Forums >Running 101>Do you ALWAYS run against traffic?
Baby bean!
If you run on the sidewalks, do you run against traffic like you do on the road or does it not matter?
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I'm slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter, but I run.
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San Francisco - 7/29/12
Warrior Dash Ohio II - 8/26/12
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I tend to run facing traffic, however, it also depends on the type of road I'm running on and how large/well maintained the sidewalks are. This morning I ran on Peachtree in Atlanta, from Cherokee Plaza to just past Cardiac Hill and back for a 10 mile run (Peachtree Road Race runners know the route). Parts of Peachtree are always under construction with sidewalks being blocked off so sometimes you MUST cross the street and run with the traffic. The sidewalks are better on one side of the street so you do see quite a few runners running with the traffic when they are running strictly on the sidewalk.
I'm not sure there is an actual law on the books in Atlanta or other areas that states runners must run against the traffic. There are jaywalking laws but I don't think I've ever heard of someone whether running or walking being citated for running or walking with the traffic.
under a rock
I found the pedestrian traffic laws for my state, North Carolina. Basically it states that you only have to go against traffic when there are no sidewalks provided. Also its says that if a sidewalk is present it is illegal to use the road.
In our area many roads, if they have sidewalks, only have a sidewalk on one side. Therefore if you are using sidewalks for running there are times where you have to go with the flow of traffic.
rectumdamnnearkilledem
Yes, and so should you. Fairly recently in Toronto a woman was killed by a drunk driver who jumped the curb and ran into her on the sidewalk. This is not to say the outcome would have been different had she been running facing traffic, but it might have been.
Last week I encountered a woman running WITH traffic on the road (55mph, relatively heavy traffic road) while pushing a jogging stroller. I really wanted to say something to her and probably should have. She looked like a pretty seasoned runner and really should have known better, especially while running with her child along. She was creating a potentially extra tragic scenario. Stuff like that gets my hackles up as much as cyclists without helmets.
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay
If you are running on the sidewalk, I don't think it really matters if you run with or against traffic. If you run on the road however, it is better to run against traffic.
Maggie & Molly
"It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop."Wisdom of Confucius
HF 4363
I was running with traffic the other day!... the reason why you ask?...ok I'll tell you.
I was on a gravel road, lots of rolling hills, where on coming traffic cannot see over until it's too late. Also when driving on these roads your natural inclination is to move over to your side of the road when cresting a hill, as you can't see if any other traffic is coming towards you!
So in that situation I'd rather hear and take a quick look behind me, to see whats coming rather than not knowing what's coming over the hill.
But thats the only time i do it.
This is a very good idea. It's important to use more than just your eyes when running. This is one of the reasons I don't listen to music while running. It's more important to me to be aware of my surroundings. Usually you can hear cars coming, unless there is a lot of traffic. In that case, you would probably want to stay off the road anyway.
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It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.
I consider running against traffic to be the most dangerous thing I can possibly do, and I avoid it whenever possible or not horribly inconvenient. When I'm running, the threat doesn't come from cars driving up from behind me or toward me. The threat comes from cars entering the roadway. When a car enters the roadway - from a side street, a parking lot, a driveway, etc. - the driver looks one way: toward oncoming traffic. Since drivers often roll right on into their turn if they don't spot traffic coming toward them, they don't see me if I'm running facing traffic. This is not a hypothetical. At least 3 times a week I have to leap backward or sideways to avoid getting run down. I've never once had to leap sideways to avoid getting run down by a car coming from behind me - not that I'm suggesting no one else has!
I've been hit by a car. I had a teammate hit back in high school. I've watched two pedestrians get plowed over. Even held one girl in my arms while she died. Cradled a biker only a year ago while most of his blood spilled out from gashes in his upper torso. So I understand the dangers of car versus athlete on the road.
The law says I have to run facing the traffic, but it's an unenforced law. And besides, I'd rather make it home alive to my son than pat myself on the back for obeying a law originally written with walkers in mind - not runners (walkers and even joggers rarely find themself mid-air entering the space in front of someone's driveway just as some madmen puts pedal to the metal from 5 yards deep in the driveway to enter the road before the nearest car arrives).
And by the way, I can just imagine what happens when one of those drivers races into the street when a mother is pushing a baby stroller and neither mother nor driver has time to anticipate the other - personally, I think Mom did right by going with the traffic.
My two cents. And I certainly understand that many will disagree with me. Quite a few do - loudly - on the roads every week.