If their machines can go faster, they believe, they have the right to go faster. If their machines are bigger, they believe, they have the right to push smaller vehicles aside. Aggressive pedestrians believe in the primacy of the individual, the idea that they are first in any environment, under any circumstance, even when they are afoot in a roaring tide of steel and rubber. And the law, or its lack of enforcement, gives comfort to this foolishness. Yes, aggressive pedestrians play a role in the growing epidemic of red-light running, too.
Traffic lights turn green.
Motorized traffic begins legal movement. Pedestrian traffic continues moving against motorized traffic long after the pedestrians have been signaled to stop. Instead, motorized traffic stops, often in the middle of the intersection. As lights turn from yellow to red, motorists closest to rush through the intersection to avoid contact with oncoming traffic. In 1998, an estimated 5,220 pedestrians died in traffic accidents.