Traffic - Pedestrians and crosswalks - What are the laws?
Law Enforcement has recently noticed a problem at intersections as it deals with pedestrians. This is especially true when it comes to children walking to and from school in the morning and afternoon, and also at lunch.
In a recent survey at Washington County Middle Schools, questions about pedestrians crossing the street were posed to the students. They were offered to not only get an idea of the student's knowledge of pedestrian law, but to also educate them so they can be safe while walking to and from school. The questions were: 1. If the "don't walk" sign is flashing, can you still enter the crosswalk? 2. Are pedestrians required to obey the red, yellow, and green traffic signals? 3. If you enter the crosswalk on the yellow traffic light, or flashing "don't walk" sign, do you have the right of way? 4. Is it true a pedestrian cannot receive a ticket if they are in the crosswalk? 5. If a car hits a pedestrian, who is in the crosswalk, is the driver of the car automatically at fault?
The answer to #1 is no, you cannot start to cross if the pedestrian sign is already flashing. The answer to #2 is yes, pedestrians are required to obey the red, yellow, and green traffic lights. The answer for #3 is no, and combines both the previous answers, you do not have the right of way if you enter the crosswalk after the pedestrian signal is flashing or after the light has turned yellow. The answer for #4 is no, a pedestrian can receive a citation if they cross against the either the pedestrian or traffic signal. And finally the answer to #5 is no, the driver of a car has the right of way when the light is green for the direction he is going.
The results of the student knowledge survey were interesting. 94% of the students knew that if the sign was flashing or yellow you could not enter the crosswalk. Only 30% knew that pedestrians had to obey the regular traffic signals. 30% also thought that you could not get a ticket while in a crosswalk. On the last question 43% of the students thought that if a car hit them in a crosswalk the car would be automatically at fault.
In talking with the students about pedestrian law one question came up several times. The students asked "what if you enter the crosswalk legally but you take a long time to cross and it turns red while doing it?" The answer is once you legally enter the crosswalk you have a reasonable amount of time to cross and retain the right of way while doing so, even if the light turns red while you are in the middle. This reasonable amount of time may vary by person depending of whether they are older, handicapped or something else. If, however, you stop to tie your shoe or horseplay in the middle you can receive a citation for obstructing vehicular traffic.
Sergeant David Moss
St. George Police Department
|
