What are the laws as they relate to pedestrians?
The laws regarding pedestrian safety can be found in the Illinois Vehicle Code. The law is simply this: Pedestrians may NOT leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a moving vehicle which is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard (625ILCS 5/11-1002(b)). Simply put, as a pedestrian you do NOT have the right of way in a crosswalk unless you have first established yourself in the intersection and given oncoming traffic the opportunity to slow down and react to your presence. Many persons falsely believe that anytime you step into a crosswalk you automatically have the right of way, and that is not correct. You must give a vehicle adequate distance to stop before stepping into the crosswalk and expecting the right of way. At signalized intersections, DON’T WALK means DON’T WALK. If you are not in the crosswalk by the time the signal flashes “Don’t Walk”, then you are violating the law. The “countdown” signals remind pedestrians who are already in the cr
