I have no clue how much this contributes to accidents, but I'm amazed at how often drivers park straddling crosswalks at red lights and stop signs, sometimes completely clearing the stop line (if there even is one). It seems to be coupled with pedestrians avoiding crosswalks altogether and preferring to cross in between cars, an unquestionably dangerous practice. I'm not sure which of these is the chicken and the egg, but they seem to exist in tandem.
Maybe both these things can be solved by design, but how much of it can't? It seems logical that a metro area that's >95% car-dependent would render those rare interactions with the other <5% as filled with unfamiliarity and unpreparedness. Scarcity has to be a part of the danger.
It also might be worth exploring what contributes to regional differences in driver safety and accident rates, completely apart from driver-pedestrian conflicts. I suspect the South in general is simply on the wrong end of those differences. I do recall one study that showed distracted driving may be a bigger problem in the South.
Southerners, for the most part, are very self absorbed and do not think of their surroundings. And as long as they're in their cars, they're not worrid about anyone outside them. They feel they have the right of way because they're bigger and faster. And that's why the whole rest of the country has nothing but negative opnions of drivers in the south, Florida in particular is viewed as the worse with the dumbest and most blaently in your face aggressive drivers anywhere.
Poor driving and poor pedestrian habits have nothing to do with where you live. The news the other night had Boston as having the worst drivers.
Another news video showed a pedestrian pushing a baby stroller hit by a driver who left the starting gate when the light turned green but could not see the person in the crosswalk because of a large vehicle to their left.
Two mistakes there: 1. The pedestrian appeared to have started to cross the intersection too late and did not pay attention beyond the truck and 2. A quick start by the driver when the light turned green, not taking into account the view to the left was totally blocked by the truck. Another potential but not observable factor might be the signal timing. Not enough grace time on the crosswalk signal. Not enough lag on the green signal. Who knows?
Our nationwide fixation on instant communication has also turned us into an attention deficit population. The old adage of "Can't walk and chew gum at the same time", is a truism when it comes to driving as well as walking when a cell phone is plastered to your ear.
I've driven in and thru many US cities. I've done the slow, I'm almost lost driving trick, making a turn or lane change almost at the same time I flick the turn signal. So have most of us. Quick decision changes will make even the most sedate and safe driver look aggressive or dumb, especially if you are noticed as not keeping up with the regular flow of traffic.
Strange and stupid driving is not limited to the south. A right turn from a left turn lane across two thru lanes of traffic, all the while with the left turn signal blinking is something I've seen both in the northeast and right here in Jacksonville.
