Op-Ed: Why Did You Make Me Almost Kill You?
by Chaim Gravitzer
It was Friday afternoon at the intersection of Brooklyn Avenue and Montgomery Street—the most dangerous time of the week. The streets were crowded with students and families rushing home for Shabbos. I was driving carefully, within the speed limit, and I had the right of way.
Then a bochur on an e-scooter rode straight into the intersection on a red light—without yielding and without looking.
In one terrifying second, my car almost became the instrument of tragedy.
Baruch Hashem, I swerved and stopped in time. He continued down Brooklyn Avenue without even realizing what had almost happened. But the question still haunts me: why was this allowed to happen?
The Torah commands us, “Venishmartem me’od lenafshoseichem” — guard your lives very carefully. This is not advice. It is a mitzvah. A child or teenager who darts into traffic without looking is not just being reckless; he is violating a Torah obligation to protect life—his own and the driver’s.
And what about the driver? The Torah says, “Lo ta’amod al dam re’echa” — do not stand by while your fellow’s blood is spilled. But what happens when someone forces another Jew into a moment where bloodshed (almost) occurs? R”L
If I had hit him, even accidentally, G-d forbid, my life would never be the same. My wife and children would carry that trauma. My livelihood could be destroyed. I would live forever with the image of a child in front of my car.
Why should my family pay that price because someone did not yield or look?
Why should a careful driver be handed a lifetime of guilt—or worse?
Why should one person’s carelessness endanger two families?
Where are the parents who must teach their children how to cross a street?
Where are the schools that teach Torah but forget to teach safety?
Where is our communal responsibility?
Chazal and the Rambam teach that avoiding danger is part of preserving life itself. This is not modern traffic law—it is halacha. A busy intersection (on a Friday afternoon) is a place of sakana. Treating it casually is not just foolish; it is forbidden.
We cry after tragedies. We say Tehillim. We ask how such things happen. But are we willing to speak before the tragedy?
We teach our children kashrus and Shabbos. Do we teach them to stop, look, and yield?
We teach them not to hurt others. Do we teach them not to place others in impossible situations?
A teenager who rides into traffic is not only risking his own life—he is forcing a driver into a test no human being should face: Will I become responsible for death today?
That is not fair.
That is not normal.
And that is not Torah.
Before the next siren.
Before the next broken family.
Before the next headline.
Let parents, schools, and leaders say this clearly: traffic safety is chinuch. Guarding life is avodas Hashem. Carelessness in the street is not acceptable—it is dangerous and it is forbidden.
No driver should ever have to ask:
Why did you make me almost kill you?
Andrea Karshan
I hate those e-scooters. They ride them on the sidewalk and almost run me over all the time. The people and kids who ride the e-scooters are reckless and expect everyone to move out of their way like they own the sidewalks. One day someone will get seriously hurt if it already hasn’t happened.
Mother
Yes, scooter riders are reckless. Last week, a kid on a scooter whizzed past my very pregnant daughter so fast, without looking, that she had to jump out of the way, slipping on the snow onto steps and had to spend the evening checking herself and her baby out. Kids need to know how to look while they are riding or else they shouldn’t be riding scooters. They can seriously hurt people!!!!
Dashcam
Get a dash cam and there would be no trauma guilt shame or affecting of Parnasa.
You would be able to go back and watch the video and understand that there was nothing to be done, you were simply the victim of a suicide.
Won't help!
Whether you’re at full or not, even with a dash cam, The feeling of taking or injuring human life is still with you.
In pedestrians always have the right-of-way.
Mrs. W
Is a scooter rider considered a “pedestrian”?
But more importantly, I hope many parents are sitting down with their scooter-riding youths and looking them in the eye as they discuss this important article!
This happens
1,000 times a day every single day
Kimball
That doesn’t make it right.
We need to do something to change it.
Crown heights
Has a million more important problems like people smoking cigarettes in 770, crazy mishachistim acting however they want including being violent
in 770, drug addicts are all over the streets and in 770 etc.
That's ridiculous
I hate when people comment that there are worse issues.
This is an issue that must be addressed.
And by the way a pretty important one has people’s lives are at stake.
The mishichistinm aren’t killing anyone (at least not recently) calm down.
Ignorance at its best
Clearly you cannot see the bigger picture.
You are more concerned about feelings and projection than human life.
You should
Have honked your horn really loudly to scare the crap out of him and make him pay attention to where he is going and than yell out the window ” hey watch where the heck your going I almost just hit you”
Good in theory
But in the moment there was absolutely no time.
eli lockshin
yelling at little children wont help and will only scare them
Charlie Kirsch
Eventually, Chas Vesholom, something terrible will happen. People in this community (not exclusively but especially) have a very hard time believing that anything is dangerous can affect them.
“Nah relax smoking is fine”
“I don’t need to exercise or eat healthier”
“I can ride my electric scooter through red lights at 30 mph and nothing will happen”
Apparently we only learn from experience.
Years ago...
Before kids rode scooters in the streets, we rode bikes. We were taught lots of safety rules, including to STOP at every crosswalk and WALK our bikes across the street. We only crossed on a green light. EVERY parent who allows their child to ride a bike or scooter MUST teach them proper safety rules. Safe riding to all!
Thank you!
I couldn’t agree more.
It’s really really dangerous
And btw on the flip side for pedestrians is also very dangerous these scooters or hazardous all around.
They shouldn’t be legal.
Mrs. W
True: yes!
Esther Michael
I agree A 100% what you are saying. The boys schools I feel DO not teach them about SAFETY at all! The need to be taught to be mentchen. There many parents here in Crow Heights are very ignorant of there children. They need to talk to the boys and girls about safety!!
You address a very good point.
I like this perspective, People talk about the kids being injured c”v.
What this doesn’t happen in a vacuum, Through the driver innocent and unfortunately it becomes a victim.
Hopefully this will speak to the parents.
Chaim
%100 percent agree (honestly driving these things even “safely” is dangerous how much more so when people drive them recklessly and think that cars will just always see them and swerve or short stop for them)
Reuvain Stoll
The article asks where is or why doesn’t the parent teach the child to cross an intersection on the scooter safely. This must be a joke. The parent is crossing the street on his phone without looking. Or just crossing at a corner expecting the approaching car or bus to stop. Not a good teacher.
P. McDonald
Bike lanes in Crow Heights the only solution
Zal
What?
How will bike lanes get scooters to stop at a red light?
It can actually make them feel more entitled, and take reds more, since they have a designated space.