Open Letter to the Guy in Rochester That I Almost Hit with My Car

To the guy that walked in front of my car in downtown Rochester, Minnesota this morning at 6:47am by the old Porch Fried Chicken restaurant, for the love of all things, PLEASE wear something so I can see you and quit jaywalking. I almost hit you this morning.

You scared the crap out of me and I'm not even sure you are aware of it. Your body just appeared out of nowhere in front of my car as you walked across the road as cars were coming at you in both directions. Thankfully, my brakes work and my car stops automatically when an obstacle is in front of me. Today, that obstacle was you.

Jessica Williams

I know how much Rochester wants to be a pedestrian-friendly city but there are a few things happening that really concern me because unfortunately, this isn't the first time I've seen this happen in downtown Rochester.

Why did I almost hit a pedestrian? Let me count the reasons:

Because it was completely dark,
The guy was dressed in all black,
He walked right out in front of cars by the old Porch Fried Chicken restaurant, which, btw is not a crosswalk.

SbytovaMN ThinkStock

Get OFF your phones. Walking and reading or texting is not ok. Look up. Make eye contact with the driver of the vehicle that is headed your way. (It wasn't the case for this morning but this is especially horrible the closer you get to the Gonda building.)

PinkBadger ThinkStock

Be careful of the newer intersections because although they might seem more pedestrian-friendly, they aren't always vehicle-friendly. In other words, drivers are having a really hard time seeing you so you need to be doing a double-take at those intersections! One intersection for example that is not ideal is by One Discovery Square. I'm there every single day and the way that the cars park away from the curb to allow for the new bike lane and the bushes in the middle, it is extremely hard to see other cars coming and they don't always stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk.

I will give a shoutout to one individual who got it right. I have zero clue who you are but I don't believe you work at the Mayo Clinic because you were walking with a purpose to the Government Center. I know this because you walked in front of my car too but you were the one person that I could see and I actually said out loud, in my car, "It's about time someone did this right!". Thank you for being you and doing all of these safety things today:

You used the crosswalk in front of the Government Center. (Honestly, this is a pretty scary spot to be walking across the road at any time of the day since cars don't always seem to want to halt for pedestrians.)
You wore a reflective vest! Halleluiah, I can SEE you in that bright, florescent yellow piece of fabric. #IAppreciateYou

To everyone else, please follow her lead! If you need help figuring out how to make it so people in cars can see you, I have a few tips for you.

8 Things You Can Wear so People Can See You In The Dark

Please, for the love of all things, get yourself as visible as possible if you are out on the roads when it is slightly dark or completely dark out. If you aren't making yourself seen, you could be putting yourself in serious danger because people driving just can't see you if you blend in to the dark. I know these may not look "cool" or fall into the trendies fitness or fashion trends but wearing one of these items could save your life...and I don't know, but that is pretty much a big deal in my world.

Hilarious R Rated Sign in Home for Sale in Wisconsin

The Most Annoying Intersections in Rochester, Minnesota

There are some spots in Rochester that it's just better to avoid than to drive near it. Below are a few of those spots. Scroll through and see what was picked as the most annoying intersections in Rochester and see how many you agree with.