Bus blind spots

Day 9: Bus blind spots. Decode the visual and audio cues most New Yorkers miss. Week 2 of the year-long curriculum. Here are the rules for this one. Here's the split-second that matters: a wet sidewalk in Lower Manhattan. The habit you're building is this. Buses have huge blind spots at the front-right wheel, directly behind, and along the entire passenger side. Stay out of all three. Tomorrow, try running this routine on your real commute. Three things to do. Do 1: Cross behind a bus only after it has pulled away from the stop. Do 2: Make eye contact with the driver before crossing in front. Do 3: Step back from the curb when a bus is pulling in. Three things to avoid. Avoid 1: Walking alongside a bus with its right turn signal on. Avoid 2: Crossing in front of a stopped bus you just exited. Avoid 3: Standing in the front-right blind spot at a red light. Why this matters: Bus drivers can't see the corner of the crosswalk where the wheels track during a right turn — that's where most bus-pedestrian fatalities happen. Safe move: Pulling out one earbud as you approach an intersection. Restoring your hearing restores most of your situational awareness. 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. 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: Crossing mid-block in dark clothing at night. You are nearly invisible. Walk to the lit corner and use the signal. 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: Following a runner who crosses against the light. Their gap is not your gap. Decide for yourself at every crossing. 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 a wide avenue without checking the median for turning traffic. Medians hide left-turning cars accelerating across your second half of the 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. Safe move: Walking an extra block to a lit, signaled corner after dark. Lighting plus a signal dramatically cuts your risk at night. Safe move: Pausing audio before stepping into the crosswalk. A second of silence is cheap insurance against the thing you did not see. 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 a full beat after the light changes before stepping off. Late-runners and last-second turners clear the box in that beat. Risky move: Crossing diagonally through an intersection to save time. Diagonal crossings double your exposure to turning vehicles from every direction. 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: Crossing while looking down at your phone. You miss turning vehicles, cyclists, and silent EVs. Heads up for the whole crossing. 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: 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: Using the push button at intersections that have one. It often extends the walk phase — more time to finish the crossing safely. 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. Watch the clip, then decide which of these reads is the safer call for bus blind spots.