Davis Law Group, P.S.

Pedestrian Accident Law in Washington State l Crosswalk Accident Attorney

In 1990, Washington State began requiring drivers to stop for pedestrians at unprotected crosswalks. The Seattle Police Department collaborated with the Harborview Injury Prevention Research Center to examine whether or not drivers were paying attention to the new law.

Despite stepped-up Seattle-wide awareness efforts for the new right-of-way laws - law enforcement reminders and such - compliance with the law didn't change. 81 of 100 motorists failed to stop for pedestrians involved in the study. However, when researchers and police focused awareness efforts on smaller neighborhoods, the study cited a decreased compliance in a commuter-heavy downtown neighborhood, but significantly increased compliance with the right-of-way law in a more residential area of the city. Over five years, the research firm was unable to make any connection between enforced right-of-way and increased willingness for drivers to stop for pedestrians.