7.1 Pedestrians, Crosswalks & Sharing the Road

7.1 Pedestrians, Crosswalks & Sharing the Road

[!IMPORTANT] The duty is to stop and remain stopped. RCW 46.61.235(1) does not say yield. It says "stop and remain stopped." A driver who slows, rolls through behind a pedestrian, or edges forward while the pedestrian is still within the buffer has not complied.

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The crosswalk rule

RCW 46.61.235(1): "The operator of an approaching vehicle shall stop and remain stopped to allow a pedestrian, bicycle, or personal delivery device to cross the roadway within an unmarked or marked crosswalk when the pedestrian, bicycle, or personal delivery device is upon or within one lane of the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling or onto which it is turning. For purposes of this section 'half of the roadway' means all traffic lanes carrying traffic in one direction of travel, and includes the entire width of a one-way roadway."

Break that into its four operative pieces:

The "one lane" buffer is the part students get wrong. On a four-lane road with two lanes in each direction, a pedestrian who steps into the far lane of your direction is already upon your half. A pedestrian in the nearest oncoming lane is within one lane of your half. Either way, you stop.

On a one-way roadway, the definition makes the entire width a single half, so a pedestrian anywhere in the crossing triggers the duty.

RCW 46.61.235(3) carves out the situations in RCW 46.61.240(2) - broadly, where a pedestrian crosses outside a crosswalk at a point other than a marked or unmarked crosswalk, the yield obligation shifts.

The passing prohibition

RCW 46.61.235(4): "Whenever any vehicle is stopped at a marked crosswalk or at any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection to permit a pedestrian, bicycle, or personal delivery device to cross the roadway, the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass such stopped vehicle."

This is the rule that prevents the multiple-threat crash: a driver in the adjacent lane, whose view of the crossing person is screened by the stopped vehicle, accelerates past and strikes them. Teach students that a vehicle stopped for no apparent reason near an intersection is a stop cue, not a passing opportunity.

Pedestrian duties

RCW 46.61.235(2): "No pedestrian, bicycle, or personal delivery device shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk, run, or otherwise move into the path of a vehicle which is so close that it is impossible for the driver to stop."

The obligation is mutual, but the driver's duty is the one with the higher standard: stop and remain stopped whenever the buffer test is met.

The penalty enhancement

RCW 46.61.235(5)(a): a person found to have committed an infraction under this section "within a school, playground, or crosswalk speed zone created under RCW 46.61.440 ... must be assessed a monetary penalty equal to twice the penalty assessed under RCW 46.63.110. The penalty may not be waived, reduced, or suspended." Fifty percent of the money collected goes to the school zone safety account.

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Sharing the road

The required curriculum standard (a)(x) is "sharing the road," and its behind-the-wheel twin is standard (b)(v). Three road users deserve distinct treatment.

Bicycles

• Bicyclists are protected by the crosswalk rule in RCW 46.61.235 and by the vulnerable user fine enhancements in RCW 46.61.145, .180, .185 and .190.
• RCW 46.61.190(2)(b) permits a cyclist to treat a stop sign as a yield sign, with exceptions at railroad grade crossings and school bus stop signals. A driver who expects every cyclist to make a full stop will be surprised lawfully.
• Passing. RCW 46.61.110(2) sets three tiers: on a road with two or more lanes in your direction, move completely into a lane to the left before passing and until safely clear; on a single-lane road with sufficient room, reduce speed and pass at a safe distance, where practicable of at least three feet; on a single-lane road without sufficient room, move completely into the oncoming lane when it is safe and lawful. A violation carries an additional non-waivable fine paid into the vulnerable roadway user education account.
• The right-hook is the crash type novices cause most often - turning right across a cyclist travelling straight on your right. Teach a mandatory head check to the right before every right turn.
• The door zone. Coach students to leave clearance when passing parked cars, and to open their own door with the far hand so the body rotates and the eyes go to the mirror.

Motorcycles

• Motorcycles are hard to see and easy to misjudge for speed and distance. Teach a deliberate second look at every intersection and before every lane change.
• Increase following distance to at least four seconds: a motorcycle can stop shorter than a car, and it can go down in front of you.
• RCW 46.61.110(1)(b) attaches an additional non-waivable fine to overtaking a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle or moped without passing at a safe distance.
• Never share a lane. A motorcycle is entitled to the full lane width and may change lane position within it for visibility and surface reasons.

Large vehicles

• Blind spots extend along both sides, directly in front of the cab, and a long way behind. The teaching heuristic: if you cannot see the driver in the truck's mirror, the driver cannot see you.
• Turning. A large vehicle turning right may swing left first. Never move into the gap it creates.
• Stopping distance for a loaded truck is far longer than for a car; cutting in front and then braking is the classic fatal error.
• Spray and buffeting in rain and wind require extra space when passing.

Emergency vehicles

Yield to an approaching authorised emergency vehicle using audible and visual signals by driving to the right-hand edge of the roadway, clear of any intersection, and stopping until it has passed. Never follow closely behind one. Section 6.4 covers the separate duty when passing a stationary emergency or work zone.

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Coaching pedestrian awareness

Search where pedestrians appear, not where they are convenient. Bus stops, mid-block crossings near schools, parked-car gaps, and driveway aprons.

Teach the intersection scan to include the far crosswalk. A turning driver's collision usually happens at the end of the turn, not the start.

Use the covered brake at crossings. Every marked crosswalk, every school zone, every commercial frontage with heavy foot traffic.

Practise the stop-and-remain-stopped discipline explicitly. Have the student verbalise: "pedestrian entering - stopping - waiting - they have cleared my half plus one lane - proceeding." Novices consistently release too early.

Explain the multiple-threat scenario aloud the first time you encounter a stopped vehicle at a crossing, because the danger is invisible by design.

[!WARNING] Exam traps in this section

• Stop and remain stopped, not yield.
• Unmarked crosswalks exist at intersections regardless of paint.
• Half of the roadway means all lanes in one direction, and the whole width of a one-way street.
• Bicycles and personal delivery devices are protected by RCW 46.61.235, not just pedestrians.
• Never pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk.
• Doubled, non-waivable penalty inside a school, playground or crosswalk speed zone.