Charlotte Pedestrian Accident Attorney

While the phrase, “the pedestrian always has the right-of-way” is a common refrain, this is not necessarily true. Although motorists should take all reasonable actions to avoid hitting a person on foot, pedestrians are also required to follow certain laws.

Below, we’ve outlined some of North Carolina’s pedestrian laws, as covered by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT):

• Pedestrians are required by law to obey all traffic control devices and signals. This includes “Walk/Don’t Walk” signs, red lights, stop signs, etc.
• Pedestrians have the right-of-way when they are in crosswalks. Motorists are required to slow down or stop to yield to any pedestrian crossing in a crosswalk.
• Motorists are required to yield to pedestrians when entering or exiting driveways, alleys, building entrances, parking structures, etc.
• Motorists are prohibited from overtaking other motorists who are stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross, either in a marked crosswalk or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.
• Pedestrians crossing roadways where there is no marked crosswalk or intersection, including where there are marked pedestrian tunnels or overhead walkways, are required to yield the right-of-way to motorists.
• Pedestrians are prohibited from walking along or in roadways adjacent to a sidewalk; pedestrians must use provided sidewalks when available.
• If there is no sidewalk, pedestrians can walk in/along roadways but must stay as far to the left and facing traffic whenever possible. In such situations, pedestrians must yield the right-of-way to motorists.

When pedestrians fail to follow the appropriate laws, they could be found to have acted negligently. As such, they may be determined to be partly or wholly liable for an accident, thereby barring them from recovering any compensation for their damages.