A Dangerous Position

I always stand to Sam's left at an intersection. I  figure this is the more dangerous of our two spots. Too many times, some clown takes the corner next to us, going "right on red" while looking only to their left, never thinking to turn their head and see if , a) there's a walk signal, and, when there is, b) if someone is right in front of them, crossing on the street. 

Take last night, for example. Last night, I nearly got killed on my walk home with Sam. 

Last night, Sam and I, each decked out in our various reflectors, were heading home in the 5:15 P.M. darkness. As we approached a busy intersection, Sam pressed the button for the "Walk" sign --- and we waited.

When the light eventually changed to Walk, Sam and I stepped off the curb - and some low-watt individual comes sailing around the corner on my left, never stopping and presumably, never looking. I jerked to a stop and pulled Sam back - and this moron stopped - barely - ending up about six inches away from me.

I yelled at this idiot while gesturing at the walk sign - and by the time I continued past his car, he rolled down his window and yelled at me (!) for crossing in front of his car (!!!) - and for crossing while the (now-blinking) hand was up on the walk sign (!!!!).

"IT WAS A WALK SIGN!!!" I yelled, jabbing my finger in the direction of the blinking hand. My new friend drove off before I could point out that THE HAND WAS BLINKING because it had just said WALK!

Idiot.

This is (one of) my fear(s) in Sam walking alone. People are crazy. And it's hard nearly impossible for Sam to process a situation like this quickly enough to stay safe. 

The world is a fast moving place. And people are idiots.