From Dennis Potter

Monroe

To the Editor:

As I write this letter: It was yesterday at 4:45 PM, I had just turned east on 9th St. from 13th Ave. It was almost dark already and it was drizzling a light mist. I’d just met 3 cars with their headlights on going west, when immediately behind the third car, I noticed movement of some kind in the left corner of my windshield. I hit the brakes and was stopped in the crosswalk by then, with a man dressed in black and gray clothing with his little dog on a leash, stopped on my left, yelling at me for not stopping for him! I never saw him until he was standing next to my car! I was NOT distracted. With his black and gray clothing, evening darkness, the misty drizzle, and the fact that he came out from behind a car with it’s headlights on, made him almost invisible! He just ‘assumed’ that I saw him!

I retired one year ago from 50 years of truck driving, and I’ve seen a lot! I’ve got more pet peeves than you can shake a stick at, and one at the top of the list is this HUGE percent of people that don’t realize, that if you want drivers to react to you, whether you’re driving OR walking, that you need to BE SEEN! When it’s raining or snowing we dress accordingly, right? Why don’t we do that when we’re walking or biking in the dark? If you want to be seen, you have to bring attention to yourself!

We have a law that says that you HAVE to have your lights on during rain, fog and snow. It’s not so that you can see better, but that others can see you!

Well, the same holds true for walkers.

You can buy bright yellow, reflective vests, and other things at almost any retail store.

Responsibility goes both ways. Why not do all YOU can to be sure that YOU are seen!