Conscientious driver slows to 30 km/h in school zone while hitting children with car
“If you simply obey the speed limit, you can plow right through the little tykes and be on your way with plenty of time to spare."
Hey! I’ve used that stock photo before. Not for running down children, but for marketing, which is just as bad.
A few weeks ago, I happened to walk through the street in front of the nearby school as all the parents were dropping off their kids.
And the street looks basically like this:
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|P╎ | |P╎ | [School] |P╎ |
So, one lane where all the cars park (P), one lane of actually driveable street, and then the school on the other side. In effect, after the kids got out of the car, they had to walk across the lane that all the other cars tried to drive through.
And holy fuck, man, my anxiety levels were through the roof, with kids just jollying across, not paying attention, and cars often less than half a meter away, rolling right through them. I would be scared for life that a kid somewhere around my car gets their foot under a wheel.
And then to think that this bedlam happens every morning...
And that's why those "cars" where you can't see what's right in front of your bonnet are insane.
Also being able to control your car is a basic driving skill. My front gate is wide enough for my car but with only about 6 inches left, altogether. Knowing that I can, in fact, go through is one skill. Being able to manœuvre through is anothet. Knowing what speed is appropriate to do it is part of your manoeuvring skill.
All I'm saying is you learn to handle this sort of stuff. But yeah, you do need to learn it and to take it seriously.
Well, my main concern was that a kid trips and falls with one arm under a wheel. Or gets shoved and moves a foot under a wheel. Or, well yeah, that the drivers just don't see when a kid might have fallen in front of their bonnet.
You can't control that. Sure, you can try to go slow and watch the surroundings of your car, but ultimately, the only actually safe strategy is to stop your car until the kids have moved away.
Well, or to let your kids out before turning into that street, which is like thirty meters for them to walk.