Stuff a 10 year-old used to know - lost to history or lost to stupidity?


Posted On: Wednesday - February 9th 2022 6:16PM MST
In Topics: 
  Curmudgeonry  Peak Stupidity Roadshow



Peak Stupidity is not all politics all the time. Sometimes, we just deal in your standard everyday stupidity. These post usually end up with a Curmudgeonry topic key. (There are quite a few built up here!) It's the usual question: Are people just getting more stupid, or is it just my getting sick of people?

Yeah, you try to teach kids the safe way to do things. Walking along the side of the road is what you'd figure is one of the simplest things. You need to see who's coming at you. People, OK, sober and/or non-British/Aussie/Kiwi's, Hong Kongers, or Japanese, drive on the right side of the road. Therefore, if there's no sidewalk or path well off the road, you should walk on the left side, so you can see who's coming at you. There's a much better chance to get out of the way of a driver who's not paying attention.

In our neighborhood, the cars aren't going very fast. Sometimes, we'll stay on the right, if we just took a right, we're only going a block or two and then we're going to take a 2nd right turn. Most of the drivers are very courteous and will get as far out of your way as they can. The thing is, it's not most of them that may maim or kill you though, just the one.

Don't they pass down this information anymore down to the kids? How about to the adults? I see them too, walking on the right side, not looking back either. They are oblivious to the danger from someone not paying attention. If their parents never passed down this tidbit to them, could they not draw on their own common-sense? Do they need an app for this?

Comments:
The Alarmist
Saturday - February 12th 2022 10:40AM MST
PS

On this side of the pond, they tend to walk with their backs to the traffic. When I lived in Portugal, the widows would don black garb and, seemingly suicidal, wander on the roads at night.

When I run in the farm fields here, I tend to run facing the traffic, and often get puzzled views from oncoming drivers swerving to miss me, but I prefer having the opportunity to look into their eyes rather than trusting them blindly to give me appropriately wide berth.
Jimbobla
Friday - February 11th 2022 9:22AM MST
PS Well, Bill H. You didn’t say if you do or don’t walk on gravel roads. I’d like to know if the opinion you express is informed or not. I walk every day, 5.3 miles to be exact, some of the walk on gravel. When on paved roads I follow the common sense rule of against vehicle traffic. When the gravel is not dusty I also walk against traffic.. Who I feel sorry for are bicyclists, who travel with traffic.
MBlanc46
Thursday - February 10th 2022 5:47PM MST
PS There are quite a few “rules of the road” sorts of things that I was taught when I was growing up that don’t seem to be observed by younger people. Although it’s probably the case that IQ is declining, I’d guess that my generation and later generations have failed to pass them on.






Moderator
Thursday - February 10th 2022 8:52AM MST
PS: There are exceptions of course, but if you're going to stay on the right, especially out in the country, you'd better have your ears open or be well off the road. Vest or no vest, some drivers won't see you due to their eyes being focused 1 ft away on a piece of glass.

BTW, regarding the "well off the road", there was a windy road in KY that had guardrails on both sides with decent drop-offs after 3 ft. away or so. The problem was the cars couldn't see anything around the curves, but many would belly-out toward the outside of the curves - good if it were a right but not a left - right up to the rail. My only option with no space left would be to vault over the guardrail and stand on the other side till the vehicle passed. I didn't have to, as the drivers I saw WERE looking outside.
Bill H
Thursday - February 10th 2022 8:39AM MST
PS Well, Jimbobla, given a choice between holding my breath for a moment and getting run over by a drunk driving a Ford F-150, I believe I would prefer to hold my breath. Breathing is very difficult when you are dead.
Jimbobla
Thursday - February 10th 2022 8:29AM MST
PS Gravel roads can be dusty when dry. I walk on the upwind side when I don’t want to get choked out, whichever side that is on. I do wear a yellow construction-type vest always. That way anyone who runs me down will probably be charged with murder. Dust, or danger. Health, or mayhem. Which is the wrong side?
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