Enjoying some down time. Raining out here today so might as well take it easy. Took care of a few outside things this morning before the rain. Going to get a light workout in later in the basement. Hopefully tomorrow will be better out there.
The driver of the bus was not Injured. They hit a pedestrian, in a bus. Of course the driver of the bus was not injured. ****.
Maybe a rather large pedestrian ? Weird things can happen when a driver swerves to try to avoid something in the road. Sometimes as little as a kitten.
True. I wonder if the driver even swerved. But unless the bus crashes, odds are in the driver's favor vs the pedestrian. I went into a thread about this accident, and another pedestrian-vehicle collision (person in hospital but alive last I heard) in the region. More snowflakes on that NL page than I'd care to realize. One of those accidents, someone was walking in a 50 mph section of main road/highway between two communities of no more than about 1,000 people each. The other (the bus), a populated but rural main road. And people are complaining that we don't have enough safe pedestrian walkways, and that the city doesn't look after sidewalks like they should (which, they don't. That much is true, but you can't expect proper sidewalks in tiny rural communities, especially unpopulated sections of highway). And next thing they're griping about the size of big pickups and suvs (which one person says people don't need, meanwhile stating they live in a suburb which is full of big expensive houses that noone should need), and how they're dangerous because you can't see a small person over the hood. Guess we'll have to get rid of the semis and other big trucks that bring our essentials to the shelves, what with their dangerous blind spots. Another post complained about people bringing their kids to school in big pickups that they can't see (pay attention) over the hood of, meanwhile several school busses are lined up dwarfing said pickup. It's sad, but most "accidents" are the result of people not paying attention, and it can be drivers or pedestrians alike. And this is why I normally try to ignore bad news stories....
Interesting that they are worried about people seeing over the hood of large vehicles. I'm assuming that actually means people can't see 3-5' in front of the hood (more for semi's). You don't need to see directly in front of the hood because if the pedestrian is that close - applying brakes at that point ain't doing didley (assuming the vehicle isn't doing anything more than a parking lot crawl anyway). Many newer vehicles come with sensors to help take care of that "issue". Indeed, backup cameras are required in new vehicles as of 2018 in the USA. A quick search says that starting in 2022, most new vehicles have forward collision sensors as standard equipment also. And the other point about "need". That is a very slippery slope for people to use as a talking point. If we are going strictly by need, then food, water, shelter and maybe even added warmth are the only "needs" we have. Everything else is a convenience or a nice to have. Our ancestors lived, and even thrived (as evidenced by our continual spread over the planet) with only those needs met.
they may be talking about parking lots, but still. A little common sense goes a long way. But at road speed....here's to show you that brakes just don't work like magic. And that sometimes, accidents do happen that you can't realistically prevent. I was on my way for materials the other year, going through a small community at the limit of 50 KM/H. A cat darted out under the guard rail, so I slammed the brakes on. That cat escaped, but next thing you know, another cat darted out from under the guard rail, so close I was lucky I could tell what it was. I already had the brakes slammed on, but car kept moving and over the cat. I saw the cat run away in the rear view, and then drove back and forth that road (and the other road in the direction cat had come from) but no sign. I can only hope the car had slowed enough that cat wasn't seriously hurt, and found their way home, if they had one. But, too many, I'm going to say most, collisions are not actually "accidents", they're someone not paying enough attention or being careless. And sometimes, in the case of vehicle - pedestrian collisions, that person is the one on foot. But, I won't dwell on that topic when I can't really do much about it. Regarding need, far more people have actual use for a truck than a mansion. Unless you're someone who routinely has huge numbers of guests, you shouldn't need a big house. Big garage, that's different A hundred years ago, people routinely had 10, sometimes many more, kids and raised them in tiny shacks and salt box houses. Now a lot of people want a mansion for their spouse and maybe 1 or 2 kids. You can tell me it's a free country, and I'll give you the same answer for a big truck. But in an age where everyone is complaining about the cost of living, big fancy houses are still selling. Must cost a fortune to heat. I have recently noticed that many new builds I see are a more modest size, at least out of the city. That's the material price hikes making people think twice about their spending, I imagine. Lumber is almost back to normal for most stuff, but siding, shingles, insulation, etc are still higher and may or may not ever go back down. Not sure about concrete, etc. Right now.
