How not to get run over

Photo: Contributed - Aaron 007

In Castanet News last week, there was a story about a Surrey family hit by a car while using a newly marked crosswalk. 

Two young children were seriously injured, and while the police did not specify a reason for the incident, the spokesman did say that the family members were not the only people using the crosswalk at the time. 

Cpl. Fedirchuk suggested that both drivers and pedestrians need to pay more attention to each other. This raises the question of whether the family stepped out in front of the car when they should not have, or whether the driver failed to yield to pedestrians in a busy crosswalk. 

Knowing the expectations for both drivers and pedestrians at crosswalks may help to prevent collisions like this in the future.

Crosswalk roulette 

Drivers and cyclists are not required to yield to a pedestrian until the pedestrian physically occupies the crosswalk. That means stepping off the sidewalk, and onto the road. 

It's a lesson from one of my first visits to the courtroom, one that I will not forget. I had written a traffic ticket to a driver for failing to yield to a pedestrian waiting patiently on the sidewalk for her turn to cross. It didn't take the judge long to dismiss the ticket, for want of evidence that the driver had been required to yield.

As odd as it may seem, marked crosswalks are dangerous places. Over half of pedestrian collisions occur at intersections. Another surprise: More markings are not better than fewer markings. 

Not as straightforward as you think

The Pedestrian Crossing Control Manual for British Columbia 

As pedestrian control issues are often emotionally charged, there can be a tendency to assume that using more traffic control devices will resolve pedestrian safety problems. However, experience has shown that the overuse of devices may reduce their effectiveness.

The manual also states:

Pedestrian crossing safety relies on the judgement exercised by pedestrians and drivers. To interact safely requires an exchange of information between the pedestrian and the motorist. 

Never assume that you have the right of way as a pedestrian or as a driver. Right of way is something that is given, not taken.

For the pedestrian

Using a crosswalk is simple. First, look both ways for approaching traffic. If it is safe to step into the crosswalk, do so. If not, wait until it is. As we teach children to do, point your way across by holding your arm up and pointing to the far side. This reinforces in the driver's mind that you intend to cross, and are not just passing the time of day. Make eye contact with the driver, and be sure they come to a complete stop. Step out to the edge of that vehicle, and repeat the sequence at each successive lane, making sure not to enter it until after the traffic in it has stopped.

For the driver

There is an onus on the driver to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian who is on the highway. Most of us would think that this would only apply if the pedestrian is using an area where vehicles normally drive. This would be incorrect, as, by definition, places such as the shoulder and sidewalks are part of the highway. You must pay attention to the travels of people on foot, to yield the right of way as required by law, and to prevent a collision through anticipation of what might happen.

Share the road

If you approach the act of driving and walking with an attitude of sharing the road together, it is more likely that difficulties can be avoided. It is only if you become selfish and insist on being first that the problems begin, particularly for the pedestrian, as they are the ones with the most to lose regardless of whether they are right or wrong.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.