Day two of my bid to run every day of 2016 may have been my last had I not practiced extreme defensive running. This was my routine during the 10K scamper down to the beach: Get to crosswalk, wait for walk signal, raise arm to point to where I’m crossing, look over my shoulder to make sure no one’s turning right on a red. I even make eye contact with any driver in proximity to ensure he sees me. And yet with all of that, two motorists — while making eye contact with me and seeming to indicate they would yield to MY RIGHT to cross — actually turned on red lights and sped up through crosswalks, forcing me to leap back. What kind of driver intentionally forces a walker/runner off a crosswalk? Really? Seriously? Today’s run was in Ft Lauderdale, a city full of shuffling retirees for gad sakes. But as is so often the case with drivers who seem enraged by the sight of runners, both offenders were white 50-plus men. Times like this I fantasize about firing a paint gun full of putrid green paint onto the vehicle. Or perhaps it should be blood red.
Welcome to America! Where the car is undisputed king. Not much better in Canada… but somewhat.
What is it with those older men and runners? They’re usually driving a boat, like a Mercury Marquis or Lincoln Town Car. I’ve noticed this particular phenomenon for years while running through my neighborhood.
Can’t we all just get along?
Ah, so I’m not the only one noticing this. And yes, I don’t go out on a run furious at cars so why the other way around? Let’s stay safe.
I hear you. The other day, I was running on the sidewalk past the exit of a bank drive thru. An older woman was pulling out of the drive thru and kept looking to the left for oncoming traffic, but never once looked to the right for pedestrians, so she completely missed me jumping up and down, waving, and yelling at her. She eventually turned right and I’m convinced that she never knew I was there. And don’t even get me started on cars and cyclists…