Guidance For Walkers That Cross Or Enter Streets

Any walker that gets hit by a car or other vehicle has legal rights.

Walkers belong in the group that is categorized as pedestrians

Some members of that group walk, or run when traveling from place to place. Those within the same group that must rely on a wheelchair use that particular conveyance to travel from one location to the next.

Rules about the right of way for pedestrians

Injury lawyer in Cambridge is aware that a pedestrian has the right of way at any marked or unmarked cross walk. They have the right of way on the sidewalk. Pedestrians do not have the right to walk into the path of a vehicle, or pose as a hazard in a cross walk.

Situations where a walker could be faulted for his or her action

• When jaywalking
• When ignoring a traffic signal
• When walking in a prohibited location, such as on a highway or a bridge
• When stepping into the street, while intoxicated
• If the walker has posed as a hazard

Another situation that might eventually be added to the above list

A situation where the walker’s eyes are not focused on the vehicles in the road, but are focused on some sort of hand-held device. Even walkers can become distracted. That distraction could put the walker in a dangerous setting, if he or she had failed to wear colorful clothing, and had chosen to cross the street during the early morning or late evening hours.

Yet, at this point in time, a motorist could be blamed for failure to notice someone that was walking across the street, while staring at a hand-held device. No motorist should fail to yield the right of way to any walkers, including those that might be staring at a hand held device.

Smart walkers make note of the features at different intersections

Some have lights remain red for an extended amount of time, before showing the lighted image that resembles the image of a foot traveler.

Not all intersections have a cross walk at every corner. Some have a cross walk at only 2 or 3 corners.

A walker’s attention should be paid to any signs that allow or do not allow diagonal crossing. A city would not turn all of its crossings into those that have a diagonal path for pedestrians/walkers.

Once a city has designated one intersection as one that will allow diagonal crossing, it has the right to alter that designation. Consequently, all walkers should pay close attention to the exact nature of the approach that pedestrians have permission to take, after having arrived at any specific intersection, within a given, urban environment.