You only cover us when we run over pedestrians

Who doesn't want a mulligan or two for running over a pedestrian?

A new law penalizing drivers who fail to yield and injure or kill a pedestrian who has the right of way is a central piece of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to eliminate traffic deaths. But the arrest last week of a bus driver who struck a 15-year-old girl angered union officials, who sent a memo to members this week warning that bus drivers were under attack and were being treated like “criminals.”

The union, Transport Workers Union Local 100, says the arrest on Friday of the driver, Francisco DeJesus, a veteran with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, was uncalled-for; it has supported a proposed amendment in the City Council to exclude bus drivers from the law. The union created a hashtag — #LetsBePerfect — for its 10,000 bus operators, protesting that the mayor’s policy, Vision Zero, unreasonably demanded perfection.

Mr. DeJesus was charged with failure to yield after his bus struck the girl as she was crossing the street with a walk signal in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on her way to school. She was pinned under the front of the bus, and her leg was severely injured.

He was at least the third bus driver for the transportation authority arrested under the right-of-way law since it went into effect in August. The law makes failure to yield a misdemeanor if the driver kills or injures a pedestrian. Drivers can face fines of up to $250 or 30 days in jail.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/20/n...-says.html?partner=socialflow&smid=tw-nytimes

 

Jogger got hit by a snow plow and died here the other day. Those things go sooooo slow, I'm wondering how that happened.

 

If I were to seek my own personal exemption, it would be for running over bicyclists, not pedestrians. They're the real problem.

 

I hit a pedestrian once.

 

So did I. Older Polish gentleman who was crossing the street one winter morning when I was negotiating a turn with the sun directly in my eyes. Luckily it had just snowed and I was going about 2 mph.

 

Yeah, same situation essentially, except rain instead of snow, black guy instead of a Polish guy. He wandered out from in front of his truck.

 

I missed hitting bicyclists on a couple of occasions.

 

What does the race or ethnicity of the victims have to do with either story!!!

 

Lucky neither of you hit a Muslim, or it might be investigated as a hate crime.

 

Was

I'm a writer. DETAILS MATTER!

 

There is a lady in our neighborhood who jogs after dark wearing a black tracksuit, and even does it at times when no sane human being would be running outside. She runs in the street when we have sidewalks on both sides of the road. I've almost hit her several times and once I pulled over and said, "Is there any way you can wear something other than black, or put some reflective tape on, because I can barely see you." I was pretty nice about it. She just shook her head and walked off. Our neighbor, who is a cop said, "If anyone in the neighborhood hits her, I'll be the first to testify that it was unavoidable."

 

I got hit a few years ago as I was crossing the street. The driver made a right-hand turn and went right into me. I hit the hood and then was thrown into the street, and for a split second I thought I was going to be run over, as in mangled to shit and dead. Lucky for me the driver stopped. I had some bruises and a gimpy knee for a few days, but otherwise all I have as a reminder is a dime-size scar on my right wrist.