California pedestrian laws require drivers to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians crossing the road within any marked or unmarked crosswalk. The term “pedestrian” applies not only to people walking on foot but also people wearing skates or riding skateboards.
In 2023 alone, there were 1,057 pedestrians killed by vehicles in California. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, that puts the Golden State at least 24% above the national average for pedestrian fatalities.
To ensure your safety and protect your rights as both a pedestrian and a driver, it is important you keep updated about the latest California pedestrian laws. Here are four key takeaways:
- Pedestrians lose right-of-way at crosswalks whenever traffic lights or law enforcement officers signal for them to remain on the curb.
- With the recent passage of the Freedom to Walk Act, jaywalking is no longer illegal in California as long as it is done safely and with no oncoming traffic.
- Pedestrians must stay out of bike lanes when a walking path is available.
- Vision-impaired pedestrians with a cane or a guide dog have right-of-way at all intersections.
In this article, our Los Angeles pedestrian accident lawyers discuss everything you need to know about California crosswalk laws and pedestrian accidents. Also listen to our informative podcast:
California Crosswalk Laws
Ten of California’s most important crosswalk and pedestrian safety laws are discussed below. Note that several counties and municipalities have even stricter rules than the California Vehicle Code (CVC).1
CVC 467: Who is considered to be a pedestrian?
A pedestrian is anyone who is:
- walking,
- riding a motorized assistive mobility device because they cannot walk, or
- riding something that is propelled by their own efforts, other than a bicycle.
People who use the following devices to get around are considered to be a “pedestrian.”
- skateboards,
- scooters, so long as it is not an electric scooter or E-scooter,
- roller skates,
- rollerblades,
- skis,
- ice skates,
- wheelchairs,
- motorized wheelchairs, or
- crutches.
People riding the following devices, though, are not pedestrians:
- bikes,
- e-bikes,
- motorized bikes,
- hoverboards, or
- e-scooters.
CVC 275: What is a crosswalk?
A crosswalk can be either:
- a portion of the road painted with the distinctive white lines (“limit lines”) that people are familiar seeing, or
- where two roads meet at approximately right angles, the extensions of the sidewalks through the intersection.
This means there can be a pedestrian crossing at an intersection even if there are no white lines on the pavement.
CVC 21966: No Pedestrians in Bike Lanes
Pedestrians must stay out of bike lanes wherever there is an “adjacent adequate pedestrian facility.” This includes sidewalks or designated walking paths.
If a sidewalk is blocked, though, pedestrians can turn to bike lanes to get around the obstruction.
CVC 21950: Pedestrians Crossing a Street at a Crosswalk
California Vehicle Code section 21950 VC gives pedestrians the right-of-way while crossing the street at an intersection whether the crosswalk is marked or not. Therefore, drivers approaching crosswalks must slow down and yield to pedestrians so they may cross.
By giving pedestrians the right-of-way at crosswalks, CVC 21950 requires drivers to exercise caution to keep pedestrians safe.2 It also creates a legal duty for motorists to exercise due care for the safety of walkers.3
However, CVC 21950(b) explicitly says that pedestrians still have a legal duty to use caution when crossing the street. It expressly says that pedestrians cannot:
- leave the curb suddenly,
- walk or run into the immediate path of an oncoming vehicle, or
- unnecessarily stop or delay traffic while crossing the street.
CVC 21955: Pedestrians Must Use Crosswalks at an Intersection
CVC 21955 requires pedestrians to stick to the crosswalks when they cross at intersections where there are:
- traffic lights,
- traffic signals, or
- police officers.
This prevents pedestrians from crossing straight to the opposite corner of the intersection, unless there is a crosswalk that allows it.
As of January 1, 2023 in California, you can no longer be cited for jaywalking as long as it is done safely (for example, there is no oncoming traffic at the time of the crossing). Previously, all jaywalking was prosecuted as an infraction carrying a fine of around $200: The old law disproportionately targeted low-income African-American and Hispanic people, who are already over-policed.4
California’s pedestrian and crosswalk laws dictate when and where people can walk.
CVC 21456: What Crossing Signals Mean
Crossing lights are the electronic signals for pedestrians to cross an intersection. They show either:
- a green walking man, or the word “walk” in green letters,
- steady red letters spelling “don’t walk,” or “wait” or showing an upraised hand graphic, or
- blinking red letters spelling “don’t walk” or “wait” or showing an upraised hand graphic. Sometimes there is a countdown timer.
When the crossing light tells pedestrians to walk, pedestrians must let cars already in the crosswalk to pass through.
Crossing lights that blink come in two types:
- those that include countdown signals telling pedestrians how long they have to finish crossing, and
- those that do not include these countdown signals.
Where a crossing signal has this countdown clock, pedestrians may begin crossing when the light is blinking: They just have to reach the other side before it turns steady. If there is no countdown clock on the signal, though, pedestrians are not supposed to enter the crosswalk once the signal begins to blink.5
CVC 21954: When can pedestrians cross the street outside of a crosswalk?
When pedestrians are not at a marked crosswalk or an intersection, CVC 21954 allows them to cross the street as long as they yield the right-of-way to all vehicles that are close enough to be an “immediate hazard” to the pedestrian.
In short, thanks to the Freedom to Walk Act, pedestrians can jaywalk when there is no close oncoming traffic.6
Note that when there are no sidewalks (such as outside of residential or business districts), CVC 21956 instructs pedestrians to walk against traffic against the left edge of the road.
CVC 21970: Can drivers stop their cars and block a crosswalk or sidewalk?
CVC 21970 forbids drivers from stopping in a crosswalk and blocking it “unnecessarily.” This includes both crosswalks that are marked and unmarked crosswalks at an intersection.
The law does not prevent a driver from stopping at a crosswalk at a red light before making a turn.
CVC 21952: Do vehicles have the right-of-way when they cross a sidewalk?
Vehicles do not have the right-of-way when they cross over a sidewalk. Pedestrians have the right-of-way on sidewalks since, according to CVC 550, sidewalks are meant for pedestrian traffic.
Note that CVC 21663 permits cars to turn into or back out of driveways and pass over a sidewalk on the way. A driver just has to stop and let walkers pass by, first.
CVC 21963-65: Special Rules for Blind Pedestrians
California traffic rules give special protection to pedestrians who are blind, defined as having:
- 20/200 vision in the better eye or
- a field of vision less than 20 degrees without glasses or contact lenses as an aid.
CVC 21963 gives blind pedestrians who are using a cane or a guide dog the right-of-way at all intersections. Drivers have to yield to blind pedestrians or take extra precautions to keep them safe. If they do not, it can be a misdemeanor crime that carries:
- up to 6 months in jail and
- a fine of up to $1,000.
CVC 21964 allows only blind or partially blind people to have a white cane (whether red-tipped or not) on any highway or in any:
- public building,
- public facility, or
- other public place.
Motor vehicles have to yield to pedestrians crossing at a crosswalk.
Pedestrian Accidents
If you are a victim of a pedestrian knockdown accident, you can sue the liable party for negligence per se if:
- they violated a law or regulation (such as a traffic/crosswalk law),
- you are a member of the class of people that the law or regulation was designed to protect (such as pedestrians or drivers), and
- the violation caused your injuries.
Normally when there is a vehicle-pedestrian collision, the vehicle driver is at fault. However, pedestrians may be accountable on negligence per se grounds for crashes they cause by either:
- darting into traffic mid-block,
- abruptly stepping off the curb,
- pausing in the middle of a crosswalk,
- blocking vehicles at a crosswalk,
- failing to look around for cars driving near them, and/or
- choosing to walk in darkly-lit areas with poor traffic visibility when there were other options.
Negligence per se is a shortcut to finding fault for an accident. Using negligence per se means you do not have to look for signs of negligence in details of the accident: Negligence is presumed if the defendant violated a traffic law.
When You Are Partly To Blame
When both you and the defendant were partially to blame for a pedestrian collision, a jury will assign each of you a percentage of fault. Under comparative negligence laws, courts then lower your damages by your percentage of fault.
Example: Mary crossed the street outside a crosswalk and got hit by Mac, who was speeding and ran a stop sign. Mary suffered $10,000 in damages but was found 30% at fault. She can recover $7,000 (30% of $10,000).
Types of Compensation
Typical compensation awarded in pedestrian knockdown lawsuits includes money for your:
In the event the accident resulted in a fatality, the victim’s family can bring a wrongful death claim for loss of support and funeral expenses.
Additional Resources
For more information, refer to the following:
- California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) pedestrian safety tips – Advice for pedestrians and bicyclists for staying safe.
- California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) pedestrian safety tips – Statistics and advice for pedestrians for staying safe.
- Go Safely California – Traffic safety tips by the OTS.
- Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force – Pedestrian and vehicle accident statistics and safety initiatives.
- Centers for Disease Control pedestrian safety – Laws, statistics and safety guide for pedestrians.
Legal References:
- See Vehicle Code 21969 (letting local governments decide where people can roller skate), CVC §21967 (letting localities decide where people can ride E-scooters), and CVC §21961 (letting local governments enact laws dealing with where walkers can cross the street).
- Vehicle Code 21950(c).
- Vehicle Code 21950(d).
- AB-2147.
- Vehicle Code 21456(b) and (c).
- AB-2147.