Pedestrian Traffic Laws in Leesburg

Pedestrian laws are particularly evaluated during injury cases to determine if the pedestrian contributed in some way to his or her injury.  Some of the most common pedestrian rules of the road include walking in a controlled intersection, walking within crosswalks where crosswalks are present, and walking on sidewalks where they are available.

Realistically, the pedestrian rules are often more guidelines rather than hard-set rules. They are still safety rules and could have a great impact in a Leesburg pedestrian accident case.

Leesburg Pedestrian vs. Motorist Traffic Laws

The difference in pedestrian traffic is that they are less regulated, meaning that they are not generally police at controlled intersections in Leesburg, who are waiting for the pedestrians, walking the crosswalks, or waiting until they have the signal to walk for crossing. Motorists are often governed by police officers, sheriff deputies, or selective patrols of the highways and roads.

Many of the pedestrian traffic rules are not the same as motor vehicle rules in that they are not getting ticketed for speeding or offenses of that nature. Some of the most common pedestrian rules of the road include walking in a controlled intersection, walking within crosswalks where crosswalks are present, walking on sidewalks where they are available, and if there is no sidewalk, walking in the opposite direction of traffic on the side of the road to remain visible.

Importance of Following the Laws

It is always worth it to follow the rules and act with due care as a pedestrian. The number one reason to do this is for the pedestrian’s own safety and the safety of the surrounding people. Failure to follow laws creates an unexpected situation and greater potential for danger because motorists are expecting that pedestrians will follow the rules and they are going to be following the rules in accordance to that.

When a motor vehicle or cyclist approaches an intersection where pedestrians are present, they are going to expect that pedestrians obey the rules of the road and when they do not, it could create problems.

If a pedestrian is hit by a motor vehicle but was not following the pedestrian rules, by Virginia law, they are going to be viewed as contributing to their own accident. This could result in the pedestrian being found contributorily negligent, and prohibited from making a recovery in their own case.

Impact on Your Case

Following the law certainly, makes it much better for your potential case. If you are injured as a result of the negligence of another, failure to follow the law could put you in a very awkward position and potentially bar you from making a financial recovery even if the other person was primarily at fault.

Your carelessness, negligence, or even just failure to understand what is expected of you as a pedestrian may lead to your inability to recover financial compensation even if someone else is primarily at fault for your injuries.