When Do Pedestrians Have the Right of Way?

Every day you see people crossing the road and using crosswalks to get to work or students heading to school. Sometimes that may even be you and you, just like thousands of other people, will ask yourself at some point, “What happens if I get hit?” 

Sometimes it is hard to tell if a pedestrian has the right of way or if you do. Everyone wants to avoid an auto accident which could cause serious pain for both parties between physical pain and financial if they have to hire a lawyer. The best way to know who has the right of way is to learn about the laws. Keep reading to learn about when pedestrians have the right of way?

When Pedestrians Have the Right of Way

This may seem simple to you if you are not an avid walker on busy streets. Most people think that if you see a crosswalk then the pedestrian automatically has the right of way. Typically this is the case. Most crosswalks on major intersections will have signs to signal that the pedestrian can walk and in this case, they definitely have the right of way. This applies to cars either turning left or right including a right turn on red. 

The most popular place where there are pedestrians who have the right of way is in parking lots. You will often see crosswalks leading into grocery stores or shopping malls. Many times people will just keep driving through these areas even though the pedestrians have the right of way. 

When Pedestrians Don’t Have the Right of Way

Anyone who drives and at one point took a driver’s education course knows that hitting a pedestrian is a horrible thing especially if they are in a crosswalk. You are also made aware of people who are jaywalking. This is the term used for people who are crossing the road at a place that is not a designated crossing area. 

Crosswalks also don’t mean that the pedestrian can just walk whenever they please. Not all intersections have a handy signal that lets the pedestrians know when they are able to walk. This is especially true for 4-way stops. This is one place that is notorious for auto accidents involving pedestrians. The cars know the rules of a 4-way stop but how does that apply to pedestrians. In short the same way! The pedestrian will assess the way the cars are moving and will walk when it is their turn. 

Don’t Let Crossing the Street Be Stressful

Although you will always wonder “what will happen if I get hit?” You know some basic protocols to follow when walking to your destination. People are human and as long as you are following the right of way rules you will be fine but if you have more questions on what happens if something does happen you can see here to contact a lawyer to ask any other questions you have!