Do you have a teenage boy who attends Avon High School? Does he occasionally walk south on Lovely Street to school in the morning? Would you continue reading this article if I told you I almost killed your son last week as I drove past him one Thursday morning on his way to school?
I drive down Lovely Street on many mornings to bring my fifth grader to Thompson Brook School. My kids and I often joke that, “Lovely Street is not lovely.” In fact, it's more like the Indianapolis 500 during the morning rush hour. I struggle to adhere to the 40 m.p.h. speed limit, with a trail of irritated drivers behind me who would rather travel at 50 (or even 55) m.p.h. during their rushed commute to wherever they need to be in the next two minutes.
Two weeks ago, after that dump of fresh snow had fallen, I was bringing my son to school around 7:45 a.m. I had just passed Yorkshire Drive on the left. At that point, the road curves to the right a bit, before Hollister. As I rounded that curve, I passed a boy who was walking south, towards Hollister. He was walking on my side of the road with his back to me and the rest of the southbound traffic. He wore a grayish blue-patterned sweater and gray-colored pants. In the dim light of a winter morning, he blended quite subtlely into the blurry gray of the snowy wooded area behind him. He wore white earbuds in his ears – I could see the cord traveling from his left ear to the MP3 device he carried in his left pocket.
Because of the recent snowfall, the shoulder of the road was narrower than usual. This boy's path was frightfully close to the cars traveling southbound, at the speed of at least 40 m.p.h., right beside him. As I passed him, I believe my right side-view mirror whizzed within 18 inches of his left shoulder.
He was oblivious, ambling peacefully along Lovely on his way to another school day, listening to his tunes.
I was incredulous at the staggering risk this boy took. Earbuds in, unable to hear the traffic approaching him from behind, walking with his back to the cars traveling 40-50 m.p.h. If he stumbled over a stick, tripped on uneven pavement, or if the driver of a southbound car looked down for a moment to catch a cup of spilling coffee – any of these things could all too easily have lead to death or devastating injury for this boy.
In retrospect, I wish I had turned back and stopped him to ask who his parents were. I should have called them, then and there, and offered him a ride to school. I decided to submit this piece because it's all I can think to do to bring parents' attention to this potentially fatal circumstance.
We parents live in a world in which we're struck breathless by emotionally crushing stories about tragic mass shootings, alcohol-related car accidents, teen suicides, and other horrific twists of fate that we desperately try to prevent in the name of our intense love for our kids.
Sometimes the most imminent dangers to our children are closer to home, and much more likely, than we might ever dare to imagine. Please, PLEASE talk to your children about walking to school safely.
Just plain scary!!! Everyone needs to be more aware. Nancy Usich
The problem is not the teenager walking, which last time I checked is a pretty good way to get around. Obviously, he should be walking on the correct side of the street, but that's not what the problem is. The problem is that cars are driving dangerously fast on Lovely St. More to the point, cars drive dangerously fast throughout Avon. Believe it or not, cyclists and pedestrians have the exact same right to be on the roads as cars. I swear. So, stop blaming this kid for walking. My hope was that there was going to be another paragraph that said "Seeing this kid reminded me that we all need to be more careful when driving." Nope, it's "I can't believe people are raising a child who walks places! I might kill him, because I'm bad at driving."
My son takes the bus every day to school. But on Mondays and Fridays he has a before-school choir practice that begins at 7:30 (school begins at 8:20), and on Thursdays he needs to bring his skis to school, and those are not allowed to go on the bus, so I bring him in with his ski equipment. You are absolutely, right, and I send my children on the bus as often as it is available. Good enough? :)
I totally agree that walking on the wrong side of the road with headphones is a bad idea. No argument from me in that regard. I also think that it's vital to have lights on your bike if you ride at night. However, roads are for everyone and roads are not made inhospitable and dangerous because of a pedestrian on the wrong side of the road. They're dangerous because people drive too fast, too poorly and too distracted.
Jessie Sawyer Editor, Avon Patch
Nowhere in my piece did I imply that this boy was making the roads inhospitable or dangerous. Nor did I state, "I can't believe people are raising a child who walks places! I might kill him, because I'm bad at driving." Nor did I "blame" the kid for walking. You initial interpretations of my piece were completely off-point, and they seemed suspiciously defensive in nature. I hope kids walk carefully and mindfully wherever they go and I hope they all walk MORE. That being said, even with the legal right of way and the right to walk on the road (properly) anywhere they choose, it would be "not smart" (some might even use the word "stupid") to risk one's life just to prove a point. If a child walking to school is struck by a car, his/her parents will not care who was in the right or the wrong. They'll wish they had talked to him/her about the dangers of walking on a road with speeding distracted drivers. And THAT was my point. :)
English isn't your best subject, is it, my friend? :) Stay safe.
If this really is Joey Henneberry, I know. I've met your mom. I'm certainly not calling anyone an idiot, and you are correct about pedestrians having the right of way. But if you are run down, in your "right of way," by a distracted driver, your mother and father will be more devastated than you could possibly imagine. And you will not get to do the great things that are surely in your future - so why risk it? Walking does build character, and it's also great for you. My wish is that you will be mindful, while you're walking, of what's happening around you on the road, and PLEASE be safe. All the best to you and your family.
Safety is owned by all of us! Drive slowly, it's better to get where you're going and be a bit late than to not get there at all. Kids - same goes for you, except it's stay on the very side of the road - don't stop yourself from hearing approaching traffic by listening to music. Better for you, as well, to get where you're going SAFELY, because in the end, no matter whose fault it is, does it matter? Dead or severely injured isn't worth taking the chance.