GREENSBORO, N.C. — Stop breaking the law -- stop at crosswalks.
That's the message from North Carolina law enforcement agencies, who report 3,000 pedestrians are hit by cars every year in the state.
THE QUESTION
VERIFY journalist Meghann Mollerus recently posted a picture to her Facebook page, showing one of many Greensboro-area crosswalks, where drivers often fail to stop for people trying to cross the road.
Viewer Otto commented, "Lots of people probably see the lines of the crosswalk as decorative and have no clue what the sign means."
However, another viewer privately messaged Meghann, questioning whether drivers need to yield if there is no intersection.
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
It's the law in NC and many other states for drivers to yield to pedestrians at crosswalks, even if the crosswalk is not at an intersection, and even if the pedestrian is still waiting on the sidewalk to cross.
WHAT WE FOUND
Crosswalk laws vary slightly by state, but NC treats marked and unmarked crosswalks the same. The statute states in places where traffic control signals are not in place or operating, the driver must yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing the road, as long as it is within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at or near an intersection.
"You're required, by law, as an operator of a motor vehicle -- a car, motorcycle, RV, even a bicycle -- to stop and let that person cross," said traffic safety Officer A.D. Reed.
Watch For Me NC illustrates how crosswalks don't all look the same. Marked crosswalks have two parallel lines, or a series of white blocks running across the street. Midblock crosswalks are marked but in the middle of a block, not an intersection. Unmarked crosswalks are where a sidewalk ends at an intersection and continues at the other side, implying an invisible crosswalk at the intersection.
So, what if the pedestrian is still waiting to cross the road at a crosswalk? Do cars have to yield? Yes.
"If it's not safe for that person to step into the road, they're going to be stuck on that crosswalk for a long time. So, if they're in the entrance to it -- the sidewalk part -- that's still considered part of the roadway, itself," explained Officer Reed.
Conversely, a pedestrian who is trying to cross outside of a crosswalk, like on a highway, must yield to the car. That said, Officer Reed advised the driver to make an attempt to slow down or stop, even if the pedestrian is in the wrong.
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