It Could Have Been Me

This was not the type of post I was planning on making this morning, but I awoke to a text from my pal Kristen about what you see in the image above.  You see, the street where this poor man was killed by a hit and run driver is part of the route on my daily walk and Kristen was making sure I was ok.  As soon as she told me where it had happened, I remembered being detoured on my walk last night by police who had blocked off that particular street where the incident happened.  At the time, I had no idea why the street was blocked off.  Now I do.  That could have been me!

I always worry about cars when I walk.  Other than on the two main roads I traverse everyday, there are no sidewalks.  It's a typical residential area for Long Island, but my particular neighborhood sits among these two main roads and is a major cut through for people trying to get from East Patchogue to wherever.  I always say I take my life in my hands when I walk, plainly evidenced by what happened last night.

I have had many close calls on my walks...way too many to count.  I remember a few times having to jump out of the way of a passing car, who's almost always doing 40+ mph on these 30 mph speed limit streets.  I've been splashed on in the rain, sometimes I think on purpose, honked at, and even yelled at simply for walking.  

Perhaps I am putting this on the wrong blog, for my first blog, which still exists, is called Rants, and that's where I am going here...  

People today are, simply put, way too self-involved.  They only seem to pay attention to what's going on in their own world, without regard for others.  That is a general statement that covers just about everything in life where we interact, but it is plainly evident on the roads. I see it everyday when I drive to work and I see it everyday when I walk.  They speed, they're looking at their phones while they drive, don't stop for stop signs, they drive recklessly, and I'm out there, completely vulnerable.

We've all seen in the news lately just how much of a deadly weapon a car can be.  Why do we care more when it's done on purpose than when it's done recklessly?  The results are the same...people die, like the poor man riding his bicycle last night right around the corner from my house.  

All I can say is that I wish people would change some of their habits just a little, become a little more aware of what's around them instead of only paying attention to themselves and their phones, and their time.  I do my best to be noticeable when I walk, especially at night.  I wear bright clothing and I walk as far off to the side as I can.  I always defer to drivers at intersections, putting my head down to my phone so as to make drivers think I am not crossing.  This is simply because I do not trust them.  

Oh, and I carry my wallet with me always when I walk, too.  That in itself speaks volumes, for I know that I could at any time find myself in a situation which that man found himself in last night, and at least I'd want people to know who I was.  Sigh!