Traffic Laws for Pedestrians in Clearwater
Pedestrians are obligated to move safely within traffic. One of the laws on the books in Florida that people are not aware of is a jaywalking statute, even though it is not enforced often. A person should cross the street when the crosswalk says the person should then the person should also be in the crosswalk when they cross the street.
If a person is in traffic, they are obligated to follow the same laws as automobiles. That is why it is imperative that the person cross at crosswalks and only during the time that the crosswalk says that it is safe to do so. If you want a better understanding of best practices when walking, contact a distinguished pedestrian accident lawyer.
Monitoring Crosswalk Usage
Florida or subdivisions of a particular city or county are responsible for regulating crosswalk behaviors. The traffic laws for pedestrians in Clearwater are put in place to help protect people in the flow of traffic. The reason they exist is to avoid injury and make sure that people are safe. Pedestrians are obligated to use crosswalks when crossing intersections. In fact, jaywalking is illegal in the State of Florida, even though it is not often enforced.
Crosswalks are very common. Most intersections in the city of Clearwater have crosswalks and if not, they have a lighted sign for pedestrians to observe with audible signs. Crosswalks exist for the safety of pedestrians as they are marked appropriately on intersection corners and have the appropriate safety lighting and pedestrian signals. The county and state government monitors those traffic signals and intersections to ensure that pedestrian safety is being adhered to.
What are the Local Crosswalks?
The major crosswalks are Gulf to Bay and McMullen-Booth, Gulf to Bay and Drew and Martin Luther King, and Gulf to Bay and Martin Luther King. Sometimes in North County Curlew and McMullen-Booth are major. Those are the main intersections traffic laws for pedestrians in Clearwater should be followed.
Role of Drivers and Bicyclists
Accidents happen around crosswalks when either the motorist is not paying attention to the pedestrian traffic or when the pedestrian walks when it is not appropriate for them to do so. Bicyclists are obligated to follow the same rules of the road as automobiles when they are actually operating the bicycle in traffic.
Drivers are obligated to yield the right of way to pedestrians when pedestrians are walking in a crosswalk. Crosswalks change driver behavior by placing them on notice of the possibility of pedestrians crossing increasing because there is a crosswalk.
Vehicles turning on red are normally distracted because they are trying to ensure that they are not going to be hit by oncoming traffic. Sometimes they forget to look back to the right to determine if a pedestrian is crossing in their field of view. It is best for the pedestrian to always make eye contact with the driver to make sure that they see the person prior to crossing in front of them.