Pothole spotting

Day 106: Pothole spotting. Build muscle memory for one specific street scenario. Week 16 of the year-long curriculum. Here are the rules for this one. Drop yourself into this moment: a Long Island City crossing near a truck route. Here's what keeps you out of trouble. Potholes catch toes, ankles, and stroller wheels. Scan the path two strides ahead, especially crossing intersections. Drill it once and you'll catch yourself doing it without thinking. Three things to do. Do 1: Look two strides ahead, not at your feet. Do 2: Step around potholes, not over them — the lip catches toes. Do 3: Use the smoother side of the crosswalk when you have a choice. Three things to avoid. Avoid 1: Walking through a crosswalk with eyes on your phone. Avoid 2: Stepping onto a temporary steel plate at full stride. Avoid 3: Assuming a puddle is shallow. Why this matters: Trip-and-fall injuries in crosswalks are common — and they're worse because they happen with traffic about to move. Risky move: Hopping off the curb to wave down a cab in a moving lane. Drivers behind the cab won't expect a pedestrian in the lane. Wait at the curb. Safe move: Pulling out one earbud as you approach an intersection. Restoring your hearing restores most of your situational awareness. Risky move: Trusting a turn signal as a promise the driver will yield. A blinker shows intent, not yielding. Wait until the vehicle actually slows. Safe move: Standing behind the tactile strip until the train fully stops. Keeps you outside the danger zone for sway, suction, and the platform gap. Risky move: Sprinting across on a solid red hand because traffic looks clear. Turning vehicles and e-bikes appear fast. The signal protects you from things you cannot see. Safe move: Waiting on the curb until the steady white walker appears. Steady walker is your green light. Cross at a normal pace. Risky move: Crossing diagonally through an intersection to save time. Diagonal crossings double your exposure to turning vehicles from every direction. Safe move: Crossing only at the marked crosswalk even if it adds 20 seconds. Drivers expect pedestrians at corners and almost never expect them mid-block. Risky move: Crossing while looking down at your phone. You miss turning vehicles, cyclists, and silent EVs. Heads up for the whole crossing. Safe move: Stepping back when a cyclist rings a bell behind you. A bell is a request for space. Giving it prevents a sudden swerve into traffic. Risky move: Assuming a driver sees you because their headlights are pointed your way. Headlights illuminate the road, not driver attention. Confirm with eye contact. Safe move: Walking an extra block to a lit, signaled corner after dark. Lighting plus a signal dramatically cuts your risk at night. Risky move: Stepping into the street to walk around a construction shed. The shed is narrow for a reason. Stay inside it even if it's slower. Risky move: Stepping off the curb the moment the hand starts flashing. The flashing hand means do not start a new crossing. Wait for the next steady walker. Risky move: Crossing while a delivery e-bike is approaching at speed. E-bikes are faster and quieter than they look. Let them pass first. Safe move: Pausing before a turning SUV until the driver makes eye contact. Confirming the driver sees you is the single best habit at a corner. Risky move: Darting out from between two parked vans. Drivers cannot see you and you cannot see them. Classic dart-out collision. Safe move: Looking both ways on a one-way street every single time. Covers the wrong-way cyclist, scooter, or driver you did not plan for. Risky move: Standing at the edge of the platform with toes over the yellow strip. A bump or a gust from an approaching train can pull you forward. Stay behind the tactile strip. Safe move: Using the push button at intersections that have one. It often extends the walk phase — more time to finish the crossing safely. Watch the clip, then decide which of these reads is the safer call for pothole spotting.