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By kilax, December 9, 2009 5:00 am

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.”