A call for ‘Look Where You’re Going Campaign’

Last week, I read with interest a press release from the Town that encourages pedestrians and cyclists to wear bright clothing. This is presumably in response to vehicles colliding with people in crosswalks. While I have nothing against bright clothing, I think this campaign focuses on the wrong people – potential victims of car crashes – rather than the drivers who might run into them. So, as someone who uses all forms of transportation to get around town, I am calling on the Town to add balance with a “Look Where You’re Going Campaign” to educate drivers to look where they’re going. Just two weeks ago, someone almost ran into my family because they were staring to the right rather than directly ahead of their vehicle as they drove through an intersection. I also occasionally encounter vehicles that swerve at the last second as the driver lifts their eyes from their phones, only to find my dog and me walking at the edge of the street. My hazy recollection from driver’s ed is that when we drive, we’re supposed to make sure we can see in the direction we travel. All of us occasionally get distracted by something while driving (I’m a bird guy), but I don’t think the answer is to educate the people I’m about to run over. So I ask the Town to launch a “Look Where You’re Going Campaign” to remind us drivers (since we’re the ones controlling the heavy machinery that can mangle human bodies) to look and make sure we don’t run over people.

Kyle Loring,

Friday Harbor