Dark Night!

For the second time in less than a month I have had to apply the brakes when people have stepped out between parked cars, and yes I was well within the speed limit, luckily!

What is worse both times it has been women pushing prams out in front of them, the last one was at night in a not particularly well lit area. The pram was black, not a flash of white blanket or light colour and the woman following it into the flowing traffic was dressed completely in black or very dark clothes. So all that was visible even when she and the pram were in front of me was a dark shadowy silhouette, she didn’t even look right or left but ploughed straight across the road with her head down.

Very young children may be forgiven as they are learning their road safety for an occasional lapse, when something exciting chases across their concentration, but what planet is a parent from who pushes her child’s pram out into traffic. Obviously the safety of the child should be paramount but when people cross the road like this the driver also needs to be considered, if people can’t see the traffic when they come out between parked cars they need to remember drivers can’t see them either and whilst if an accident occurs the pedestrian will likely be more seriously hurt physically, the mental trauma from running someone over, especially a child, even if you are blameless, will last a lifetime.

At the very least be aware of how invisible you are in the dark and wear something light at night. Better still what about fixing reflective strips on prams to give the children a chance to grow up and the poor motorist a bit of warning!