I was just about to turn into my neighborhood at the tail end of a 5-mile run around 5:30 this evening. It was just getting dark, and I was wearing running tights with reflective trim on the front and sides, a neon yellow running shirt with reflective trim on the front and back, shoes and gloves both covered with reflective trim, and Knuckle Lights on both hands. (For anyone who hasn't seen Knuckle Lights, they are super-bright LED flashlights that strap to your knuckles and illuminate the ground in front of you but also act as headlights to oncoming traffic. They're pretty awesome.) I was running on the left side of the road facing towards oncoming traffic when a woman driving in the same direction I was running rolled down her window, stuck her head out, and in complete seriousness yelled "you need more light!" I held my hands up and replied "I can't get much brighter than these!" but she was already speeding away and definitely couldn't hear me.
While I appreciate the woman's concern for my well-being, her actions infuriated me the more I thought about it. First of all, I was on the opposite side of the road as her so she was in no danger of coming anywhere near me, and the cars coming towards me could obviously see my lights. Second, I literally don't know how I could've made myself any more visible - I guess maybe a reflective vest? Lastly, and I think most importantly, her actions only made the situation more dangerous. By hanging out the window and addressing me she was clearly taking her focus off of driving, and also distracting me from focusing on the road in front of me and any potential oncoming traffic. Admittedly the whole exchange was over in a few seconds, but that's all it takes to get distracted and make one wrong move into the path of an oncoming car.
Nobody cares more about my personal safety than me, and I found it pretty ridiculous that this woman felt compelled to lecture me when I was doing all the right things. Obviously there's not much I can do about it now but I needed to vent a little.
That's all, carry on.
While I appreciate the woman's concern for my well-being, her actions infuriated me the more I thought about it. First of all, I was on the opposite side of the road as her so she was in no danger of coming anywhere near me, and the cars coming towards me could obviously see my lights. Second, I literally don't know how I could've made myself any more visible - I guess maybe a reflective vest? Lastly, and I think most importantly, her actions only made the situation more dangerous. By hanging out the window and addressing me she was clearly taking her focus off of driving, and also distracting me from focusing on the road in front of me and any potential oncoming traffic. Admittedly the whole exchange was over in a few seconds, but that's all it takes to get distracted and make one wrong move into the path of an oncoming car.
Nobody cares more about my personal safety than me, and I found it pretty ridiculous that this woman felt compelled to lecture me when I was doing all the right things. Obviously there's not much I can do about it now but I needed to vent a little.
That's all, carry on.