Blinkers for everyone!

I have been saying this for years. Pedestrians should really wear blinkers. As a driver it is so annoying when you are stopped at a 4-way-stop and you already have that awkwardness between you and the other drivers. Is it my turn? You really got here before I did, but you are slacking. It isn’t your turn and you should have made a more complete stop but I’ll let you go anyways. But then add into the mix the unpredictable pedestrian! You suddenly spot them and then a sudden rush of urgency comes over you to hit the gas so you are visibly proceeding through the intersection so they have to stop. Forget “Pedestrians have the right of way!” you have a coffee date to get to! But sometimes they just are too quick and you spend your time stopped trying to calculate their speed with their arm pumping velocity and see if you have to let them go through. After lots of deliberation (seconds actually turn into minutes in this dimension) you let them go because pedestrians do in fact have the right of way. But, what’s this? They are going in a different direction! You lose your turn and have to wait for the next rotation as you curse them in their blue jumpsuit.

Unfortunately, the same thing goes for being the walker. All these cars that are in some sort of groove and you have to stand on the street corner waiting for permission. I also love it when you get into a waving match with the driver saying “You go! No, you! Oh, okay, I’ll go, oh wait you weren’t serious!” Then you get that nervous knot in the pit of your stomach and then look at the ground as you prance from through the crosswalk. (You prance just merely for the fact that you try to make up for some lost time for both you and the driver.) A heavy sigh comes over you when you reach the other curb and try to avoid all eye contact with any car that is in your direction by examining the landscape. Or has this only happened to me?

Well just imagine if people were all to start wearing blinkers. In my head, I see them as small lights attached to your shoulder—maybe they could clip on to your shirt and then you just tap. When you think about all the benefits from this. First it would ease the flow of traffic, especially at schools during drop off hours. Possibly produce fewer accidents. And just basically be safer for pedestrians AND drivers all over. If I don’t have a real job in 4-6 months, I’m going to capitalize on this. But hey, it’s just food for thought.