Tonight, driving home from an all day D&D session with my friends, I almost hit a power wheelchair that I didn't see until almost too late. The chair had NO lights on it, NO reflectors, the person piloting it and the one walking with him were both wearing dark clothing. The chair was in my lane, traveling toward me and it was dark.
The only thing that saved both of us was that I caught a flash of light off the plastic on the chair and instinctively swerved away from it, to the left. I called the police when I got home, about 5 minutes later, and informed them of the near miss. They told me that there is no law that requires wheelchairs to have lights or even reflectors on them. Even BICYCLES have to have lights, for God's sake! So why not these vehicles that transport handicapped people?
The cops said they'd send a car up around the area and try to locate the wheelchair and "talk with the people." I hope they did. I hope they gave them hell for their stupidity. I almost KILLED a man and his escort because of their lunacy!
It has taken the better part of an hour and a half now, for me to calm myself to the point where I can even type and try to sort out this near tragedy. I almost hit a parked car on the OTHER side of the damn street, I swerved so violently! There ARE sidewalks where this happened, and they aren't in such a bad condition that this person had to be in the street.
If I had been the LEAST bit distracted, if there had been a car coming toward me, I'd have had no time and no chance to swerve. Oh, I know. "All's well that ends well." Let me tell you one thing. I am still shaking and trying not to cry.
I plan to write an editorial for the local paper tomorrow, for all the good it will probably do. I have no doubt that it's only a matter of time when someone DOES hit and either kill or seriously hurt, someone in one of those powered chairs. Maybe the law won't punish the driver of the car too severely, but what about that person's conscience? What about the guilt they will no doubt feel? _I_ feel awful and nothing bad happened!
Getting off this soapbox to mount another one tomorrow with my editorial. IF they'll even print it.
Shaken AND stirred,
Catherine Linda Michel
Comments
Activisim is American
If you write some letters to your local politicians, maybe you can change it and perhaps simple things like that are the only things we can change.
Many Blessings
Gwendolyn
I Saw The Same Thing On Friday
Some lady was driving her power chair out on the street with no form of lights,horns or brake lights. It needs to be made clear that those things are not street legal and pose a serious risk to people who drive them on the roadway. I guess cops and municipalities are afraid that AARP will paint them as mean spirited if they try to enforce safe vehicle standards. It is a matter of life and death.
Legalism
I'm pretty sure the police are wrong on this. In most states, the law says that "vehicles" must have warning lights or reflectors. It doesn't enumerate types of vehicles in the blanket charge, though there may be requirements for specific types of vehicles to have specific types of warning lights or reflectors. In some states, even pedestrians are required to carry a light or reflector in some situations.
A wheelchair is a vehicle and though it is exempt from some vehicle regulations it should not be exempt from this one. Write your letter to the editor. And hugs.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
All vehicles
In Houston, where I grew up "all" vehicles, no matter what they are... no engine-go carts even, had to have reflectors at the bare minimum if they traveled on the streets. I think it's kind of obvious why the guy was in a wheelchair to begin with. He's an idiot.
I'm glad that you are okay.
Lili
http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
I'm glad your speedy reflexes
saved the day. In the UK powered wheel chairs/buggies/scooters whatever, are considered vehicles if they can exceed 4mph. In which case they have to display a vehicle excise licence (car tax). I think max speed allowed is 8mph. The bigger ones have lights and reflectors. However, the standard of driving varies from lunatic to sedate - a bit like motorists, some cyclists and many pedestrians. I'm of the opinion that most humans evolved to travel at less than 2mph, because that's about the speed their brains work - they probably aren't really capable of being in charge of a pair of feet. Why is it that they think on a Sunday they can wander down the middle of country roads without checking for other road users. The fact that they can't hear me approach on a bike should mean they are extra vigilant, especially as my latest near miss is on a regular time trial course and those riders are really moving.
Most people are quite resourceful, so why is it that they act like lemmings when they get near a road? I'm sure there's a PhD in that somewhere.
Angharad
Angharad
Does cycling on a time trial course mean you're training for it?
From personal experience I can also add people and their dogs to the list of lunatics. More then often they are out walking their dogs in darkness and along cycle ways *sigh*. Many of them have their dogs attached to those thin retractable ropes which can't be seen by us poor cyclists when they are approaching at a comfortable speed of maybe 26 kph.
As about your question, Angharad, I personally believe a flat road flattens a personal intellect accordingly to the height of the head above road surface.
But with my rare car driving experiences I can't really comment on that.
Saphira
--
>> There is not one truth only out there. <<
--
>> There is not one single truth out there. <<
Look at the cup as being half full
Thanks to your driving skills and being alert there was no accident or loss of life. You responded like you should have and avoided a catastrophe. Then you called the police and reported the gross ignorance of someone who should have known better.
In delaware the Amish have to have lights and reflectors on their buggies. All modes of transportation have to follow the correct paths of motion.
Catherine you did well, you didn't hurt any one and you reported the incident to the police. Not every one would have done that.
Go to your local library and in the reference section will be all of the current laws pertaininng to moving vehicles.
Jill Micayla
May you have a wonderful today and a better tomorrow
Jill Micayla
Be kinder than necessary,Because everyone you meet
Is fighting some kind of battle.
Take a deep breath... and let it out - it's over.
Hey Catherine ~
Definitely send in an editorial - I agree with Erin - I don't know about local ordinances, but I find it difficult to believe that some kind of reflector/lighting system isn't required on a motorized wheelchair.
In Japan, Western Europe, the US, and now the Middle East, I've seen walkers, bikers and drivers of all kind of vehicles seemingly doing their best to get themselves killed by simply not following what I want to call 'common sense' rules, but if life's taught me anything, it's that Voltaire was dead on when he wrote/said,"Common sense is not so common."
As to your lucky non-victims - I think you'd have been a victim, too, by the way, if the worse case scenario playing out in your mind had occurred - exactly why they were on the road under those circumstances is a mystery that you could drive yourself crazy trying to solve, so don't - as Erin's signature reads,"Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact." Assume s/he/they had a good reason for being there under those conditions and let it go -
but definitely write that editorial!
Thanks for being concerned - it shows what kind of person you really are inside.
YW
He conquers who endures. ~ Persius
Talk about a scary experience
I wouldn't want to be in your shoes, or driver's seat for that matter. That must have been terrible. Normally I'd get out of the car and yell their ears off for their impressive lack of common sense, but a near-miss like that would likely leave me shaken.
There's something to be said about this being life's way of keeping humanity's collective IQ from dropping too low, but I'm going to be nice and be glad no one got hurt.
-Christelle
"Fun-loving geek-chick looking for someone who doesn't give a damn about her past"
-Christelle
"Fun-loving geek-chick who's addicted to sunlight!"
Lots of people like that
I think I must have had your experience in the back of my mind when I was driving tonight as I passed a person with a backpack walking home along a dark patch between street lamps. He was on the shoulder with only a white line to protect him but he was wearing dark clothing and a dark backpack, walking in the same direction as I was driving, and with no flashlight to mark he was there. If I had had to swerve even slightly ( say a foot ) I would have hit him.
*sigh*
Kim