Project a positive image
In the January issue of Runner’s World, there is an article titled “Collision Course,” covering the rules of safety for runners sharing the road with drivers (Side note: do you ever run in the road or on the shoulder? We’ve been sticking to the sidewalks). The article tells some scary stories about runners hit and killed by drivers, talks about the push to get legislation protecting bikers and runners in some states, and gives general tips on how to run and what to wear (to make yourself visible at night).
What interested me were the stories about interactions between runners and drivers (flipping each other off, yelling, one runner jumping on a driver’s car…) and how the magazine recommended runners react to rude drivers (emphasis is mine):
Take the lead in promoting road safety, not road rage. “Always be courteous and follow traffic regulations to encourage a positive image of runners to the nonrunning public,” suggests another Runner’s World survey respondent. “Maybe more people would make more of an effort to avoid us if they weren’t annoyed with us.” Also, acknowledge drivers with a polite wave if they move to the other side of the road for you. They will feel more inclined to do it again for someone else.
I found this interesting because it reminds me so much of tips I have read for vegetarian/vegan etiquette. The idea is, that whether you like it or not, you are representing the vegetarian/vegan group by the way you act in group dining situations (or in any situation, really). So, project a positive image – don’t preach, be enthusiastic about the variety of your diet, don’t act like you are deprived, offer to share foods, don’t make comments about meat (in hope that the omnivores won’t make comments to you).*
It’s common sense, but hard to follow when someone riles you up – whether when you’re running, about running, when you’re eating, talking about eating, or really, with ANYTHING. As much as we hate stereotypes and labels, we ALL fit in to some group. Why not always make it our goal to project a positive image? For the betterment of the group? As hard as it is to do, you’ll probably feel better in the long run.
Are you a runner who worries about safety when sharing the road with drivers? Or are you a driver who is annoyed with runners/walkers/bicyclists?
According to the Runner’s World survey, only 12% of respondents said they were “extremely concerned about being in an accident. The article says most people have the “it won’t happen to me” attitude. It is something I do think about every time I go outside for a run on the sidewalks, whether it’s day or night. Even if you are running on the sidewalks, you still have to watch for people backing out of garages, and pulling into driveways quickly, without paying attention.
And I’ve been on the other side too. I used to drive to campus and so many of the bicyclists did not follow traffic rules, making it very frustrating and dangerous to share the road with them. I felt like I had to predict their patterns. One time, a biker was on the sidewalk behind me, then zoomed ahead of me onto the street while I was waiting for a red light, and cut me off right as I took off as the light turned green. Nice. Thank heavens the brakes worked well.
And we have two women who run in the roads in our neighborhood at about 5:00 am, not wearing reflective gear. I think I should share this article with them. Or at least ask them what’s wrong with the sidewalk?
*There’s an great article titled “Compassion Matters” in the November/December issue of Vegetarian Times on “good veg etiquette throughout the season.”
Themocracy
Sidewalks are terrible for running — there are lots of uneven spots that can trip you or collect puddles. Plus, concrete is about 100 times harder on your legs than pavement.
Still, that image says it all. Drivers can’t see you if you have no reflective gear. I always figure they aren’t watching for me anyway andmake sure to watch for them.
Most of the time, I prefer to run on trails or bike paths and stay away from the cars altogether.
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I run in the early mornings when the weather is nice. I’m kind of a pessimist and assume that everyone behind the wheel is a jerk and going to hit me. I wear bright yellow usually light colored shorts. I used to have reflective gear but the reflective stuff fell off. I think the best way to protect yourself is to prepare for the worst. Sorry if that sounds negative, but you never know who’s behind the wheel you know? Great post!
Personally, I can’t imagine running in the street here in the city. There are perils to running anywhere, I guess, but I’ll take uneven sidewalks over unpredictable drivers.
As a runner and as someone who is often in her car commuting, I have been on both sides. As a runner, I try to follow the rules of the road. I try not to jump out into the street if it’s not clear of traffic. I stop at intersections if I don’t have the right of way (and even if I do, I check to make sure they’re clear). I even do this when crossing alleys. When drivers misbehave, I am not beyond yelling at them. They can’t undo what they’ve done to me, but they can be more aware for the next runner.
As a driver, I try to be aware of all traffic, whether it’s cars, bikes or pedestrians. I operate under the assumption pedestrians have the right of way. With that said, if a pedestrian or cyclist, for that matter, isn’t following the rules of the road, I have no problem honking at them. It’s a form of communication drivers don’t use nearly enough. =)
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I am not a runner. I am a cyclist and I worry ALL the time about cars, regardless of time of day it seems like most drivers are not patient with runners/cyclist or walkers. Raymond and I are doing the 180 mile bike ride from Houston to Austin in April, and even though it is an organized ride I hear that there is at least one or two accidents every year…
As a driver I try to be curteous to runners/joggers or bikers..
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I am a driver and I appreciate and respect the runners and bikers. However, especially the bikers< show no regard for the rules of the road. This past biking season I only saw one biker actually stop at a stop sign. I have had bikers not pay attention and almost hit me as I made a right of way turn. A few years ago I saw a biker run a stop sight and get hit by a SUV
I am all for sharing the roads but the rules should be respected by both. The driver is the one who will be the one in trouble if they collide with a biker.
Runners tend to be more aware of their surrounding.
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I run on the road/shoulder when I’m not on running trails, unless the road I’m on is really busy. I have tried running on the sidewalk but if I run on it for more than a couple of miles my legs kill the next day with the harder surface.
I read that article a couple of days ago though and I’m going to buy a headlight or something to wear. I have some reflective gear but probably not as much as I should!
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One of my past Tuesday Tips was on running safety and to watch out for people in driveways. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had to stop and wait on someone to back out of their driveway because they don’t look both ways. They were only looking one way and I was on the other side. When they stopped to switch gears and saw me standing there, most of them jumped in surprise. A lot of them get frustrated with me for waiting on them, nice. I just smile and wave. LOL
I run on the road in my neighborhood, if I go down a busier street then I stay on the sidewalk. Roads are softer than sidewalks and thus easier on my knees. I see a lot of runners out not wearing reflective gear (and it’s so cheap too!) or running on the wrong side of the road. Runners run facing traffic, bikers go with traffic. RoadID has nice reflective stuff including small clip on lights.
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This article is totally for my sister. SHe always runs in the road! I’m going to send her your link–thanks!
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My Monday night running group runs in the street. I don’t love it, but they claim the asphalt is easier on joints than the sidewalk concrete. I also don’t love that some of them are fearless and cross streets when I think the cars are way too close!
I should tell you the story about one time when I was running on the shoulder of a country road and got yelled at by a driver. I just ignored her.
I try my hardest to follow pedestrian “rules” and not run out in front of cars or cross intersections without looking and I try to give runners as much space as possible when I’m driving. I agree that I get irritated at bikers who don’t follow the rules of the road. I have no problem with the ones that are and I give them a wide berth when possible.
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I rarely run on roads. OK, I rarely run, but when I was running more often, it was generally on sidewalks or paths. For a while, I ran on neighborhood roads after it was stressed to me how much better it is for you to run on the asphalt rather than the concrete. It didn’t last.
I bike much more often than I run, and it’s pretty much always on roads. I would think it is much more dangerous than running, as everything is happening faster and you are less able to get out of the way. That being said, it seems about even the number of reports I’ve seen this year of cyclists being killed and people crossing highways on foot being killed (though those were probably not runners and quite possibly drunk).
I think a big issue is that our society has somehow developed an unhealthy disrespect for the danger of automobiles. People (both drivers and pedestrians/cyclists/etc.) don’t seem to be consider the fact that a two ton object is fundamentally unwieldy and doesn’t have to be moving very fast at all to cause serious damage. Add relatively high speeds and all bets are off.
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I really never worry much about safety when running because we tend to run on sidewalks or in the road on very empty roads. I hate running near busy streets so we tend to avoid them. As a driver I definitely worry about hitting a biker, they seem to be everywhere and I never know if I’m supposed to drive slowly behind them and treat them like a slow moving car, or try to go around them.
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Great post Kim!! Interesting stuff.
I am a sidewalk runner and I try to always time my runs so I’m out in daylight. I follow the traffic rules as far as I can–it just feels safer.
As far as when I’m driving, I never have any issues with runners but bicyclists make me nervous. It usually isn’t anything they’re doing wrong, though. I just end up feeling like bicyclists in the bike lane are incredibly vulnerable and it really freaks me out.
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Hm, I should probably invest in some better illumination gear. (Headlamp and reflective strips for early morning runs–if I ever do them again.)
I get annoyed when drivers pull up to a four way stop or the intersection of a one-way road and don’t look the other way. I almost always have to run behind the car to make sure they don’t hit the accelerator while I happen to be in front of their hood. And in this case, I almost always either make a face or say something really…forward like “Thank for stopping, f*cktard.”
Most of all, I try to be active in my own safety since as my dad says, “You can’t trust anyone else in a car.” I run on the sidewalks or in the opposite direction from traffic flow if I venture onto the roads in the winter. I also don’t listen to music, especially if the weather is bad, because I’m paranoid of a car losing control and hitting me while I’m jammin’ away to my iPod. And I always wear my RoadID in case I’m found unconscious in a ditch somewhere.
That was long…
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I’m a driver who worries about hitting runners I can’t see! A couple times my heart has definitely stopped when I suddenly see a runner appear from no where in the pitch black.
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oh man. running at night is NOT cool if you don’t wear reflective shit!
some guy at 5:30 am RUNS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET when i’m driving to the gym. i have to swerve to avoid him because he only wears ONE STRIPE of reflective shit. not cool.
i HATE those gym d-bags that just lean on the squat racks. Uh, are you using that? RIGHT.
no joke, some guy used the station i needed fr like a bit, and i was waiting for him to finish his sets…of HITTING ON THE CHICK ON THE HIP ADDUCTOR MACHINE. sheesh.
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My running coach siad to never assume that a driver sees you. I always stop at intersections to make sure no one is turning. I also wear a shoe I.D. in case the worst would happen and I wasn’t able to communicate.
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I do run on the road (when there are no sidewalks) and I do worry about a car hitting me…so when traffic approaches I try to get off the road. I just got a flasher for when I run in the dark from here on out!!
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Great post! I definitely worry about getting hit by traffic when I run outside. I try to stick to sidewalks, but near my house, there are areas the sidewalk ends. I always wear bright colors and run during the day.
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Wow that is kind of scary. I don’t think I’ve ever run that early in the day before. At least, not out in the road. But the runners hold responsibility for themselves if they’re gonna run in the dark like that!
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Great post. I should think about this more as a runner. If I run outside, it is light out, and I am careful about traffic. But it’s not good to have that “it won’t happen to me” mentality.
As a driver, bicycles make me more nervous than runners. They come up to intersections at faster speeds, so I am afraid they aren’t going to stop. I also worry more about bikes making sudden movements into traffic when riding on the side of the road. I always go well around the bicycle.
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Hi Kim,
That article scared me even more than I already am! I never run in the dark, I am too chicken, afraid of not being able to see where I step but also getting hit. My kids bike to school and I am scared every morning now when they leave in the dark, and pray they make it there safely. I try so hard to get them to wear reflective gear but it is just not COOL. I wear my own fluo vest when I bike the youngest to school in the morning because I know, as a driver, that runners and bikers with Fluo gear are so much more visible. Please, everyone, be CAREFUL! Never assume drivers see you.
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As a driver, the things that bother me the most are runners or cyclists who don’t make sure they can be seen. I don’t know how many times I have come up on someone running or cycling in the dark with black clothing and/or no lights. The next thing is not as common, but it also drives me crazy when they run/cycle down the middle of the lane, particularly at high volume traffic time, and don’t try to move to the side to make it easier to get around them.
I am reallllly careful in the dark – I am scared of cars! I usually just stick to the sidewalk because of it. When its not winter and I can run in daylight we have bike paths that don’t go near cars which is SO nice. Since becoming a runner and with my husband now owning a bike, I really pay attention to people out there on the road.
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I’m going to echo a lot of what other commenters have been saying. It drives me crazy when bikers especially don’t use reflectors. I’d say they’re just as important has helmets. I still clearly remember with horror the time I almost ran into two bikers that were taking up the whole lane riding side by side under a highway underpass. It was dusk and still rush hour traffic. I barely saw them in time, and if I had been distracted for a moment it could have been much worse. They had NO reflectors whatsoever, not even the ones that usually come standard under the back of the seats. It made me wonder if they had removed them on purpose. Cars are required by law to have working lights, why not bikes?
I’m a huge supporter of pedestrian and bikers rights to the road, but these people were being totally reckless about where and when they were choosing to ride, especially when there is an extensive hike and bike trail that snakes through downtown which is totally free of cars, and there are numerous roads in Austin that DO have bike lanes. They seriously didn’t need to be there.
I also empathize with you about the vegetarian/vegan thing. I’m not, but my parents are and I grew up around that way of life. I have respect for other people’s personal eating choices and it always surprises me when others don’t. Whenever my friend Amanda, also a vegan, posts anything vegan related in her FB status, which could be something as innocent as “Made delicious vegan pancakes for breakfast.” she always gets rude/ignorant comments from her so-called friends. She seems to tolerate it, but I find it totally obnoxious!
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I don’t think I have ever been annoyed with a runner while driving, BUT bicyclists have really gotten on my nerves by not obeying traffic rules!
On the other hand I have gotten annoyed with drivers while running when they do not respect cross walks! Makes me crazy and I have been known to yell and/or flip them off!
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I always assume the driver either can’t see me, can see me and doesn’t care, can see me and thinks I’m a game “take out the runner”, or is looking at me and because he/she is looking at me the car swerves towards me. Basically, if I see a car heading toward me, I make NO assumptions that he/she will not try to hit me.
Do I trust people? Doesn’t sound like it does it? I do, but just not when they are behind the wheel.
As for me as a driver, since I started running 6 years ago, my etiquette toward bikers, runners, walkers has completely changed. No matter what kind of rush I’m in, I slow down and try to give them as much space as is reasonably possible.
I wish the driver would realize that if they hit a runner and the hit is fatal, there is NO EXCUSE!
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