Taxis Can Kill You

In the last ten days or so, I have seen more taxicabs here in New York City than I ever imagined could exist. Almost nobody in Manhattan owns a car. Generally, we can walk wherever we need to go. When the distance is too far to walk, NYC has a tremendous public transportation system (in the future, I will write of some of our experiences on the subway). For those who want to spend a bit more money on transportations, taxicabs are everywhere. I always knew that NYC was filled with taxis, so that is no surprise. For me the shock is that every time I cross the street, a taxicab comes within inches of taking my life. Only in New York do drivers lack any respect for pedestrians in crosswalks (and the feeling appears mutual).

This afternoon, Wife and I enjoyed a walk through Midtown, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and a handful of other tourist favorites. As always, the streets of New York were packed. As I was walking, I looked onto the street, when a taxi driver realized he was about to miss his turn. As someone who is directionally challenged, I can relate to that. Because of my poor navigation skills, I am extremely familiar with missing my turn and needing to find a place to turn around. Well, this special taxi driver was going straight on Broadway, when he suddenly realized that he meant to turn at the cross street. Unfortunately, he missed his turn. I heard his brakes squeal and I could see him looking at the street—I felt plenty of sympathy for him. Well, this fellow decided to take the lives of hundreds of pedestrians on Broadway into his hands when he slammed on his brakes and did an immediate turn to get onto his street, but unfortunately there was no room…so he made a u-turn onto the sidewalk and then turned onto his street! I see this turn and hysterically turn to Wife, “Did you see that?” I look around expecting everyone else to share in my shock and astonishment—but nobody did. The people who jumped out of the way were continuing on their journey as if nothing happened. Everyone else appeared completely oblivious to what had just occurred.

While that taxi experience was outrageous, it paled in comparison to what we saw a few minutes later. As we walked down 7^th Avenue (the street runs through Times Square), an elderly man was crossing the street at a crosswalk. The gentleman even had a green signal. Suddenly, a taxi raced the crosswalk, missing the pedestrian by mere inches. The old man, irritated by having seen his life pass before his eyes, reached out and pounded his hand onto the trunk of the taxi. The driver slammed on his brakes, rolled down his window, and started cursing at the elderly gentleman. The old man, obviously not one to back away from a challenge, immediately began to yell back. For the next several minutes Wife and I watched as both men yelled, screamed, and cursed at each other. Both thumped their chests as if challenging the other to a fight and threatening to have the other arrested. After a few minutes of yelling, both men continued on their way. I looked around the street, and everybody else continued their business as if nothing abnormal had occurred. Just another normal day in New York.