Crosswalk Regulations in Denver

Denver is a major metropolitan city with a lot of continued booming growth especially since it is a very pedestrian and bicycle-friendly city. Crosswalks are common there. There are large crosswalks all throughout Denver. Crosswalks aid in alerting drivers of the likelihood of a pedestrian being near and wanting to cross the roadway and put a driver on notice to be more cautious and drive slower. When a pedestrian accident occurs in a crosswalk, it makes it more likely that the pedestrian was following their duties of the roadway and following those rules and regulations by crossing in the designated space for pedestrians, and that makes the establishing liability against the driver that much more clear and easy. If an individual wants to know more about crosswalk regulations in Denver and how observing those regulations can keep them safe, they should consult a seasoned pedestrian accident lawyer that could answer their questions.

Pedestrian Crosswalk Rules

As a consolidated city and county, both the Colorado Revised Statutes and Denver Revised Municipal Code can apply to pedestrians in crosswalks in the City and County of Denver so that includes all of the rules and regulations in those statutes. Local law enforcement is responsible for regulating crosswalk behavior.

A few of the main portions of the rules that discuss crosswalk regulations in Denver are when traffic control signals are not in place, a driver shall yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk. When the pedestrian is upon the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling or when the pedestrian is approaching so closely from the opposite half of the roadway as to be in danger, no pedestrian should suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and ride a bicycle, walk or run into the path of a moving vehicle that is close enough to constitute an immediate hazard.

Yielding to Other Vehicles

One of the major crosswalk regulations in Denver is that every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right of way to all vehicles on that roadway. It is unlawful for any pedestrian to cross the roadway at any place except in a crosswalk between adjacent intersections at which traffic control signals are in operation except that pedestrians may cross on areas designated as pedestrian and transit mall at any point between intersections but shall yield the right of way of any vehicles lawfully passing in that designated area. It is unlawful for a pedestrian to cross the roadway that is a three-way street or through highway at any place other than a crosswalk.

Except on local streets, it is unlawful for any pedestrian to enter a roadway and to cross all or any portion of the same in any manner other than from the nearest roadway’s edge, and it is unlawful, except on local streets. It is unlawful for a pedestrian to cross a roadway directly to a vehicle stopped, parked or standing on the opposite side of the roadway. Those are the general overarching concepts that cover most of the pedestrian-vehicle interactions on roadways with or without crosswalks.

Ways That Pedestrian Accidents Occur in or Around Crosswalks

Vehicles turning on a red is a common cause of pedestrian accidents. Drivers are more focused on the traffic passing just to figure out when they can make that right turn on red to notice a pedestrian that might be crossing the street from the opposite way that they are looking.

Also, vehicles turning left through an intersection so the driver yielding to oncoming traffic, waiting to take that left turn often forget that pedestrians also have the right of way there and that they must yield not only to the cars but to the pedestrians as well. Drivers are sometimes too focused on the traffic and the cars, so they do not think to look for a person crossing the street and they make that quick left before another car comes.

Also, vehicles crossing at an intersection with a red light can lead to crosswalk accidents as well. A driver is focused on getting through the intersection probably too late, trying to make a late yellow light and they are often speeding through that intersection and not really cognizant of any pedestrians who may have been given a walk sign at that point. Those are the major ones and they are usually situations where the driver is more focused on getting themselves where they need to be, making a quick turn, getting in through traffic and not thinking about pedestrians. Usually, there are crosswalks at those situations because there are traffic lights.

When Does a Pedestrian’s Negligence Come Into Play?

Everything about pedestrian accidents and negligence comes down to a reasonable amount of attention. Someone may know they have the right of way, try to cross, and get hit anyways. That is not reasonable because the pedestrian’s safety is involved and, yes, they have the right of way as a pedestrian crossing and that driver is going to be at fault if they hit the pedestrian but at the end of the day, if that pedestrian says that they knew that the driver would slow down, then that is not reasonable that the pedestrian went out in the middle of the road. It is important for individuals to follow crosswalk regulations in Denver as closely as possible, in order to avoid incurring liability for their own accident. If an individual is interested in learning more, they should consult a knowledgeable pedestrian accident attorney that can further advise them.