I’m all for looking out for my fellow man but I also believe that it is important for people to look out for themselves.
I notice a lot lately that people don’t seem to be concerned about this. They are too focused on their smart phones to pay attention to their surroundings or perhaps they are off deep in thought somewhere else.

I am shocked by the numbers of people who walk out in front of cars without even looking into the road to see if there is a vehicle coming towards them. There is an assumption that the driver is looking out for them and will stop because “they see me crossing the street”. Sometimes this happens in the most precarious of situations where it may be difficult for the driver to stop at a moment’s notice.

Basically, people make choices and choices have consequences. If you choose to walk out in front of the car you are betting that the driver: a) sees you, b) decides they have a duty to not hit pedestrians, c) chooses to stop to avoid hitting you. If any of these things do not happen you get hit. You have made the driver to be responsible for making a choice that they have to pay attention for you so that you don’t get hit by a car.

Is this pure selfishness on the part of the pedestrian? Do they figure they are not responsible for their actions and want to shift responsibility and thus the consequences for not taking action on the driver as opposed to taking responsibility for their own actions?

Yes, it may sound minor but if we carry this way of thinking through on more serious issues, like voting, it becomes a bigger problem. We all need to start paying more attention for ourselves.