"An Open Letter to Those Who Naruto Run in Pedestrian Crossings in BGC."

 "An Open Letter to Those Who Naruto Run in Pedestrian Crossings in BGC."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

Dear People Who Naruto Run Across Pedestrian Crossings,

I have always been acutely aware that there are certain pedestrian crossings where drivers need to slow down, stop, and give pedestrians the right of way.

And then there are the pedestrian crossings where people apparently decide that the proper response to an oncoming vehicle is to Naruto run for their lives.

You know who you are.

If you see a vehicle speeding toward a pedestrian crossing, the natural instinct should be to stop, wait, and let it pass. Unfortunately, some people seem to have a completely different survival strategy: Run across and hope for the best.

Sometimes it works.

The driver sees you from a distance. They slow down. They stop. Everyone gets to wherever they are going.

Congratulations.

But all it takes is one distracted driver. One person looking at their phone. One driver fiddling with the infotainment system. One person who simply doesn't see you in time.

You don't get a second chance to discover whether your strategy was statistically sound.

So please: slow down, stop, look, and listen.

You were probably taught this when you were a child. It remains surprisingly good advice even after you've grown up and started commuting around BGC.

And please understand this: a pedestrian crossing is not a magical force field.

The white stripes painted across the road do not stop a vehicle from moving. They do not create an invisible wall around you. They certainly will not stop an 18-wheeler truck from turning you into the least successful pedestrian of the day if you happen to run directly into its path.

And then there is the other behavior I genuinely don't understand:

Why do you start running the moment one car stops?

One vehicle has stopped.

Wonderful.

But you are not crossing a single-lane road.

There are still several other lanes between you and the other side.

Why do you suddenly assume that every vehicle in every other lane has also seen you, stopped for you, and agreed to participate in your carefully choreographed attempt at survival?

BGC has its fair share of kamote riders and drivers who seem to believe traffic rules are merely suggestions. Some will squeeze through gaps, accelerate when they shouldn't, or come flying through a lane that you thought was clear.

And when you are already running across the road, you have given yourself very little time to react.

I have already seen enough accidents involving pedestrians who took unnecessary risks at crossings.

Another one always seems inevitable.

And I really don't want to see it happen.

So, to everyone who Naruto runs across pedestrian crossings in BGC:

You don't get bonus points for crossing quickly.

You don't have to prove that you can beat traffic.

You don't have to trust that every driver has seen you.

You don't have to sprint simply because one car has stopped.

Just stop.

Look.

Make sure the other lanes are clear.

Then cross.

There is nothing cowardly about waiting a few extra seconds to make sure you get to the other side in one piece.

The goal of a pedestrian crossing is to get you safely across the road—not to determine whether you have the reflexes of an anime protagonist.