A pedestrian in South Kingstown was hit while in the crosswalk. The driver was not charged nor fined. The reason? The sun was in their eyes.
That’s not where this ends, either. A few weeks later, as if to insinuate it was the pedestrian’s fault, they used valuable funds to install the notorious pedestrian flags at the location. There still hasn’t been word on implementing things that work, whether it be safer infrastructure or actually charging people who assault others with a deadly weapon.
Out of frustration, I reached out to their city offices and police department for answers. Interestingly, I did get a response from the Chief of Police, but one where they piled icing on this disaster cake even more. Long story short, not only do they explicitly victim blame, but it does appear that you can essentially do whatever you want with your vehicle if you claim impaired vision from the sun. Of course, this sets a dangerous precedent, though, you can already find a plethora of news articles reporting on drivers who have gotten away with murder while claiming this all too common defense.
It should go without saying: You should not be operating a deadly weapon if your vision is that severely impaired. You need to pull over or, at the bare minimum, greatly reduce your speeds. Even still, you shouldn’t be able to get away scot-free. This whole situation demonstrates yet another example of injustice that frequently occurs when a motorist hits a pedestrian or vulnerable road user. Unfortunately, the town of South Kingstown chooses to stay ignorant.
Email Text:
Good morning,
We have installed pedestrian safety flags at three locations to help pedestrians crossing the street. We believe this visual aid may be helpful at these particular spots. It’s important to note that there is no requirement to use the flags, and there is no penalty for not using them. One of the reasons we installed the flags is due to a recent incident where a young woman was hit by a vehicle while crossing the street in a crosswalk. Sun glare was found to be a contributing factor in the incident, and a flag might have helped alert the driver to the pedestrian. We are not assigning blame, and our goal is to ensure the safety of pedestrians and motorists. This is just one of several safety measures we are exploring. Please feel free to call me to discuss this further or if you would like to share any ideas you may have about increasing safety in our community.
Respectfully
Matthew C. Moynihan
Thanks for your response,
Unfortunately, many experts and advocates of modern urban planning would strongly disagree with what you folks are doing. By implementing this measure, you put the onus on pedestrians, i.e., the victims. If lights, crosswalks, and signage aren’t enough already, do you genuinely believe that flags will help? What if they don’t, what’s next?
My suggestion is to actually address the root of the problem instead of blaming the victim. Car-centric infrastructure coupled with drivers believing they have the right-of-way at all times is causing spikes in pedestrian and bicyclist deaths as of the last several years.
Furthermore, I’m surprised you mentioned “sun glare.” If the sun is as bad as it is, why should someone be operating a deadly weapon? Don’t they have an obligation to pullover or dramatically slow down until it’s safe? Should they be excused of all unlawful behavior?
Regards,
Providence Progressive