Idiotic Things People Do In New York City #1

Alright, I'll admit, being a college student, I jaywalk fairly frequently. By campus, there never seems to be a crosswalk where I need one (or a sidewalk, for that matter, but that's a different story), and I know if I do walk to one, I'll have two wait a few minutes for the signals to change. I'm not alone in this; most students do it. However, we do it intelligently, watching traffic to ensure cars don't have to brake to avoid hitting us.

The jaywalking I've witnessed in New York... is a different story. There's a line in the movie Elf, where Buddy the Elf says, "Watch out, the yellow ones don't stop!" As much fake as most of the movie is... that line expresses some truth. The taxis don't stop. You don't even have to watch Elf to know that; it's fairly obvious.

Which brings me to Idiotic Things People Do In New York City #1: Jaywalking, in front of taxis, with CHILDREN

I've witnessed this twice. The first time was a few weeks ago. She couldn't wait 20 more seconds for the light to change; no, it was imperative that she and the baby get across the street right then. So off the edge of the curb they went, right in front of a bright yellow taxi. About halfway across the street, she realized there was a taxi swiftly approaching her, so she increased her speed and arrived safely on the other side before the taxi reached the crosswalk.

Jaywalking in front of a car is stupid. Jaywalking in front of a taxi is even more stupid. Jaywalking in front of a taxi while pushing a child in a stroller... are you kidding me?

I witnessed a similar occurrence today while on my lunch break. The crosswalk light was red/orange, but I glanced to my left to see if it was safe to cross anyway—nope, there are a taxi and he seemed to be in a hurry. So I waited. The family opposite me, however, decided to go ahead and cross the street. This family included a fairly small child, probably 5 or 6 years old. I watched as they ambled across the street and the taxi approached the crosswalk with no indication of intent to slow down. I was imagining the graphic video game like explosion of blood and body parts I was about to witness when the taxi arrived at the crosswalk, swerving to the left to avoid actually hitting the family. But really? It's one thing to risk your own life, but don't bring your small child into your stupidity!

There are certain necessary changes one must make to his or her lifestyle when a baby comes into the picture. This is one of them. Parents of New York City... don't jaywalk with your children. Especially not in front of taxis!