A reader sends along the above dashcam footage of him driving along Arcata’s Foster Avenue at night.

YIKES.

For what it’s worth, the reader takes the lion’s share of the blame for this close call. He writes:

This would be my fault based on the fact that I did not slow down while approaching the crosswalk with limited visibility … At the end of the day I’m glad the best case scenario played out, and will continue to reduce my speed in the future at night in this area. 

But our correspondent also notes that he’s sent this footage to the City of Arcata’s planning department in efforts to raise their awareness about the  visibility on this street, and on other streets, in hopes of inspiring some better planning around this.

Most people who walk or drive anywhere in Humboldt have lived through some version of this encounter, either as a pedestrian or a driver or both. (Me: Both, countless times.)

So let’s use this quick bit of footage as a Humboldt County Rorschach test. In this particular instance, who was in the wrong?