Afraid to walk through town

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When the cross walk sign was flashing I had the right of way to walk. When I stepped out I had to step back again because a huge SUV came speeding around the corner. It could have hit me if I was a little further out. The driver was crazy to speed that fast through an intersection. Especialy when the walk sign was flashing. This makes me afraid to go walking around town. Ive been worrying alot lately about car accidents or people hitting me at an intersection im trying to cross. I need to go out for excersize though. Dont have a job or car so I need to walk everywhere. Im terrified to get hit. Im gonna look before crossing from now on. But im still terrified to get hit.

Anyone else have to walk around town and is scared to get hit?

Definitely always look without just assuming your right-of-way will be recognized and respected, and yes, I am always on the lookout. I think it also helps to wear clothes that do not easily blend into the background, and then to walk decisively to "claim your space" as you go. For example: I walk with crutches and I sometimes slow down a bit or even stop and look directly at someone approaching to let him or her know there is no point in being aggressive since I have no intention of sharing any space as I continue on my way...but then I also always try to have a secondary route planned for a quick escape from danger if I might need one.

I was wearing dark clothing and didnt look before crossing. Just assumed I had the right of way. Im scared now because the more you walk around town the higher the odds of getting hit. I walk around town every day!

The pedestrian SHOULD have the right-of-way. In some towns, that's the law.

In reality, though, cars and trucks are bullies, and usually demand the "right-of-way."

I would never assume, as a pedestrian, that I have the "right-of-way."

I have a really difficult time navigating intersections sometimes. It can be pretty overwhelming.

Another reason why I welcome autonomous cars. No more irresponsible human drivers.

As a pedestrian, you have the right of way in specific instances, but not all. That doesn't mean that the people in cars get to run over you where you don't have the right of way.

Don't try stepping off the curb in front of a moving vehicle and see if he gets a ticket for killing you -- if the light is green for him, you're out of luck.

I find it hard crossing roads. I look one way, nothing coming - OK so now I look the other way, looks safe. So I decide to go. But sometimes a car will come out of nowhere, a side street or one that was parked has pulled out, and that completely throws me. My brain just seizes up and it's hard to break the decision I made to step out.
I really hate it when there's a car parked with its engine running because you have no idea if they're suddenly going to move. Cars about to back out of their driveways as well, have they seen me or not? Should I stop and wait for them? Often they're just sitting there with the engine running and waiting for their partner to lock the door or something, but I don't know that.
Worst of all is when there's a queue of cars waiting to turn out of a side street that you need to cross, so you have walk inbetween them, but then the front one starts moving and you don't know if the next one is going to try and make a dash for it or wait for you.
If somebody sounds their horn at me I get really angry and it takes me days, weeks to get over it.

It sucks when theyre coming out of a driveway at night and you cant see if they see you.

Yep. It certainly does.

Are you doing better this morning?

On top of the difficulty of navigating intersections, I've also got the beginning of glaucoma. So sometimes I really can't see anything at all. Maybe silhouettes, maybe not. I remember one day last summer while riding my bike around town, I almost got hit twice because I really couldn't tell there was a car approaching the intersection.
Kind of a lot to deal with.

Dude that sounds so dangerouse. I see Im not the only one afraid to go through town.

I've nearly got hit before when crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing. I pressed the button, waited for the little green man to light up, and the approaching cars started slowing down and the bleeper was going (which signals that it's safe to cross), and as I stepped into the road a car came speeding along and almost zoomed through the red light. I had to stop quick, and he stopped too. But he couldn't toot his horn angrily at me because he knew he was in the wrong for either not paying attention to the lights or thinking he had time to speed through without having to stop.

This is where I feel that all cars should be automatic. I'm sure half the time car drivers don't want to stop at pedestrian crossings because they don't want to change down gears then build it up again. In an automatic it takes less effort to slow down and stop.

I hate it when they start driving as soon as your out of their way but not all the way accross. Like they just cant wait the few seconds it takes for a person to be all the way accross.

I have, on occasion, walked diagonally from one corner to the far corner across the busiest intersection in my town including during rush hour.

If you make only right turns or only left turns the whole time, you don't have to cross. But it might get boring. Are there any parks near you, or bus routes to parks near you? Parks are better for walking.