Letter to the editor for Friday, Nov. 21, 2014

Laws for pedestrians, vehicles

Too many pedestrian have been injured or killed by vehicles or motorcycles. It’s time to refresh on the laws and regulations.

It’s best to cross the street in a crosswalk at an intersection which ids designated by white paint and to cross when the signals tell you to walk. However, whether designated with a crosswalk or not, any intersection is OK for a pedestrian to cross, as long as he/she does not walk out into oncoming traffic thereby not giving vehicles a chance to stop. Give the vehicles ample time to stop, look both ways and then cross. The pedestrian can cross at a three-way junction where one street does not fully intersect another as long as the pedestrian does not walk out into oncoming traffic and gives the vehicles ample time to stop.

Jaywalking is crossing a street where there is no intersection of any street, and it is illegal in Nevada.

Unless there is a divider dividing a street, all vehicles and motorcycles must stay completely stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross safely in a crosswalk to the other side (or lanes) of the street or be ticketed by law enforcement. If there is a divider in place in the center of the highway, each side of traffic can travel on as long as the pedestrian has safely crossed that side of the street in a crosswalk.

For further clarification, visit www.dmvnv.com/pdfforms/qtpedestrian.pdf.

Ann Burke

Carson City