Why it matters

Why it's dangerous: A person in a crosswalk has nothing between them and the car. When a driver doesn't stop, the person crossing has to jump out of the way or get hit, and even city speeds can kill: a pedestrian's risk of death is 10% when hit at 23 mph and 50% at 42 mph. In 2022, a pedestrian was killed in a U.S. traffic crash every 70 minutes.

PA rule: §3542(a), §3323(b) — Every corner of an intersection is a crosswalk, painted or not. Yield to people crossing in any crosswalk, marked or unmarked, including after stopping at a stop sign. Pedestrians may not step out in front of a car too close to stop.

Sources: AAA Foundation, Impact Speed and a Pedestrian's Risk of Severe Injury or Death (2011); NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts 2022 Data: Pedestrians

From BikePGH: Crosswalk safety tips for road users

Why it's dangerous: Turning cars cut across a crosswalk where people have the right of way. From 2014 to 2018, turning vehicles were involved in more than 900 fatal pedestrian crashes at or near U.S. intersections, and SUVs and pickups were far more likely than cars to be involved. IIHS suggests their windshield pillars may hide people.

PA rule: §3112(a)(1)(i), (a)(3)(ii) — At a light, drivers turning on green or on red must yield to people in the crosswalk.

Source: IIHS, SUVs, other large vehicles often hit pedestrians while turning (2022)

From BikePGH: Crosswalk safety tips for road users; Drive with care: turn safely

Why it's dangerous: The stopped car blocks the view between the passing car and the person crossing, and the person may reasonably assume traffic has stopped. Traffic engineers call this a multiple-threat crash.

PA rule: §3542(c) — Never pass a car stopped at a crosswalk for a pedestrian.

Source: FHWA PEDSAFE, Pedestrian crash type definitions

From BikePGH: Crosswalk safety tips for road users

Why it's dangerous: A car entering on red crosses the path of people who have the walk signal and cars that have the green, often at full speed. In 2024, red light running killed 1,119 people in the U.S., and half of them were people walking, biking or in other vehicles hit by the driver who ran the light.

PA rule: §3112(a)(3)(i) — On a steady red, stop and stay stopped until the light turns green.

Source: IIHS, Red light running

From BikePGH: Red light cameras coming to Pittsburgh

Why it's dangerous: A car that turns on red without stopping reaches the crosswalk while people may be crossing with the walk signal. When states adopted right on red, a federal study found crashes with right-turning cars rose 48 to 107% for pedestrians and 72 to 123% for cyclists.

PA rule: §3112(a)(3)(ii) — Right on red is allowed only after a full stop, and only after yielding to people in the crosswalk.

Source: NHTSA, The Effect of Right-Turn-on-Red on Pedestrian and Bicyclist Accidents (1981)

From BikePGH: Crosswalk safety tips for road users; Red light cameras coming to Pittsburgh

Why it's dangerous: A stop sign gives everyone else at the intersection a predictable moment to go. A car that never fully stops enters the crosswalk and the cross street still moving, so people crossing and other drivers can't tell whether it's going to stop.

PA rule: §3323(b) — Come to a full stop at a stop sign, then yield to anyone in the crosswalk and to traffic in the intersection.

From BikePGH: Crosswalk safety tips for road users

Why it's dangerous: The car sits where people walk, so they have to go around it, often into moving traffic. Stopping at the line also keeps the car back far enough that the driver can see people at the corner before pulling forward.

PA rule: §3323(b), §3112(a)(3)(i) — At a stop sign or red light, stop at the stop line, or before the crosswalk if there's no line.

Source: FHWA PEDSAFE, Advanced stop lines

From BikePGH: Crosswalk safety tips for road users; Red light cameras coming to Pittsburgh

Why it's dangerous: A pedestrian's risk of death is 10% when hit at 23 mph and 50% at 42 mph. Faster cars also need much more distance to stop.

PA rule: §3362, §3361 — Drive at or under the posted limit, and slower when people walking or other hazards call for it.

Source: AAA Foundation, Impact Speed and a Pedestrian's Risk of Severe Injury or Death (2011)

From BikePGH: Work with your neighbors to calm traffic

Why it's dangerous: People in wheelchairs, with strollers or with canes are forced into the street.

PA rule: §3353(a)(1)(ii) — No stopping or parking on a sidewalk.

From BikePGH: Protect pedestrians: stop parking on the sidewalk; City Council closes illegal parking loophole (2026)

Why it's dangerous: People walking get pushed out into moving lanes to get around the car.

PA rule: §3353(a)(1)(iii)–(iv) — No stopping or parking in an intersection or on a crosswalk.

From BikePGH: Crosswalk safety tips for road users

Why it's dangerous: A car parked at the corner can hide a person about to cross, especially a child, until they step out into the street. The person waiting can't see oncoming traffic either, so they have to edge out past the parked car to look.

PA rule: §3353(a)(2)(iii) — No parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection, painted or not. Mid-block crosswalks aren't covered, though parking on any crosswalk is banned.

From BikePGH: Daylighting intersections

Why it's dangerous: When a sidewalk closes without a marked detour, people walking end up in the street with traffic, and people using wheelchairs or strollers may have no way through at all.

Pittsburgh rule: DOMI right-of-way permit rules — Blocking a sidewalk for work needs a city permit. The site must keep an accessible path at least 4 feet wide, or provide an ADA-compliant detour with signs at the intersections.

Why it's dangerous: An icy or snow-covered sidewalk pushes people into the street, and it can be impassable for anyone using a wheelchair, walker or stroller.

Pittsburgh rule: Pittsburgh Code §419.03 — The owner, tenant or occupant must clear snow and ice from the sidewalk within 24 hours after it falls.

Why it's dangerous: Overgrowth narrows the sidewalk until people have to step into the street, and low branches are a hazard for people who are blind or have low vision.

Pittsburgh rule: Pittsburgh Code §419.01, §483.03 — No one may keep anything blocking a sidewalk. The city can order owners to trim tree limbs that hang over the street or sidewalk, and bill them if they don't.

Why it's dangerous: Heaved slabs, gaps and missing curb ramps stop wheelchairs and strollers and trip people walking, so they use the street instead.

Federal rule: ADA, 28 CFR 35.151(i) — When streets are built or altered, cities must add curb ramps at crosswalks.

Why it's dangerous: Trash bins, signs, scooters and other objects left on the sidewalk can leave no room to pass, especially for people using wheelchairs or strollers.

Pittsburgh rule: Pittsburgh Code §419.01, §417.05 — No one may block a sidewalk. Goods set out for delivery must leave at least 5 feet clear and be gone within an hour.

Why it's dangerous: Faded or missing lines give drivers less warning that people cross there, and give people walking, especially those with low vision, less guidance on where the crossing is. Potholes, cracks and loose plates in the crossing can trip people or stop wheelchairs halfway across the street.

PA rule: §3542 — Drivers must yield to people in a crosswalk whether its lines are painted or not. Every corner of an intersection counts as a crosswalk.

Why it's dangerous: Traffic engineers have used near misses to judge how dangerous a location is since the 1960s, because how often they happen tracks the risk of real crashes. Each one logged adds to the evidence.

PA rule: §3542, §3112 — Drivers must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, marked or unmarked.

Source: FHWA, Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (2008)

From BikePGH: Crosswalk safety tips for road users; In a crash?

Why it's dangerous: In 2024, 3,208 people were killed in U.S. crashes involving distracted drivers. NHTSA says reading or sending a text typically takes a driver's eyes off the road for about 5 seconds. On a 25 mph city street, a car covers about 180 feet in that time, enough to pass through a crosswalk and well beyond it.

PA rule: §3316 — Handheld phone use while driving is banned (Paul Miller's Law). Fines started June 6, 2026.

Source: NHTSA, Distracted Driving