Pedestrian Life

What can be so difficult about being a pedestrian, you may ask? Well, it's an easy way to get killed if you're not careful. See the following tips.

• Remember looking to the right before you cross the road in Australia? That habit may now kill you. Look LEFT first! This is very hard to get used to doing. It's so easy to look right, see nothing coming then start crossing the road and wonder why you're hearing honking horns and screeching tires on your left. Remember, look left, look left, look left.
• You know that right-side of the road thing? Well that applies on the sidewalks/footpaths too! On a busy street or in a shopping mall, you may just get trampled if you don't keep to the right. This rule even applies in supermarkets!

Reader Feedback on this Topic

• We live in Detroit, Michigan, and it seems that wherever you are or no matter how fast you are walking, pedestrians have right of way, they’ll slow down and stop here well before they even think that you are going to cross in front of them. EXCEPT of course for crossing at the traffic lights, in this case it seems it’s every person for themselves, and since mobile telephones are freely used here during driving, many drivers are so busy yakking that they fail to even look and see if there is a pedestrian before accelerating around the corner and nearly over the top of you if you aren’t looking. Oh, and no apologies, it’s your fault, you should have read their mind. - Ruth

  PS I am enjoying read this site – especially the stages of culture shock, that was really good, I’m definitely ensconced in Stage 2 after only 8 weeks of being here.

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