Safe Running

mfox · South Orange, New Jersey Joined: 19 Dec 2004 Posts: 367

One of my pet peeves is people who run on the wrong side of the road; Right Hand side with vehicular traffic coming up behind them. Most runners "in the know" know that it's safest to run on the Left Hand side of the road. Just like when walking, you should face oncoming traffic so you have a chance to react in the event a car swerves into your path. I've read stores of people running or walknig on the Right Hand side of the road and being hit by mirrors or objects hanging off the side of a car or truck. These people never had a chance to get out of the way because they couldn't see it coming.

When I'm out driving and see someone running ahead of me on the right hand side I want to tell them to cross the street and run safe but I don't. I'm afraid it might come off confrontational or they won't understand what I'm saying, or I might be putting them or myself at risk by slowing down to talk to them. But I also see this happen when I'm out running the roads; I see people running towards me on the same side of the road. I'm still a little reluctant to confront them because it can be difficult to communicate something like this while passing someone and I wouldn't want to interrupt their workout, or mine for that matter, to stop and talk to them. So saying something as we pass might not be an effective way to communcate a delicate issue like that. I'd hate to make anyone mad or embarrased with a suggestion and then have to cross paths with the same person on future runs.

I've concidered printing up business cards with a message explaining how it's much safer to run on the correct side of the road. I could carry them in the pocket of my RaceReady shorts and simply hand it to them as I see them approaching me.

What would you think if someone handed you a card like this while you were running. Would you be receptive to it or would you feel like you're being reprimanded?