On April 18, 2017, a 44-year-old man was struck and killed while walking across Zuni Rd. SE at Georgia St. SE by a driver going “well above the speed limit,” according to a witness. The driver fled the scene, leaving the following as depicted in the incident crash report: A careful reading of the preliminary… Read More What Are the Limits of “Pedestrian Error”?
The most common complaint/reason/excuse given to explain why those walking our roadways are killed and injured is that these folks are walking “outside the crosswalk.” We very strongly tend to stop looking for explanation when it is discovered that “jaywalking” is involved. We’re done. Reason revealed; end of discussion. This abrupt halt to research and… Read More Why Do People “Jaywalk”?
Caution: Crash report transcript excerpt below is graphic in detail. We tend to prefer our news somewhat like the meat we buy at the grocery. With some exceptions, e.g., gruesome injuries suffered at sporting events, we love vivid details only if cleanly packaged similarly to the pork roast we see at Smith’s or Albertson’s. Neither… Read More The Largely Unseen Humanity in Cases of Roadway Death/Injury
“(Driver) added that he pulled over onto the shoulder immediately and exited his vehicle. He observed the pedestrian with grievous bodily injury and attempted to stop traffic. He then spoke in a shaky, unsettled voice with a long stare that ‘They wouldn’t stop.’ He believed that 10-15 cars struck the pedestrian after his initial impact.”… Read More Meta Post: Refining Better Burque
“LHF” in our blogpost “headline” combines two horrid, horrid tendencies: trite expressions & making everything an acronym. Yes, “LHF” stands for “low-hanging fruit.” How many times have you been at a public meeting or dive bar, BSTWP (Brainstorming Solutions to World Problems), at which somebody will take a global problem, let’s hypothetically call it “bikeways… Read More LHF: Connecting Washington SE to Zuni/Lead/Coal
Better Burque knows some readers have grown a bit tired of our monthly looks at pedestrian fatalities statistics via UNM Traffic Research Unit. Well, if you’re tired of looking at them, how about we work together to truly do something about it other than simply blaming those killed? How about we actually address acknowledged, yet… Read More Blah, Blah, Blah: Another Month of Walkers/Cyclists Dying on NM Roads
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