As I weeded my way through traffic at the crosswalk at Walmart today I was reminded of something I learned while in Maine. The state has established a strictly adhered to law which states all traffic is to yield to pedestrians in all cross-walks. Rich's son had been stationed for a while in Brunswick and had told his dad about the law but I don't think it really sunk in until we experienced it for ourselves.
The rule for the pedestrian is simple. It's the 3 W's. Wait, Walk, Wave...
Wait: make sure the driver has seen you and understands the law (unless they're new to town, say like from Texas and hasn't read ALL the warning signs). Walk: make your way across the street. Wave: acknowledge the driver who has obeyed the law and has allowed you to walk across the street.
Once we got the hang of it, Rich and I decided we really liked this law. It seemed to establish a mindset of courtesy for all concerned. It made us more aware of our surroundings (not like we weren't, for heaven's sake...we were in the beautiful state of Maine!), made us more conscientious of people walking, and more so when we were the one's walking and people stopped to let us cross.
I realize this sort of law would not be feasible for say, a city the size of Houston, but wouldn't it be nice. Nice to not only understand and acknowledge cross-walks are supposed to be safe places for people to walk, but to have drivers to stop at cross-walks instead of barreling through them (either unaware or don't care) as some do. And finally the wave. A simple gesture that says "hey, I appreciate it."
The rule for the pedestrian is simple. It's the 3 W's. Wait, Walk, Wave...
Wait: make sure the driver has seen you and understands the law (unless they're new to town, say like from Texas and hasn't read ALL the warning signs). Walk: make your way across the street. Wave: acknowledge the driver who has obeyed the law and has allowed you to walk across the street.
Once we got the hang of it, Rich and I decided we really liked this law. It seemed to establish a mindset of courtesy for all concerned. It made us more aware of our surroundings (not like we weren't, for heaven's sake...we were in the beautiful state of Maine!), made us more conscientious of people walking, and more so when we were the one's walking and people stopped to let us cross.
I realize this sort of law would not be feasible for say, a city the size of Houston, but wouldn't it be nice. Nice to not only understand and acknowledge cross-walks are supposed to be safe places for people to walk, but to have drivers to stop at cross-walks instead of barreling through them (either unaware or don't care) as some do. And finally the wave. A simple gesture that says "hey, I appreciate it."
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