The Janesville Police Department has received recent complaints about crosswalk violations and general pedestrian safety.
The most important safety tip to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities is for drivers to pay attention. You can significantly reduce your chances of being in a collision with a pedestrian by obeying traffic rules and being aware of your surroundings.
Pedestrians can also make eye contact with drivers if possible and make sure that they can see you. Both drivers and pedestrians have certain safety responsibilities.
Drivers must:
• Yield to pedestrians when crossing a sidewalk or entering an
alley or driveway.
• Yield to pedestrians who have started crossing at an intersection or crosswalk on a “walk” signal or a greenlight, if there is no walk signal.
• Yield to pedestrians who are crossing the highway within a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection where there are no traffic lights or control signals.
• Not overtake and pass any vehicle that stops at an intersection or crosswalk to permit a pedestrian or bicyclist to cross the roadway safely.
Pedestrians must:
• Yield to drivers when crossing a road where there is no intersection or crosswalk or where the pedestrian does not have a green or “walk” signal and where vehicles have a green signal.
• Not suddenly move into the path of a closely approaching vehicle that does not have sufficient time to yield for a pedestrian.
• Walk on and along the left side of a highway when not walking on a sidewalk. Note: This law does not apply to bicycles. Bicycles operate under the same laws as other legal vehicles on the road and should always stay on the right side of the road.
The Janesville Police Department will be conducting targeted enforcement of these types of violations in the coming weeks.
The potential fine for violators of Wisconsin State Statute 346.23(1) Failure to Yield Right-of-Way to Pedestrian, Bicyclist, EPAMD or PDD is $175.30.
Sergeant Joshua Norem
(608) 755-3133
[email protected]
