Runner Road Rage
Friday November 7, 2008
In a perfect world, we'd all have nearby trails and parks where we could run for miles without having to worry about cars. Unfortunately, we know that's not the case, so we end up having to share the roads. And it isn't always amicable: A recent article in the New York Times describes some ugly fights between road runners and drivers.
To avoid accidents or close calls when running on the roads, follow these safety guidelines:
- Make sure you're visible. Even when you're running during the day, you should wear white or bright-colored clothes. If you're running in the early morning, night, or dusk, make sure you have reflective gear on. Although some running clothes and shoes already have reflective pieces on them, it doesn't hurt to add more.
- Make eye contact. Remember that many drivers aren't paying attention because they're listening to the radio, talking on their cell phone, or reading a map. Don't assume that drivers can see you or that they'll let you go because you have the right of way. Be sure you make eye contact with drivers at street crossings before you cross.
- Run against traffic. You want to be able to see cars coming at you.
Have any of you ever had problems with drivers while running on the roads? What do you do to stay safe when running on roads? Share your tips and read advice from other runners in our discussion.
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Good tips here, thanks! One of my biggest pet peeves = drivers that treat crosswalks/sidewalks as parking lots. In general, running has made me much more aware of the way I drive. Things that I wouldn’t normally pay attention to are now pretty obvious ‘gotchas’ behind the wheel.
Good points. After having a scary situation with a turning truck on an early morning (dark) run last Sat., I donned my reflective vest that had been gathering moth balls for a while for today’s long run.
I’ve noticed you can now get arm reflectors or lights that are very visible. One of my running mates used one this morning.
Don’t forget headlamps! It may seem/feel a little silly at first, but wearing a headlamp at night (or early morning) is great because it shines a light on anything in front of you, including an on-coming car, and it adds some extra visibility for you when running on side streets or residential sidewalks that may have less street light.
On my favorite run I have two troublesome intersections. The first is a road that connects to the main road and has a left or right turn only, that is the cars can not drive across the main road and must turn. 90 % of the cars are turning right onto the main road. When I run towards the intersection the drivers are usually looking up the road away from me, and if no cars are coming they usually do not stop for the stop sign, let alone look the other way or mind the cross walk. I always look into the cars when I approach and get eye contact, if not I slow down and wait for them to see me, many times the cars at the front do not and I have to go behind them or wait for them to pass through.
The second section is a traffic circle with a cross walk. Same problem, the drivers are never looking the direction I am running. Same thing, get their attention, or wait for them to pass, the difficulty then is that once in the cross walk you have to make sure the cars coming out of the circle see you, since they rarely use their right turn signal when they exit like they are supposed to, you never know if they are coming out or continuing through the circle so you are definately in a tough spot.
When I approach the cross walk I always put out my arm like a turn signal letting the vehicles know I am going into the cross walk, this usually helps the cars that are further away see me and they can slow down appropriately.
The one thing I do all the time is when cars stop for me at cross walks etc I wave to the driver and thank them and never curse the drivers that don’t see you, most of the time they just do not see you. Like the other poster this experience helps me when I drive to watch all around in the intersections and side walks when turning right, we have a lot of runners and bike riders here and respect from both sides really helps.