of people. Thanks again for the note.

Randy
 
Also keep in mind some the bikers may be armed!
An employee of mine (who is a highly decorated vet in the first Gulf go round for action involving his friendly fire damaged Bradley and attacking Republican Guard troops ((they didn't all surrender)) doesn't drive a car at all, ONLY rides a bike. He's making some kind of "don't need oil" statement I guess, I've never asked why, I figure he has his reasons, he does say that he can drink a whole lot of beer with no DUI worries! He is always packing, I'd give him a wide berth no problemo. BUT, he is not one to not pay attention to car traffic, it is the few arrogant ones that ride several abreast that can be the problem.
 
Interesting point. My wife and I walk every day in our rural town in New England and now wear high-viz vests because most people seem incapable of moving over a foot or two for people walking. They are totally insulated from nature and reality. 2 people were run down and killed by inattentive drivers in our town within a year or so. It seems like a lack of situational awareness. I don't believe it's pure meanness. New SUV's are so insulated and cozy, there's little connection to the outside. As for ear-buds, well, why bother going outside? I have to laugh, with our high viz vest, we suspect people think were being punished and picking up garbage. Maybe the close shaves are intentional? That's OK, many of them work in a cubicle and I get to fly all over in a Super Cub instead. Life is great! 8)

You're not even including distracted driving or DUI either.

Texting kills others not just drivers.

Iphone and others could make texting not available over walking speed, but they don't. It should be a law. Bluetooth phone calls but no texting.
 
doesn't drive a car at all, ONLY rides a bike. He's making some kind of "don't need oil" statement I guess, I've never asked why, I figure he has his reasons, he does say that he can drink a whole lot of beer with no DUI worries! .

NOT true. you an get a DUI on anything that moves a horse, motorized lawnchair, one of my outlaw cousins has 3 dui's on bikes last one was a fat tired very expensive bike. Was told he is now banned form riding bikes lol. No excuse for a DUI. You are endangering others around you.
 
Even famous people are not immune: Here in Maine... 1999

Stephen King hit by car




On June 19, 1999, at about 4:30 p.m., King was walking on the shoulder of Maine State Route 5, in Lovell, Maine. Driver Bryan Edwin Smith, distracted by an unrestrained dog moving in the back of his minivan, struck King, who landed in a depression in the ground about 14 feet (four meters) from the pavement of Route 5.

Children: 3, including Joe and Owen



Born: Stephen Edwin King; September 21, 1947 (age 71); Portland, Maine, U.S



Period: 1967–present



Stephen King - Wikipedia












 
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