Sometimes you’ve got to wonder about New Yorkers, such as when they will ingly put their lives — and the lives of others — at risk by jaywalking.
It’s a foolish practice.
And it needs to stop.
On Monday, Lolaa Alrashied barely skirted death when she was hit by a double-decker tour bus after crossing against the light near the UN. Somehow, she appears to have escaped with just broken legs — but others haven’t been so lucky.
For example, Staten Island mother of four Maria Alvarenga died after being struck by a speeding driver outside the crosswalk two years ago. Another car recently killed a Queens grandmother; police cited jaywalking in that case, too.
All told, 50 pedestrians lost their lives last year thanks to this risky game, according to city Transportation Department figures. Already this year, 20 more have died.
Folks who dart out in traffic also often spark dangerous traffic accidents involving others. A 47-year-old Brooklyn motorcyclist, for example, was killed in a crash while swerving to avoid a jaywalker two years ago.
So why do New Yorkers do it?
Because they’re in rush?
Because they think it’s their right?
Sorry, but that just doesn’t cut it: Jaywalking is against the law. Period.
Yes, New Yorkers love their freedoms. This is a city, after all, where living in a cardboard box on a sidewalk was once deemed just “an alternative lifestyle.”
“Jaywalking is an urban cultural issue,” one ex-cop familiar with transportation issues told The Post.
Yet pedestrians in other cities respect traffic laws. New Yorkers can, too.
For their sake — as well as everyone else’s — they should start doing just that.