Drivers should not wave through

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
April 28, 2012

A good reason why drivers should not wave pedestrians ahead of them was demonstrated on Friday morning in Huntley, when a 12-year-old boy was crossing Haligus Road near Marlowe Middle School.

According to the Northwest Herald, a driver was stopped northbound in the left-turn lane and waved the boy to cross the street. Presumably, the boy was on the southeast corner of the intersection and waiting to cross in the crosswalk. The unnamed driver waved at the boy to cross, and he apparently walked out in front of a northbound car in the through lane.

Looking at the intersection of Haligus Road and Scott Drive on Google Maps, it looks to me like the northbound driver, Nicole Tims, should have seen him. There is probably a school zone speed limit there, and signs would alert drivers to the school zone and the school.

If the boy was at the crosswalk, why didn't Tims slow and yield the right of way? And why didn't Huntley Police ticket her for failing to yield to a pedestrian?

Hitting a student in a school zone is a huge driving error. Sure, the northbound driver turning left should not have waved the boy to cross. And the boy should have looked carefully and not tried to cross in front of approaching traffic. Tims' car didn't come "out of nowhere."

The Northwest Herald did not allow comments to its article. Comments could result in increased awareness by drivers.

Have you ever waved a pedestrian or another driver to "go ahead", only to see that person almost involved in a crash?