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Pedestrian hit in front of Superlake


jrod

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Around 9:30 this morning I was driving west on the carretera and watched a pedestrian with several brightly-colored plastic bags walk slowly across the road between the stop signs at Superlake and Allan Lloyd. He was moving sloooowwwwly, which made him stand out from the many other jaywalkers that have overtaken our streets in recent months. An older white car, moving from west to east, looked to me to be moving equally as slowly...so much so that the driver appeared to be coasting, waiting for the pedestrian to pass. He did not stop; neither did the pedestrian who was hit by the front of the car, tossed into the air, and dropped in front of the car. The driver did stop and several people rushed to the person's aid as I dialed our new 911. It was spitting rain but at that point, no visual obstruction. The road was wet, but not soaked. There was no reason for the driver not to stop; then again, the pedestrian shouldn't have been crossing unsafely, either.As for the rollout of our new 911, my first call rang 30 times. I hung up and redialed; it rang 19 times. The protocols (which differ from the 911 process we know in the US and I have researched extensively for a lesson with my Spanish students) were not followed during my call or report; however, the blue bomberos/ambulancia passed me going west to east when I was at Colón, so the response time didn't seem out of line.

 Unless the driver was medically incapacitated at the time of impact, this incident appeared to be totally avoidable. Several people have been killed crossing the carretera. Personal responsibility is key here: more often than not, pedestrians and drivers alike will not respond as you anticipate. FOLKS--especially Newbies, whether you are walking or driving, you need to take great care when walking between cars, parking, crossing lanes, opening your doors into traffic or executing a turn. It's every person for him/herself and the consequences of your actions can be life-changing.

 

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Yes, no matter WHERE you are from NOB or Europe you have never been exposed to this type of disregard for pedestrians or other vehicles. It really is every man/woman for themselves. There is no such thing as having the right of way, everyone is expected to do their part in avoiding accidents including both parties referred to in the OP.

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It is also a good idea to observe cars backing up in a parking lot and NOT wander slowly behind them. They may or may not see you. I can't begin to count the number of gringos who act like there weren't cars where they came from. Heads up people and don't expect cars to always stop for you. I hope the injured person wasn't hurt too badly.

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Jalisco driver's test:

32.- WHAT PRECAUTIONS ARE REQUIRED BY ANYONE LEAVING STREET PARKING, SHOPPING CENTER, GARAGE, GAS STATION, ETC., ACCORDING TO THE REGULATION?

A] to Yield only to the pedestrians and to be incorporated quickly to the street because has the preference in transit.

B] Yield to pedestrians, and give circulating traffic the right of way.

C] to be Incorporated to regular velocity without importing that oblige al conductive that is crossed to that brake unceremoniously since the regulation gives him the preference in transit.

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They can write all the rules, laws, novenas, chants they want but until the average Mexican decides to incorporate them in their behavior, there ain't no right of way.

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Anyone who quotes rules of the road here in Mexico is someone who's just waiting to get hit by a car/truck...

You only have to watch the traffic on a Sunday evening to see vehicles passing in the bike lane, passing other vehicles that are stopped at a red light....going through the red light...and every other infraction you can think of to pass the vehicle in front of them...

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31 minutes ago, AngusMactavish said:

I was questioning this statement, not the wiseness of defensive walking.

If you're old, injured or otherwise aren't as fast on your feet as a 16 year old kid, you need to wait ....and wait...until you can make it across the street with room to spare.  I have to admit this was a factor in choosing to live on the lake side of that highway.  Bear in mind that just becuase the light has turned red doesn't mean the cars willl all stop.

 

 

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32 minutes ago, betty7 said:

why is this behavior going on in the mexican culture? dangerous drivers are from all classes & education levels here. this also goes on in the US, there are a very high number of hispanics arrested. some are drunk some no license (as i see here as well). driving is not considered a serious issue oviously.

The biggest culprits in that area,parking lot and surroundings, are foreigners,are they not? My friend was there on Tuesday and a foreign person backed out without looking and hit his car.

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38 minutes ago, betty7 said:

why is this behavior going on in the mexican culture? dangerous drivers are from all classes & education levels here. this also goes on in the US, there are a very high number of hispanics arrested. some are drunk some no license (as i see here as well). driving is not considered a serious issue oviously.

The stats do not support your views

image.png.2ad950bf5fb2dbf9be212cc34f5d7bff.png

 

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12 minutes ago, ned small said:

The biggest culprits in that area,parking lot and surroundings, are foreigners,are they not? My friend was there on Tuesday and a foreign person backed out without looking and hit his car.

I hope Pedro's car wasn't seriously damaged.

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Um, so this is not the woman who was carrying pozole who dashed out against the red light, right in front of a car who most certainly did not have time to stop, even though he slammed on the brakes on that very wet part of the road? Right there at the lights? Leaving her in as-yet-unknown shape with pozole all over the road? Still being cleaned up at 11 am this morning?

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4 hours ago, AngusMactavish said:

If there is no pedestrian right of way, why are there marked crosswalks?

The crosswalks simply show where it is best for pedestrians to walk.  Otherwise, the two things have no correlation with each other.  There is no pedestrian right of way in Mexico.  What someone may choose to write in a driving test has little to do with traditional, l-o-n-g - standing culture in Mexico.   To do well in Mexico I would suggest deep observation of the culture and practices and knowledge of the language rather than paying attention to things that may look like what you are you used to in the States.

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7 minutes ago, ComputerGuy said:

Um, so this is not the woman who was carrying pozole who dashed out against the red light, right in front of a car who most certainly did not have time to stop, even though he slammed on the brakes on that very wet part of the road? Right there at the lights? Leaving her in as-yet-unknown shape with pozole all over the road? Still being cleaned up at 11 am this morning?

Hmmm.........I was waiting for the other side of the story.

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1 hour ago, ComputerGuy said:

Um, so this is not the woman who was carrying pozole who dashed out against the red light, right in front of a car who most certainly did not have time to stop, even though he slammed on the brakes on that very wet part of the road? Right there at the lights? Leaving her in as-yet-unknown shape with pozole all over the road? Still being cleaned up at 11 am this morning?

Nope; both lights were green and, on thinking back, the whole event took 8-10 seconds (a long time) from visible/able to stop to impact. Nobody dashed anywhere...that's the tragedy....slow walker clearly taking time from one side of the road to the other and slow driver who seemed to just crawl forward till impact. All unnecessary and inexplicable to me.

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I go from Villa Nova to Salvadors every morning between 7:30 and 8 am.  There are always people, dogs, cats, horses, cows etc in the road.  Most make it home alive daily.  It is just remarkable to me.

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Gosh I hope it wasn't Angel, he is what we call the bag, sweater man, older MX gentleman who always carries pink bags around his arms as he collects cans since his mother died. He is a little bit heavy, he is mentally not all there and I have seen him, he just crosses the street after he gets impatient waiting.

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6 hours ago, AngusMactavish said:

Jalisco driver's test:

32.- WHAT PRECAUTIONS ARE REQUIRED BY ANYONE LEAVING STREET PARKING, SHOPPING CENTER, GARAGE, GAS STATION, ETC., ACCORDING TO THE REGULATION?

A] to Yield only to the pedestrians and to be incorporated quickly to the street because has the preference in transit.

B] Yield to pedestrians, and give circulating traffic the right of way.

C] to be Incorporated to regular velocity without importing that oblige al conductive that is crossed to that brake unceremoniously since the regulation gives him the preference in transit.

"WHAT PRECAUTIONS ARE REQUIRED BY ANYONE LEAVING STREET PARKING, SHOPPING CENTER, GARAGE, GAS STATION, ETC., ACCORDING TO THE REGULATION?"

What about driving down a street like the driver who hit the pedestrian?  What you cited are vehicles exiting onto streets.

The pedestrain was not struck in a crosswalk. Even in most crosswalks, one should always be careful.  If you think vehicles are required to brake for you and they will, you are welcome to try it out and then let us know about it.

 

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9 minutes ago, Joco said:

"WHAT PRECAUTIONS ARE REQUIRED BY ANYONE LEAVING STREET PARKING, SHOPPING CENTER, GARAGE, GAS STATION, ETC., ACCORDING TO THE REGULATION?"

What about driving down a street like the driver who hit the pedestrian?  What you cited are vehicles exiting onto streets.

The pedestrain was not struck in a crosswalk. Even in most crosswalks, one should always be careful.  If you think vehicles are required to brake for you and they will, you are welcome to try it out and then let us know about it.

 

I was challenging the statement that there are no pedestrian rights. It is impossible to prove a negative, so I sighted the driver's test where it infers that they may be some. I am not going to comb the driving laws in Spanish. I believe that there may be some. Prove there are none.

I appreciate the advise, folks. I know the customs. 

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