New York State Right-Of-Way Rules for Pedestrians and Drivers

A friend of ours recently returned from a visit to his son’s family in Los Angeles. His son lived in a residential area of West Los Angeles so there were nice sidewalks to enjoy his morning constitutional.

He quickly noticed something strange when his fellow pedestrians reached an intersection. They didn’t bother to look for traffic before crossing! They stormed ahead seemingly oblivious to approaching vehicles.

What was going on? He found out from his son that cars are VERY aware of pedestrians and always give them full right of way.

It was to the point that if a walker approached the intersection and did not charge ahead, drivers got confused. And visibly upset, “Are you going to cross or not? Please make up your mind so I can proceed!”

This all got us thinking about the rules of right-of-way for pedestrians in New York State. We found that pedestrian right-of-way laws in New York are similar to those in Los Angeles and are designed to prioritize safety and proper traffic flow.

Here are some key rules. (Find a more comprehensive guide to NYS traffic law for pedestrians and drivers here):

Crosswalks (Marked or Unmarked)
1. Vehicles must yield the right of way to pedestrians when they are in a crosswalk (marked or unmarked) or are legally crossing the road.

2. If a pedestrian is in the driver’s half of the roadway or approaching so closely from the opposite half as to be in danger, the driver must stop and yield.

Traffic Signals
1. Pedestrians must obey traffic signals. They should cross at intersections only when the “Walk” signal is on. When the “Don’t Walk” signal is flashing or steady, they must not begin crossing the street.

2. Vehicles must yield to pedestrians legally crossing with a green light or a walk signal.

Pedestrian Crossing at Other Locations
1. Pedestrians crossing outside of crosswalks (jaywalking) or at mid-block locations must yield the right of way to vehicles.

2. Even when not at a crosswalk, drivers are still expected to exercise caution and avoid hitting pedestrians.

Entering or Exiting Driveways/Alleys
1. Drivers entering or exiting driveways or alleys must yield the right of way to pedestrians on the sidewalk.

Blind Pedestrians
1. New York law provides special protections for blind pedestrians. Drivers must yield to pedestrians carrying a white or metallic cane or accompanied by a guide dog, regardless of where the pedestrian is crossing.

School Zones
1. Drivers must be particularly cautious in school zones and must always yield to pedestrians, especially when crossing guards are present.

Failure to yield to pedestrians, particularly in crosswalks, can lead to fines, points on the driver’s license, and, in some cases, criminal charges if an injury occurs.

So pedestrians in New York State do have right-of-way, but not to the extent that they don’t even bother to look for oncoming traffic. In other words, we don’t recommend you blithely enter an intersection as the Angelenos do, but be very cautious of oncoming traffic.

As for drivers, we believe that a good rule of thumb is that all pedestrians have the right of way regardless of whether they are in the street legally or not. Think like an Angeleno and make way for all pedestrians. There’s a good chance there’ll come a time when you’ll be glad you did.

Until next time,

Your SZW Team

SZW Insurance is your Utica area Trusted Choice™ independent insurance agent. Call us for a quote on insurance for your home, car, business, or life at 315.792.0000. Or request a quote here.