wrenb | Open Letter to the woman I almost hit

Dear pedestrian,

I am the woman in the hatchback who almost hit you this morning at Dayton and Charter. You stepped into the intersection without checking that both lanes were clear. In an intersection where there are stop signs on only one street there were 4 cars stopped for you, one in each direction. I understand that you were in a marked crosswalk and had every right to be there. In ordinary conditions (read: not this winter) I too would have stopped for you. I hit a long patch of ice and, despite the fact that I had only been going 20 mph and had already slowed when I saw you dithering in the intersection, my antilock brakes were working as hard as they could. But I could not effectively stop for you -- I slid 15 feet trying to stop.

I am frequently a pedestrian myself. I walked to work all last winter, crossing Park Street twice a day. I understand the rights of pedestrians. I also understand their responsibilities which you, madam, apparently do not. There was no one behind me. It would have been wise to wait for me and the pick-up truck in the other lane to pass and then cross the road. It is not -5F this morning; you were not in danger of frostbite. You were, however, in danger of being run over by a driver who was doing everything right (except, I guess, for not anticipating that a pedestrian near the University would do something unwise).

Sincerely,
Me