[nagdu] Crosswalks, the White Cane Law, and Pedestrians in General

[Mark J. Cadigan]

If you are using a cane properly there should be no damage dun to the cars. 
Especially not to the hood.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Baker" <david at bakerinet.com>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 2:06 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Crosswalks, the White Cane Law,and Pedestrians in 
General


> Jewel, the laws vary by state.  In Georgia, for instance, drivers are 
> required
> to stop for all pedestrians at all crosswalks (anywhere a street enters or
> crosses another street, if there are no markings).  The law is not 
> followed in
> practice and one would have to be insane to rely upon it.  I have been 
> known to
> whack cars very hard in situations such as yours.  This, however, upsets 
> my wife
> terribly.  She is convinced that I am going to have someone jump out of a 
> nice
> Ferrari, Lincoln, or ...  and shoot me, or pummel me to a pulp.  (On the 
> other
> hand, wisely or not, my roller tip has left some very impressive dents in 
> some
> very expensive cars.)  Since some of my generalized anger about having RP 
> has
> abated and I still have some central vision left, I now just raise my cane 
> and
> point it directly at the driver has he or she whizzes by.  ('Some 
> satisfaction
> there, but no where near as cathartic as a good hard whack on the hood.)
>
> David
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf 
> Of
> Jewel S.
> Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 12:36 PM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nagdu] Crosswalks, the White Cane Law, and Pedestrians in 
> General
>
> Hi guys,
> The conversation about the White Cane Laws prompted a thought in my mind. 
> I know
> that pedestrians, especially those with a white cane or guide dog, must be 
> given
> the right of way in crosswalks in intersections, and it was my 
> understanding
> that anywhere a blind person steps into the road they are to be given the 
> right
> of way for their safety. Please correct me if I'm wrong (I know it varies 
> from
> state to state; I'm in North Carolina).
>
> Now, my question is, what are the laws for crosswalks in general? Are all
> pedestrians given right of way in a crosswalk? What about a crosswalk 
> where
> there is no light? For example, in a shopping center in Raleigh, there is 
> a
> crosswalk across a street in the shopping area that most people don't use
> because cars never give right-of-way to any pedestrians. I decided to give 
> it a
> shot yesterday because I needed to quickly get from one bus stop on one 
> side to
> the other bus stop on the exact oppposite side. I stuck out my cane, but 
> it was
> ignored, of course. I waited until there was a break in traffic, and 
> stepped
> out, at my usual pace for crossing, which is slow by normal standards as I 
> don't
> walk fast. So as I was walking across, one car, then another, drove 
> directly in
> front of me across the crosswalk, with no thought of stopping or even 
> slowing
> down. A third car came within a few feet of me. As I was almost across, a 
> car
> did stop for me, but I wonder if it was only because I was directly in his 
> path?
>
> What are the laws about these crosswalks in areas with a lot of 
> pedestrians? A
> crosswalk with no crosswalk light and/or not at an intersection? What 
> about an
> intersection with no crosswalk? Anyone know where to find these laws? I 
> have
> some ideas how to get involved in correcting these problems, if my 
> assumption is
> correct that the lack of a light does not excus lack of yielding. Is this
> correct?
>
> Wondering,
> Jewel
>
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