Splashing pedestrians - relevant etiquette?

[Iris]

It's really miserable weather here today, and it has been raining for a few days. When I was driving along a narrow city street just now to my horror a combination of bad timing and a puddle that I didn't see/notice I badly splashed two pedestrians. I know I did because when I looked in the rear vision mirror I could see them in that classic "Oh my Deity! I can't believe that just happened! Argh!" pose. DH very comfortingly let me know that I hit the puddle on the exact wrong angle and made a really BIG wave  I wasn't going fast if that matters.

I considered pulling over to apologise and make sure they were okay, but there was nowhere to safely do so and then it was just too late. So I was wondering what is the etiquette in this situation. If it is safe to pull over should you apologise and maybe offer them a lift somewhere? Is that silly because they may be (justifiably) very angry? Or is it just one of life's unfortunate happenings and you just ignore it?

[cicero]

Or is it just one of life's unfortunate happenings and you just ignore it?

yes. and as a pedestrian - i am very grateful to drivers who are careful but i know that i will sometimes get splashed. no need to stop, offer a lift, etc

[a]

Hmm I wonder if this is something that can vary from country to country - I know of cases where the splashed pedestrian has successfully sued the driver for money for dry cleaning e.g.

In your situation it's a tricky one, but I would definitely have done my best to stop. Were there no roads to turn into quickly? Or if your husband was with you, could he have got out?

Since they can find you based on the number plate it is always best to make sure you make every effort to resolve the situation immediately :-)

[SleepyKitty]

Hmm I wonder if this is something that can vary from country to country - I know of cases where the splashed pedestrian has successfully sued the driver for money for dry cleaning e.g.

This kind of horrifies me. Obviously I would never intentionally splash someone, and I always try to avoid puddles if I see someone walking. However, there are many situations - particularly when it is rainy and possibly slippery or difficult to see - where it would be really unsafe to swerve to avoid a puddle so that the pedestrian doesn't get splashed. Sometimes, if there's a lot of traffic, it's impossible. There are some really big puddles that can form in my region, and trying to avoid them entirely means driving on the wrong side of the road.

I think you should just keep going. There's really nothing you can do once someone has been splashed, and I wouldn't want to offer strangers a ride. It's a shame, and you should try to avoid splashing pedestrians as much as possible, but it's a situation where there are a ton of uncontrollable factors and is just part of life.

[Virg]

a wrote:

"Hmm I wonder if this is something that can vary from country to country - I know of cases where the splashed pedestrian has successfully sued the driver for money for dry cleaning e.g."

I suspect that sort of thing would only get legs if the victim could prove that the splashing was intentional.  For accidental events, that's just how life works.  I'd say that it would only be reasonable to stop if you thought the person was in some distress, such as knocking them over or that sort of thing.  Otherwise, it's just an accident, in many cases it would be dangerous to other drivers to stop, and you could find yourself accosted by the victim if they weren't reasonable.  You should always endeavor not to do it in the first place, but if it happens, just write it off as one of those things that can't be avoided.

Virg

[RingTailedLemur]

a wrote:

"Hmm I wonder if this is something that can vary from country to country - I know of cases where the splashed pedestrian has successfully sued the driver for money for dry cleaning e.g."

I suspect that sort of thing would only get legs if the victim could prove that the splashing was intentional.  For accidental events, that's just how life works.  I'd say that it would only be reasonable to stop if you thought the person was in some distress, such as knocking them over or that sort of thing.  Otherwise, it's just an accident, in many cases it would be dangerous to other drivers to stop, and you could find yourself accosted by the victim if they weren't reasonable.  You should always endeavor not to do it in the first place, but if it happens, just write it off as one of those things that can't be avoided.

Virg

That's exactly why I wouldn't stop.

[Winterlight]

As a frequent pedestrian who has to walk in the rain, I consider it my job to watch out for potential waves. Obviously, drivers should not aim right for the puddle, but sometimes there's no way to evade it/slow down.

[shivering]

Intentional splashing is certainly in poor form, but otherwise I think it's just one of the hazards of walking. I live in a large urban city and I'm both a pedestrian and a driver so I'm often on both sides of the issue. When I'm driving, I try not to splash people, but it's difficult to tell how deep puddles are and as mentioned, between hydroplaning and other traffic, it can be more dangerous to brake or swerve.

I don't think it's necessary to stop and apologize. If I end up at a stop light or something and the person I splashed is right there, I may give them a "I'm so sorry look" but that's it. And it's true, the "victim" may be really upset and I don't want to instigate an altercation.

[Diane AKA Traska]

There's a supermarket near us that has a depressed entrance that time has made even moreso.  M and I refer to it as "The Lakebed".  When it rains, we speculate on the possible existence of an undertow.  And there is NO way to avoid it, if you're leaving the parking lot, you're going to leave a wake.  Luckily, the road it opens onto isn't a frequently traveled one as foot traffic goes, but I think a pedestrian could find themselves about ten feet away after the wave breaks on a really rainy day.

[emwithme]

I was once intentionally splashed by an articulated lorry.  I know it was intentional, I saw the driver, he saw me, he swerved towards the puddle and covered me from head to toe in very dirty puddle water.

I got to work (where, fortunately, I always kept a complete set of clothes*) and rang the company who owned the truck (their name was emblazoned all over the vehicle).  They said that they would speak to the driver, and that they were very sorry.

However, it didn't end there.  I was, at the time, responsible for arranging all deliveries of large quantities (multiple pallets of books) around the country for my employer.  The company who splashed me were one who were aggressively trying to get business from us.  It was a real pleasure to tell them that we would not be using their services - fully backed by my Ops Director - because if they splash me (a random person) deliberately, are they the kind of people we want representing our business?

*my super-smart suit, incase a meeting happened and I wasn't appropriately dressed.

[Minmom3]

Oooooh, that MUST have been a lovely moment.  Did they respond?  Wonder if the driver ever found out he cost his company a goodly sum of ongoing money....

[Outdoor Girl]

There's a supermarket near us that has a depressed entrance that time has made even moreso.  M and I refer to it as "The Lakebed".  When it rains, we speculate on the possible existence of an undertow.  And there is NO way to avoid it, if you're leaving the parking lot, you're going to leave a wake.  Luckily, the road it opens onto isn't a frequently traveled one as foot traffic goes, but I think a pedestrian could find themselves about ten feet away after the wave breaks on a really rainy day.

In my hometown, there is one shopping area that was built on a swamp.  Whenever there is a lot of rain, the parking lot fills up.  We call it Beer Lake, because there is a Beer Store there.  Fortunately, it isn't the kind of area where you would walk store to store; you are usually driving.

[Ceallach]

As the driver, there's nothing you can do.  Yes it would be nice to give an apologetic wave or say "I'm so sorry!", but in reality doing so could be dangerous - you need to focus on driving, and many roads there wouldn't be a safe place to pull over immediately.     As long as you are always being aware of your surroundings and taking care not to splash somebody where it's avoidable, then I think you're fine from an etiquette perspective.   (And obviously it's not always safe to swerve to avoid a puddle! Slowing down is really the best option). 

I have been intentionally splashed.  Or, if it was an accident, then it's the most oblivious and rude driver I've ever seen, and he found it funny.  It was the full-on, classic, movie-style head to toe soaking.  When I was walking along the footpath, not even very close to the road (e.g. on the far side).   On my birthday.  When I was already running late to work.  In retrospect it's funny, but it sure wasn't at the time - I stunk of street water all day! 

[a]

Hmm I wonder if this is something that can vary from country to country - I know of cases where the splashed pedestrian has successfully sued the driver for money for dry cleaning e.g.

This kind of horrifies me. Obviously I would never intentionally splash someone, and I always try to avoid puddles if I see someone walking. However, there are many situations - particularly when it is rainy and possibly slippery or difficult to see - where it would be really unsafe to swerve to avoid a puddle so that the pedestrian doesn't get splashed. Sometimes, if there's a lot of traffic, it's impossible. There are some really big puddles that can form in my region, and trying to avoid them entirely means driving on the wrong side of the road.

I see what you mean, but when I learnt to drive I was taught that it is my responsibilty to ensure that I did not splash pedestrians, ie I should not be driving at a speed that would make it impossible to not spray pedestrians. The UK Highway Code e.g. states that

227
Wet weather. In wet weather, stopping distances will be at least double those required for stopping on dry roads (see Rule 126). This is because your tyres have less grip on the road. In wet weather you should keep well back from the vehicle in front. This will increase your ability to see and plan ahead if the steering becomes unresponsive, it probably means that water is preventing the tyres from gripping the road. Ease off the accelerator and slow down gradually
the rain and spray from vehicles may make it difficult to see and be seen
take extra care around pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and horse riders

So my reading of that would be that the driver is responsible to ensure that he does not find himself in a situation where he is unable to prevent spraying pedestrians.

I'm not saying that this would be easy (I can see long caravans of angry drivers...) but there are many things people do that they should not be doing ;-)

[Diane AKA Traska]

Hmm I wonder if this is something that can vary from country to country - I know of cases where the splashed pedestrian has successfully sued the driver for money for dry cleaning e.g.

This kind of horrifies me. Obviously I would never intentionally splash someone, and I always try to avoid puddles if I see someone walking. However, there are many situations - particularly when it is rainy and possibly slippery or difficult to see - where it would be really unsafe to swerve to avoid a puddle so that the pedestrian doesn't get splashed. Sometimes, if there's a lot of traffic, it's impossible. There are some really big puddles that can form in my region, and trying to avoid them entirely means driving on the wrong side of the road.

I see what you mean, but when I learnt to drive I was taught that it is my responsibilty to ensure that I did not splash pedestrians, ie I should not be driving at a speed that would make it impossible to not spray pedestrians. The UK Highway Code e.g. states that

227
Wet weather. In wet weather, stopping distances will be at least double those required for stopping on dry roads (see Rule 126). This is because your tyres have less grip on the road. In wet weather you should keep well back from the vehicle in front. This will increase your ability to see and plan ahead if the steering becomes unresponsive, it probably means that water is preventing the tyres from gripping the road. Ease off the accelerator and slow down gradually
the rain and spray from vehicles may make it difficult to see and be seen
take extra care around pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and horse riders

So my reading of that would be that the driver is responsible to ensure that he does not find himself in a situation where he is unable to prevent spraying pedestrians.

I'm not saying that this would be easy (I can see long caravans of angry drivers...) but there are many things people do that they should not be doing ;-)

The problem is also that there's a minimum safe driving speed most times, and slowing down so as not to cause a splash can cause a crash.  Sometimes, there just really is no good option.