"I do declare!"

Awareness of place, something critical in life and fiction both.

In a story, understanding where the events are occurring, at what time, when in relation to one another, and under what circumstances and conditions is important in fully understanding and appreciating that literary work.
In life, one has to be aware of the same, whether socially, physically, emotionally, or mentally. In fact, not noticing the physical place can potentially get you KILLED!

One such place? The clearly marked zones outside Lougheed Station where buses (such as the 97 B-Line) stop to drop off passengers outside the loop. Angry horn bleats, and on occasion waved fists and words, follow these moments of spatial unawareness by automobile drivers (stopping to drop off, pick up, or wait for a pedestrian), as two objects cannot (or at least shouldn't try to) occupy the same space at once.

Another such place? The yellow zones on Skytrain stations next to the tracks. Admittedly those areas are likely larger than necessary as an insurance measure for Translink, but far too many people stand within it, or worse stand there with small children. Some of those trains don’t slow down before the station, and are coming in ‘hot’, not to mention the legal/financial danger of stepping onto the tracks (so dangerous because of the legal prosecution threatened by signs, as well as the hefty fines for disrupting service).

Yet another such place? Roads. Buses are large, often fast moving, heavy, dense objects. People are none of the above (though certain individuals can be rather dense). When a strong force meets a weak object…. SPLAT/CRUNCH. Still, there are those who dash across major roads (therefore often transportation arteries along which drive buses) rather than taking a sidewalk, sometimes being less than cautious and just barely squeaking in front of a moving vehicle (I’ve seen some really close calls).

In a literary work, the worst that can happen is one loses out on the delight of reading a novel, or just a part of it.

In life, being unaware of place or time can be anywhere from inconvenient to fatal. So why do people continue to do it?

My only conclusion is that people are silly.