Reckless Walking

Use common sense when cars are present

You can look around and see some neighborhoods in the two Texarkanas still sport usable sidewalks. Others have sidewalks that are in dire need of repair. And some offer no walkway other than grass or the road.

But a closer look, even in the areas with sidewalks, shows they are little used. No, the preferred path for pedestrians these days is the street.

And that can be a problem.

We’ve noticed for some time many people in our community have absolutely no common sense when they go out walking.

And it’s not gotten any better.

This is especially, though not exclusively, true when there are two or more walking together.

Instead of walking single file, as close to the curb as possible, the common practice is to walk abreast, no matter how many are in a group.

Sometimes the walkers will move to the side when a car approaches. But just as often they continue as they were, defying the vehicle and driver to do anything but swerve out of the way.

There are even those pedestrians who seem to take great pleasure in forcing drivers to turn into the other lane.

Of course, any responsible motorist will move over to accommodate even the most discourteous walkers.

But it’s beyond foolish for pedestrians to force the issue. All it takes is for a motorist to become distracted — changing the CD player or radio, texting, yacking on a cellphone, fumbling for a dropped object — to end up with tragic results.

Some might think the problem is mainly young people. And we have to admit asking ourselves if parents bother to teach their children anything at all about road safety these days. But we see a lot of adults who don’t seem to have much sense when out walking as well.

Here’s the 411: When a car hits a pedestrian, it is never the pedestrian who gets the better of the situation. And while motorists must watch out for those on foot, walkers should have enough brainpower to walk single file, close to the curb and get out the way when a car comes by.

It may seem cute to force a car to swerve out of the way. But trust us, the view is different from the pavement.