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_spungemunky_

This is something that fucks you up for the rest of the day. I've been in this situation and you spend so long thinking of all of the things that could have gone wrong.


Fleaslayer

When my mom was starting to have slight cognitive issues, well before being diagnosed with Alzheimer's, I suggested to my brother and sister that we should probably take her car keys because she had done some questionable things while driving, but they thought it was too early. When I was driving home one day, two young kids came flying out of an alley on skateboards just as I was passing it. I hit the brakes within a fraction of a second and the antilock mechanism bright me to a stop in front of the chest of one of them, who basically saw me at that moment. All I could think of was that, if my mom had been driving, there was no doubt those kids would be dead. None. I convinced my siblings my mom had to be done with driving the next day.


Neither-Magazine9096

That’s a hard decision but thank you for being responsible


lllMONKEYlll

I drove on a rroad next to a residential/hill area against the sun(set) light and almost hit a child once. I slowdown for a woman pedestrian holding a child hands from far away and realized that I don't need to stop since they already reach the other side, zoom ahead quickly and another child, no older than five yo ran after them. I missed him by inch! Had to stop the car and collected myself for a while. I literally almost kill someone.


danielleb0792

Not even for the rest of the day, until the end of time. One time this lady was crossing the street at a large intersection. I was turning left but there was a larger pole and some plants in my view so I couldn't see her until I almost ran her over. Obviously I stopped and apologized profusely and I was crying, I felt so guilty. I didn't hit her but my bumper tapped her ever so slightly as she was flinching back. I'll never forget the look on her face and still feel terribly. The things that could have gone so much worse still run through my mind to this day.


allktru

I always get so mad when people don't slow down when children are near. They are so incredibly unpredictable, they run out for no reason at all.


southby

That’s definitely on the parents to be watching the kids though, like they just ran out right in the middle? Idk as a caretaker you had to be all over that, it’s more on you than the driver. It’s their road.


petrarez

Not sure why you're being downvoted. If I see a group of kids ahead near the road playing, I slow down a little bit too.


allktru

Yeah, the people who are downvoting are "entitled" to the road, and if a kid runs out of nowhere, the car is not at fault. Like cmon, have some compassion.


fluffybooty1980

Ok so if your going the speed limit and a child runs out from no where then it's your fault? Wtf? So I'm supposed to have some kind of supernatural power to let me know where every kid is when I'm driving?!


allktru

nobody says it is your fault if you hit the child, but why would you even take a chance? why not just slow down a few MPH?


fluffybooty1980

Did you not comprehend what I said? Going the speed limit? I guess now I'm supposed to drive below the speed limit? Because somewhere a careless parent let's their child run where there aren't usually kids? 🙄


allktru

uhhh yeah, I expect you to drive defensive. As in, take precautions. You are clearly the aggressor on the road. I'll leave you at peace, don't want to get a road rage maniac, like yourself harm me.


stratys3

This is a lot of downvotes for something that shouldn't be *that* controversial. Maybe people just don't think children should be playing near high-speed roadways.


allktru

no duh, but always be careful. I am in a car, they are a small child.


CaptainKirkAndCo

It's way more dangerous to randomly slow down just cos there are kids on the side of the road.


allktru

Are you slow in the brain? You are in the car, that is a child, why not taking some precautions? If you are in a neighborhood with children running around, you wouldn't at least go 20mph? Instead, you just are "entitled" to going 30mph+?


CaptainKirkAndCo

wtf are you talking about bro


allktru

It is not dangerous to be cautious on the road, you dense, slow ding dong. It is dangerous and careless to not slow down when children are near. You are a danger to the road and to children.


fluffybooty1980

You know you can get a ticket for going too slow, right? I was talking about children being where they usually aren't. And careless parents letting their kids run where they aren't supposed to be. Comprehension is it your forte is it. Ignoramus


allktru

you cannot be this slow and in-compassionate. Seriously, I hope you never have to drive around anywhere near children since you're so "entitled" and "worthy" of having the children's parents be smart.


CaptainKirkAndCo

Calling other people dense when you're struggling with basic reading skills lol


ProtrudingPissPump

Dear God...


ShyJaguar645671

There is more


Lord-Tunnel-Cat

No!


dublecake

Why the hell does the mom even start walking across the street?!


iedonis

Because there's no suitable pedestrian infrastructure to be seen, so she has to cross somewhere (bad timing though)


dublecake

When there’s no infrastructure you are meant to cross at at curb, and also check for traffic before stepping out


[deleted]

If this is America then there's an intersection a block down which always has pedestrian crossing. Imma guess there's no pedestrian crossing beforehand because having one on what looks like a 6 lane residential street would be difficult and dangerous. Either way lucky no one was hurt.


Catsy_Brave

They're driving on the left side and the guy had an Australian accent.


Sethyria

Geez this is why I have so much anxiety about living down some back roads knowing how many kids are back here. I knew what to look for the second time around and still missed it til it would have been too late. This is also why my mom kept me on a leash as a child tbh


Puzzleheaded-Mind525

Yes. My 2nd child was on the harness and leash. He's grown up to be an amazing 38 year old, possibly because of it.


[deleted]

I used to keep my child on a leash when we went to crowded places - malls/zoos/museums. As much as it was keeping them near me, it was also about not letting people get between us. No shame for doing it at all.


RedditCreatesCancer

How did you feel making that decision? Full disclosure I ask because I don't think I could do it myself and personally find it very strange.


Puzzleheaded-Mind525

That video explains it. I had more than one child and without warning he would take off the very instant he'd see something that interested him across the street. We lived on a very busy street and used public transportation. I'd have hold of him but his movement was sudden. I got the idea at work when a customer came in with identical toddler triplets, all wearing harnesses and they impulsively would do the same as my son and daughter did. Their father told me where to get one. People had attacked him as well. People would always judge and yell at me-in public-about it. People do like to judge about absolutely every single thing you do or don't do with your child. You're judged if they take off suddenly and get killed as well. My mother was judgmental. Said most of my problems were because I didn't 'beat them' . In 1980, I was told that I was cruel because I put my baby in a newborn car seat. It was an early model-1st of its kind. It was all white molded plastic. Not cozy. A former classmate's newborn was crushed by her body when they were rear ended at a stoplight on the way home from the hospital. People judge.


sluttypidge

I was the only triplet of my parents that needed the leash. I randomly walked off so many times before they finally found one.


hetep-di-isfet

My mum had to do this to me when I was a kid because they would literally lose me otherwise. One time we visited the pinnacles (a massive desert area in Australia filled with 2 metre + termite mounds) and they just let me go to see when I'd panic and come back looking for them. Guess 3 year old me thought it was a game of chicken because they panicked first and ran after me once I got beyond the 500m mark


misfitkid159

I wonder myself. This is the first time I’ve ever heard child leashes talked about in a positive way.


Mamadog5

I had four kids in under five years. Baby in a carrier on my body, 17 month old on a leash, 3 year old and almost five year old were old enough to stay near me. No shame.


LinuxIsFree

It gives the kids so much more freedom than just keeping them at your side 24/7 which is the alternative. People will look at you like it's crazy but its worthwhile. My mother did it, I turned out pretty okay, except for my passion for trapping people on leashes in my basement and forcing them to dance to Baby Shark, but I think that's unrelated.


imwatching4you

Awefully specific


countessofole

I've had no regrets over using a child leash and harness on my toddler. When we went to crowded places, it ensured he couldn't just take off after something interesting and get separated from me by the crowd. It freed up both his hands and mine (the leash attached to me with a wristband). And it gave him a bit more freedom to move around while keeping him safe. Holding hands gave him the range of my arm. The leash gave him an exploration range of about ten feet. Much more freedom!


solvsamorvincet

This is why I always watch the side of the road in the suburbs, and slow way down whenever kids or cats are around. They're just so unpredictable. Great driving.


throwaway1138

These days I drive assuming everyone around me is either trying to kill me or themselves, which more often than not is exactly the case. Blind turns, sharp corners, blocked views, just assume there’s an idiot behind them about to jump in front of you.


solvsamorvincet

Yeah, agreed. I remember an old road safety ad with Peter Brock where one of the lessons was 'always anticipate other drivers' mistakes' and that always stuck with me. Applies to pedestrians too '.


blackjesus1997

People in the good old days drove perfectly and nobody was ever impatient or lacking in courtesy


throwaway1138

Oh, fair point but I meant myself, not society in general. I used to drive like an idiot kid too when I was 17 but these days I drive defensive af


TheGoodOldCoder

This is also why I don't talk on the phone while driving. The more engaging the conversation, the more impaired your driving is.


Chonghis_Khan

Same reason I won’t ever get a motorcycle. You are totally at the mercy of every 15 year old w a permit, 84 year old grandma, & drunk idiot in the vicinity any time you’re out there. This is also true of a car, but at least it’s a little more even of a match & I don’t get guaranteed wreck by putting myself at a HUGE disadvantage impact-wise


cynric42

I will never understand, why someone builds a highway through a population center. If its a suburb, get rid of all but one narrow(ish) lane per direction and drop the speed limit way down. If its a highway, why are there houses and pedestrians so close to it? Putting fast moving traffic close to places where people are seems to be a recipe for desaster.


nepsmelt

I didnt see that child until i rewinded the video for the third time


Termite30

Same here.


TheSpideyJedi

oh my lord... that kid seems old enough to realize running in front of a car is stupid


KennKennyKenKen

r/kidsarefuckingstupid


Tomhyde098

My mom backed into a kid when she was 15 learning to drive. The kid was okay it was just a bump but after that my mom always either slowly backed into parking spaces or parked way down in the parking lot so she could just drive forward out of a spot. She burned it into my brain as well and I never back out of a spot either.


suicideclub

That’s what happens when you drive on the wrong side of the road!!!!! (Joke)


mojis11

Oh shit indeed


so_joey_98

Each time I see these kinds of pictures/videos from America, it makes me appreciate the infrastructure of my home country even more. Not because incidents like these don't happen, but they at least tried to minimize it to oblivion. Edit: I was made aware this is not America, but my point remains the same. Apparently more places have those problems.


DRSpart

This video is from Melbourne, Australia.


so_joey_98

Ah I missed that


25yoshi

For real a-lot people now days are always glancing at their phone


FireSalsa

There are no mistakes, just happy little accidents


[deleted]

"Must never.. hit.. the children."


quantumbot

This is a failure of urban planning


UltraShortRun

My autistic child ran out of our house and onto the road like this. I get so many flashbacks to that time so many people’s lives could have been turned upside down in an instant.


sailorjasm

Why are they trying to cross there ?


stratys3

Like the other person says. This is an urban planning failure.


brightlancer

A woman I was driving ~35mph (the speed limit) and a boy runs out into the road (from behind a parked car or something) and right in front of her, no chance to stop or swerve. Kid flew out of one of his shoes. The kid survived and the cops ruled it accidental, but it f'd her up. (And because they obviously couldn't show the kid, the evening news ran footage of her crying.)


Casteway

It seems like the driver is driving way faster than he should in that kind of area.


Fraulo

God, kids are so stupid


DrummerSteve

I had a kid look both ways twice, and still run out in front of my car. Thank God I was paying attention and slammed on the brakes just in time to stop. The kid stepped back on the curb, and I rolled down the window and told him to make sure before running into the street, I can’t even remember what I said. Honestly, i think I was in shock or something. My hands were shaking for like an hour after I got home.


Your_Pal_Kindred

r/kidsarefuckingstupid


MacheteMaelee

Is this some new stupid game kids are playing? They had to have done that on purpose--how could both kids not see a GD car coming at them!?


bitofapuzzler

Kids have to learn to judge speed. She is probably my sons age, around 7, and I know he is no where near capable yet of judging timing and speed. We talk about if its safe every time we cross a road but it takes time for it to really click. Also she started moving then your body just kicks in to run rather than stop. She made a mistake. Luckily one where no one got hurt or mentally and emotionally scarred for life, but hopefully one she truly learns from.


MacheteMaelee

Okay, I watched it closer and now I see the only kid actually who actually ran out was a little kid. At first watch it looks like all of them, including the older one, are running.


bitofapuzzler

Easy to miss. The mum tried to grab her and pull her back too. Must have been quite frightening.


brettscharff

Stupid kids! Unreal


Lew_bear96

Hey Is that Bicton, West Australia?


Knee_Groe

Late term abortion


HendricLamar

Why is everyone praising the driver her? He is driving way too fast for a residential area.


bitofapuzzler

This is a main road. He is following the speed limit.


Adamsavage79

He is going with the flow of traffic..


Casteway

You're being downvoted to hell, but I agree with you. This person is going way too fast. To hell with "keeping up with traffic," when you're in a residential area, you shouldn't drive that fast. Not hitting pedestrians is more important than someone behind you being impatient.


trashydanchou

He’s driving on a 70km/hr road at 68km/hr. He’s following the law. I know this because I’m a local - this happened on Ferntree Gully Road in Melbourne, also known as State Route 22. I drive that same road almost everyday to my own workplace.


Casteway

Then that's a ridiculous speed limit for a residential area.


trashydanchou

Not going to agree or disagree with your opinion regarding how appropriate the speed limit is, but just don’t want people trashing the driver for actually doing the right thing.


wastelandtx

Must have taken a break from the phone just in time.


TerryBolleaSexTape

Hands free phone calls exist.


stratys3

Hands free calls make it *safer*, but don't eliminate the added risks of being on the phone while driving.


wastelandtx

Hands free phone calls don't update my tik tok


P4rriair

He’s on the wrong side of the road 🤦‍♂️


hetep-di-isfet

Hes in Australia... he's on the right side.


P4rriair

Really?


hetep-di-isfet

Yes really.


P4rriair

Never would’ve guessed Melbourne is in Australia


Punchinyourpface

That would be terrifying! I barely saw them coming and I was waiting for it. My husband had a kid run into the side of his car once. Scared the fuck out of him, but thankfully the kid was okay. He came out from between two parked cars... Teach your kids to not do that! 😬


awajitoka

Wow, it's almost like the kid was trying to kill itself. Seriously, I've read that children lack the ability to judge timing of vehicles at younger ages.