Scared Pedestrian Needs Advice
Hey Folks.
While walking my son, his friend and my toddler to school, a driver suddenly backed out,while we were behind her/his car, the back bumper coming close to son's friend, frightening him and me. My reaction was to stand behind woman's car shout "hey" repeatedly and wave my arms to alert driver that people were behind her/him. I should have gotten out of the road. She stopped and when I was going up to the car, I saw it was another mother, whose kid goes to my son's class. She speeds off like a bat out of hell.
I am very upset that she could have hit a kid. I consider going in to tell the office. Another mother comes up to me and says she heard me and saw "it" and that she was "terrified." I talk to another mother in my son's class, who tells me to talk to the "woman," who must not have seen me. I know the woman has back problems, like I do.
I get home and call, but leave a message on the answering machine, which is the wrong thing to do. I am polite, but tell her that she scared me and the kid and to please look before she pulls out. I also mention how I do this to avoid turning my neck. I fully expect a call and an "I am sorry I scared you. Didn't see you."
Instead she leaves a message saying not to "lecture her" and that her car was nowhere near me, that I was on the opposite side of the street. Now that is a lie or her memory is shit. I now think she saw us and was trying to get us to "hurry up." Perhaps she didn't see us and is embarassed.
I called and left another message, apologizing for my previous message, but saying that I'd be happy to meet tell her in person what I saw.
It is really quite disconcerting. Had I not known her, I would've tried to get a license plate and/or phoned the cops about reckless driving around the school.
I scared a pedestrian once and went back to apologize profusely. I don't get it.
Help. How do I prevent this from turning into a big screaming match with someone who has a ton of Jerry Springer in her and who I don't want on my bad side. I really don't want enemies at that school. This woman bad mouthes all the other moms. She isn't nice once a person's back is turned.
Help. Please. I don't want my kids or any other kids to be terrified of crossing the street.
Lucy
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Comments
I probably would have done the same thing.....stood there and yelled.
But I really don't think it's going to do any good to engage her in any way. She sounds kind of hostile....whether or not she wants to admit it or not, she knows what she did.... especially if she said "you were across the street."
If I were you, just so this doesn't errupt into something ugly, I'd just ignore her when you see her again, but definitely keep your eyes open....and if you ever see her drive in a wreckless manner again, call the cops and give them her license plate number. Good luck !!!!!!
I don't think I would confront her or bother her, she sounds hostile like LBeeeze said. I would write down her license plate number and if it were to happen again, I'd call the police to handle it.
Be careful and Good Luck.
hey folks. I finally got through to the woman and got her apology. She's had a really bad week. So I feel like a master communicator, who turns screaming people into putty somehow. I've done this a few times. Whew...
doesn't mean she won't bad mouth me, but heck, life is too short. It is sunny out and my son is counting to 100 and writing a play for our block party in the summer.
Thanks to all who responded.
Lucy
My husband commutes by motorcycle and he is always almost getting creamed. Funny how drivers get angry at the victims of their inattention. He says someone could kill him and walk away saying "He came out of nowhere." I saw a motorcyclist almost get creamed by a truck. It was the pickup truck driver's fault. All I could do was watch helplessly from the other side of the street.
Do drivers get angry at you for exercising your right to cycle or motorcycle. I've only seen unsafe cycling twice in my life and unsafe motorcycling half a dozen times, but the onus is always on the driver to be more aware. We are in the "deadly" machine afterall. Kids run out in roads too. The cars speed up and down my residential street. It can be scary just walking.
Once in a wealthy area where I used to live, I was walking in a crosswalk and a woman screamed at me to get out of the road. I had to lecture her about crosswalks and pedestrian law. She kept screaming.
What is up with "self importance.?" I think this is part of a larger problem, where people don't feel obligated to the community. Their own microcosm is more important than someone else's life. Along with this is a sense of entitlement. I feel like an alien in my own culture. Always have.
Lucy