A 4-minute lesson from the New York course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Pedestrians are at high risk in traffic, and the law requires you to take extra care to avoid hitting them. Expect them anywhere, at any time, including outside crosswalks, and remember that children, older people and people with disabilities may not see or hear you.
Know the rule
Watch for children near schools, bus stops, playgrounds, parks and ice cream trucks.
When backing up, look through your back window for pedestrians; don't rely only on mirrors when children are near. Before you back into or out of a driveway, get out and check behind your vehicle.
Pedestrians should walk facing traffic. When you turn right, watch for pedestrians on your right; when you turn left, watch for pedestrians on the other side of the road on your left.
A blind pedestrian with a guide dog or a white or metal cane always gets the right-of-way when crossing at a marked or unmarked crosswalk, even if the signals or other right-of-way rules don't favor them.
Pedestrians have the right-of-way at all crosswalks. Every driver approaching an intersection or crosswalk must yield to pedestrians, marked or unmarked, and where there's no signal, especially if a pedestrian is in a crosswalk or in danger.
You're turning left on a green light in Manhattan. Before you turn, scan the crosswalk you're turning into, then look again: a pedestrian may be partly hidden by your A-pillar. Wait until the crosswalk is clear.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
Which pedestrian must you always yield to at a marked or unmarked crosswalk, even if signals are not in their favor?
A blind pedestrian with a guide dog or cane
Any pedestrian who is jogging
Only a pedestrian with a WALK signal
Only children and older adults
Answer: A blind pedestrian with a guide dog or cane
You must always give the right-of-way to a blind pedestrian using a guide dog or a white or metal cane at a crosswalk.