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Comment by testplzignore | Hacker News Reader

Where I live in the US, my understanding is that pedestrians always have the right of way at intersections (regardless of whether there are any traffic or pedestrian signals) unless:

1. There is a pedestrian signal that says to NOT cross, or

2. The traffic signal going in the direction the pedestrian is walking is red.

So if the light is green and the pedestrian signal does not say to not cross, then the pedestrian has the right of way over any cars turning. However, as with anything traffic related, that doesn't mean that a pedestrian can intentionally create an unsafe situation (e.g., start crossing the street as a car is turning).

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The problem I've seen is that (especially in suburbs where pedestrians are rarer) drivers don't check for pedestrians. Almost every time I'm walking for any length of time I nearly get hit by a car that assumes that a green light means they're free to turn right without any restrictions. This isn't me intentionally creating an unsafe situation (often I'm already in the intersection), it's drivers who see so few pedestrians they're not trained to think of them.

As someone who has commuted primarily by bike or on foot in the US for the better part of the past 10+ years, I can confirm that this description is spot on.

This is my impression as well, having been both a driver and pedestrian in the suburbs and in a big city. Driving in a densely populated city trains you to think there’s a pedestrian waiting to pop out of every nook and cranny and hop in front of your car. You might even witness one crawling out of a sewer hole to stand in the middle of the street, and it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise when it happens.

This is anecdotal evidence, but I moved from a european town of 200 000 to a mega-city of 20 000 000 and I've seen far fewer incidents here during the last 5 years than the first 30 in my old hometown combined.

I have a crossing signal. Cars going the same direction as me also have green lights. They make right/left turns into my path ALL THE TIME. I should have the right of way, but that doesn't do me any good when I get hit by a 2-ton metal machine going 40mph. I guess my ghost can take solace in my wife's victorious wrongful death suit?

In the UK pedestrians do not have the right of way unless at a traffic light crossing or in the rare zebra crosswalks. That was rather a culture shock for me.

Rule 170 of the highway code: "watch out for pedestrians crossing a road into which you are turning. If they have started to cross they have priority, so give way"

Right of way is for pedestrians on any road in the US, however you can be arrested for public nuisance on a busy non pedestrian toad such as an exit expressway.

>that doesn't mean that a pedestrian can intentionally create an unsafe situation (e.g., start crossing the street as a car is turning).

So does that mean a person is allowed to intentionally create an unsafe situation by maneuvering their 2 ton+ vehicle into a crosswalk when a pedestrian is approaching it

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