City police offer reminder about crosswalk rules and safety
NORWICH – There’s often more than a little confusion when it comes to the city’s vehicular and traffic regulations, particularly when it concerns pedestrian use of crosswalks. According to Police Chief Joseph Angelino, this confusion can be equally dangerous for those driving as well as those crossing the street. And as far as right of way is concerned, it’s really just a matter of common sense, he added.
Said Angelino, “People need to be reminded when and where it’s safe to cross the street ... this is something that should be taught early on by parents to their kids.”
According to New York State law – when traffic control signals are not in place – a vehicle shall yield the right of way, slowing down or stopping if need be, to yield to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk. Where no crosswalk is present, pedestrians must yield the right of way to all vehicles upon the roadway.
Drivers, said Angelino, should expect pedestrian traffic, particularly within the city’s business district, while pedestrians must be aware that vehicles have the right of way in all areas except crosswalks. It’s all about paying attention, he added.
“There are so many distractions in a car now,” said the chief. “If an intersection has a pedestrian control, you must interact ... push the button.”
In addition, those drivers who stop for a pedestrian where no crosswalk is present are creating a potentially dangerous situation. They are, according to Angelino, “perpetuating the myth that pedestrians have the right of way.”
It’s one thing, added the chief, if one or the other – driver or pedestrian – is distracted. When both are distracted, however, “that’s when it happens,” he said.
On June 28, 2009, a female pedestrian was struck by an elderly man driving a white sedan truck approximately ten feet away from a designated crosswalk located on North Broad Street. The vehicle, according to eyewitnesses, was traveling at approximately 20 miles per hour and there was no indication the operator saw the woman.
In November of 2010, an Earlville teen was airlifted to the Wilson Medical Center with head and leg injuries after he was struck by a Jeep while crossing East Main Street. That driver was ticketed for failing to yield the right of way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
More recently, on Feb. 4, 2012, a Norwich woman was struck by a car as she was walking near the intersection of North Broad and Mechanic streets. She was transported by ambulance to the Wilson Medical Center and – in this instance – no tickets were issued.
“People crossing the street have to be aware that vehicles have the right of way on the street,” stressed Angelino. “Pedestrians only have the right of way in a crosswalk.”
Said Angelino, “People need to be reminded when and where it’s safe to cross the street ... this is something that should be taught early on by parents to their kids.”
According to New York State law – when traffic control signals are not in place – a vehicle shall yield the right of way, slowing down or stopping if need be, to yield to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk. Where no crosswalk is present, pedestrians must yield the right of way to all vehicles upon the roadway.
Drivers, said Angelino, should expect pedestrian traffic, particularly within the city’s business district, while pedestrians must be aware that vehicles have the right of way in all areas except crosswalks. It’s all about paying attention, he added.
“There are so many distractions in a car now,” said the chief. “If an intersection has a pedestrian control, you must interact ... push the button.”
In addition, those drivers who stop for a pedestrian where no crosswalk is present are creating a potentially dangerous situation. They are, according to Angelino, “perpetuating the myth that pedestrians have the right of way.”
It’s one thing, added the chief, if one or the other – driver or pedestrian – is distracted. When both are distracted, however, “that’s when it happens,” he said.
On June 28, 2009, a female pedestrian was struck by an elderly man driving a white sedan truck approximately ten feet away from a designated crosswalk located on North Broad Street. The vehicle, according to eyewitnesses, was traveling at approximately 20 miles per hour and there was no indication the operator saw the woman.
In November of 2010, an Earlville teen was airlifted to the Wilson Medical Center with head and leg injuries after he was struck by a Jeep while crossing East Main Street. That driver was ticketed for failing to yield the right of way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
More recently, on Feb. 4, 2012, a Norwich woman was struck by a car as she was walking near the intersection of North Broad and Mechanic streets. She was transported by ambulance to the Wilson Medical Center and – in this instance – no tickets were issued.
“People crossing the street have to be aware that vehicles have the right of way on the street,” stressed Angelino. “Pedestrians only have the right of way in a crosswalk.”
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