After reading the story of a woman in Georgia whose son was killed when he darted out as they were crossing in the middle of a busy road instead of at a crosswalk, I will try to be more diligent about following the rules.
Not only did she suffer the loss of her son, but she was convicted of vehicular homicide because she was crossing illegally. A judge has offered her a new trial amid national outcry over her fate.
It got me thinking about pedestrian safety and the rules of the road, not only as people cross the road, but as they're walking or running along it, too.
Some readers, like Toby, were already thinking about it. He asked Traffic Talk to examine the rules for pedestrians, including what side they should travel when walking on the street.
“We drivers are always on the watch for walkers, runners and bike riders, but they have a responsibility to be watchful for their safety, too.”
Our faithful source Michigan State Police traffic safety expert Sgt. Mike Church said the Michigan Department of State recently published a helpful brochure on pedestrian safety that provides several smart tips, many of which are common sense.
He also cited some helpful sections of the Michigan Vehicle Code laying out the law:
No pedestrians on limited access highways or expressways.
Pedestrian crossing signals, they must be obeyed. If there are no signals, pedestrians can cross on a green, yield to traffic on a yellow and stay put on a red – unless they can cross safely.
And.. ..pedestrians may not walk in the roadway if there are sidewalks present. If there are no sidewalks, they must walk on the left side, facing traffic.
When it comes to who has the right-of-way, pedestrians or vehicles, it's “a bit tricky,” Church said, and dependent upon the situation. In fact, there's probably fodder for several more Traffic Talk columns in that area.
The MVC declares
it illegal to interfere with traffic “by means of a barricade, object, or devise or with his or her person,
” but it also says that vehicles must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians “lawfully”
within the intersection or crosswalk, Church said.