Ok.. Now I Know...

[MalahatTwo7]

(or at least I think I do) How I would react.

I was walking up Pennsylvania Ave, towards 7th, and saw I had a red light. No biggy, because I also saw that the 7th St light had just turned yellow. Great in about 15 seconds (after the advance green arrow) I will get a green too. The lady ahead and the one behind me both stopped at the curb to wait. However, the gentleman (?) to my far left did not even break stride and kept on going.

Not a real problem, except for the THREE cars from the right, moving up 7th. And we all know they AINT gonna stop for a yellow light. As it worked out the two rear most cars turned right, and away from the man, but the lead car came through. He didn't slow down either.

All I could do was stand there and take - or was that hold? - my breath and wait for that ugly wet smack of yet another person becoming an automotive hood ornament. Buddy didn't even blink or slow down when the car entered the intersection and I am willing to bet that he didn't even look before hand. I heard at least one of the ladies gasp too, and she mumbled something I didn't quite hear, but am pretty sure it echoed my thoughts entirely.

People here walk like they drive.... eyes straight ahead and don't slow down for anything......... No wonder there are so many pedestrian related incidents in this area.

[MikeWard]

Nice tease . . .

how far was he thrown?

Did you wait for the woo-woo wagon to arrive?

Mike

[MalahatTwo7]

Fortunately this incident is best termed a "Near Miss". Otherwise I'd still be out on the street explaining to the nice fellow with the stripe down his pant leg about why the pedestrian has a strange looking boot mark in his forehead, that oddly enough matches my shoe size.

{("Here's a kick in the head for being a dork.) Now then, my name is Malahat, I'm an EMT. Can I help you sir?"}

[superchef]

the drivers here get points for every pedestrian they hit. San Francisco has to have the worst drivers on the planet. Red lights mean go faster here. The "no right turn on red light" signs mean nothing to drivers. I'm glad it was a near miss. I have had more than a few near misses when the drivers were just not looking, talking on their cells and in their own little self-absorbed world.

[doughesson]

Hence the bumper sticker on my old truck,"Hang up and Drive!"
People really need to learn that Alexander Graham Bell didn't invent a car and Henry Ford had nothing to do with inventing the phone booth.

[lvwrench]

no words

Words cannot begin to describe how I feel about people who can't walk and chew gum at the same time let alone drive and talk on a cell phone while using both hands to gesture while talking on the phone or the woman trying to apply makeup and do her hair while driving or the old people who think there are lanes just for them on the right side of the roadway where no lane exists or those who have to be ahead of anyone in front of them or those who have to do 80 in traffic moving at 35 or those in the far right or left who want to actually be on the opposite side or those who cannot find the turn signal arm and on and on. The pedestrians here think that any place is a place to cross the road and aren't much more brainier than the drivers. Add bycycles, motorcycles, school buses, truckers etc and it is the usual "cluster f**k" as described by Clint Eastwood. Imagine if everyone were issued a fully armed tank to drive and the pedestrians had RPG's. Whoopee.

[MalahatTwo7]

Imagine if everyone were issued a fully armed tank to drive and the pedestrians had RPG's. Whoopee.

I hear ya there, Brother. A friend sent me a weblink the other day on a place from Texas where you can actually buy used military service vehicles and equipment, which includes armoured cars and tanks....... I looked through there, and after reading your post, got to remembering that movie "Tank" with James Garner and his fully restored Sherman. Some days I wish, but I'd settle for a Ferret Scout car or something similar.

[lvwrench]

MalahatTwo7: Got a friend here in town that sells used British armoured vehicles up to 6 wheeled with the decommisioned weapons still on board or without. He also has the ferets but his has a fully operational Lewis gun. I would even settle for an old deuce and a half with a quad fifty. Remember Water World?

[MalahatTwo7]

Ya, a 2 1/2 would do well enough for my purposes. Scout car for the real boony bashing and the deuce to get it there. Be a great "get-around" car for here too. Real quiet, and those twin .30's mmmmmmmmmm (even if they are disabled) LOL

[voyager9]

I always wanted to mount one of these to the bed of my pickup:


6000 rounds/min of pure commuting goodness..

[cityfire7]

I always wanted to mount one of these to the bed of my pickup:


6000 rounds/min of pure commuting goodness..

Yeah.... R2D2 with an attitude!!!!!!!!

[MalahatTwo7]

heheheeehehee R2D2 with a...oooppss ahem... hobby?. Can't say those words here

In actuality, I used to watch the techs do preventative maintenance on the one we had and part of the checks were to run 150 rounds on a test firing. One time we had dumped a couple barrels of food waste over the side (outside the 200 mile range of course) and a flock of sea gulls was following. You think that thing could find a single one of those darn birds?

NOPE. Nada. Not one. And they didnt even MOVE when it fired!

[voyager9]

You think that thing could find a single one of those darn birds?

NOPE. Nada. Not one. And they didnt even MOVE when it fired!

Oh, It can.. it just doesn't CARE.
1 bird, 10 birds.. whatever. Zzzzzzt... Sharkfood.

[MalahatTwo7]

The point is.... not a single round hit a single dang bird. Not one.

[nyckftbl]

Fortunately this incident is best termed a "Near Miss". Otherwise I'd still be out on the street explaining to the nice fellow with the stripe down his pant leg about why the pedestrian has a strange looking boot mark in his forehead, that oddly enough matches my shoe size.

{("Here's a kick in the head for being a dork.) Now then, my name is Malahat, I'm an EMT. Can I help you sir?"}

Its not a near miss, its a near hit! A hit is a near miss.