The US is one of the most anti-pedestrian countries I've been to. Everywhere else I've been to, drivers are supposed to watch out for pedestrians crossing the road. In the US, they've managed to make it illegal!
In CO drivers must yield to pedestrians in cross walks. Now many drivers don't know this so resort cities put up flashing lights and warning sides for drivers. Personally, I've gotten use to the angry, honking drivers when I'm in the crosswalk but no one in their right mind is going to risk actually hitting a pedestrian.
The laws on the books are more so that if a pedestrian steps off a curb or crosses suddenly somewhere other than a crosswalk, drivers aren't immediately crucified by the law. For example, if the speed limit is 45mph with an adjacent sidewalk, how are drivers suppose to stop for any given pedestrian that jaywalks without looking? Additionally, if a vehicle has to maneuver out the way to avoiding hitting someone, they become a danger to other vehicles and even other pedestrians.
Except in areas where jaywalking is a huge hazard (i.e near homeless shelters in urban areas), it's not like people are actually getting ticketed for jaywalking.
Vehicles must yield to pedestrians in cross-walks in just about or all states it seems. I didn't read every single one in that PDF but i skimmed it.
In some states:
"Vehicles must yield to pedestrian in crosswalk on vehicle’s half of road or close to it. Pedestrians must not step off curb and into path of vehicle when vehicle does not have time to stop"
Where exactly have you been? It's definitely illegal to cross the street outside designated pedestrian crossings (where available) where I live - and you will get fined if you're impeding traffic by doing so and are seen by the police.
>(c) In order to cross the carriageway elsewhere than at a pedestrian crossing signposted as such or indicated by markings on the carriageway, pedestrians shall not step on to the carriageway without first making sure that they can do so without impeding vehicular traffic.
>(d) Once they have started to cross a carriageway, pedestrians shall not take an unnecessarily long route, and shall not linger or stop on the carriageway unnecessarily.
That means "don't step into traffic". It doesn't mean "you're not allowed to cross the road unless there's a pedestrian crossing". Crossing the road outside of marked pedestrian crossings is perfectly legal here (Germany).
"(3) Persons on foot shall rapidly cross lanes on the shortest path transverse to the direction of travel, taking into account vehicle traffic. If traffic density, speed, visibility or traffic flow so require, a carriageway may only be crossed at crossings or junctions, at traffic lights within markings, at pedestrian crossing aids or on pedestrian crossings (sign 293). If the carriageway is crossed at crossings or junctions, pedestrian crossings or markings at traffic lights shall always be used." - translated with deepl from https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stvo_2013/__25.html
That's not illegal here (the UK), and the link you've posted seems to simply recommend using a crossing where one is available nearby (which is mostly common sense).
I don't see how this advice implies that laws are in place?
It's nice to say that, but enforcement generally doesn't reflect it. Failing to yield to (or killing) a pedestrian on the road outside of a crosswalk often has no legal consequences.
"I didn't see them!" is such a common response for bicyclist and pedestrian deaths, it makes me sick. In 95% of cases, drivers are either distracted, driving too fast for conditions, or not fit to be driving.
This is definitely not true. I got hit by a car while crossing at an intersection (I had a green light, but no walk signal). The police report said I was at fault.
I hate this answer so much. The US has 300 million people with diverse interests. About 40% of the countries GDP is spend by the government and the rest is regulated.
With that money the government does A LOT of different things, from creating special interest groups to increase salad prices for farmers in <random state> to fighting a long term geopolitical battle with China.
You can vote a couple of times, meaning you can make like 4 choices a year to effect those things. Meaning your opinion about ALL of these has to be condensed to like 4 choices, and those choices are incredibly restricted by a party system.
And with almost none of the 300 million people car safety regulation is in the Top 100 of issues they care about means that the democratic process has almost zero direct impact on a particular topic.
In your average State: Senator, US Rep, State upper house, State lower house, President, Governor, DA, State AG, State Treasurer, Lt. Governor, County Rep, City Rep, probably the Mayor (depending on if strong or weak Mayor), Sheriff and/or Police Chief and a few others. You might even get to deal with ballot propositions! The exact makeup of your ballot will vary from State to State, but there’s usually at least 7 or 8 positions you’re directly electing (notably Nebraska has a unicameral legislature, so no upper house).
We get choices. A lot of choices. The people concerned with prosecuting jaywalking aren’t the same people concerned with prosecuting trade wars. I jaywalk all the time in my city, at red lights, outside crossings, across the intersection, and often right in front of the police as long as I keep my wits about me and don’t do so in a way liable to get me killed.
Maybe stop looking to DC for all your legislative needs unless you live there. We need far less centralization of power, not more.
Well, that's just state driving law. They're talking about design standards. That said, this thing fails in one way for sure... they can't have their brake lights on the tailgate like that. That does not meet the standards. So, there will definitely have to be some design changes before this becomes final.
but nope, apparently not. https://usa.streetsblog.org/2017/12/07/while-other-countries...