A crosswalk is defined under the California Vehicle Code as “a portion of the roadway which allows pedestrians to cross.” There are two different types of sidewalks: marked and unmarked. Marked sidewalks are those with solid white or yellow lines used to guide the pedestrian toward the safe route. Unmarked crosswalks are those that are not marked with any signs or lines. But, several studies have shown that pedestrian accidents are most likely to occur near marked sidewalks rather than unmarked sidewalks. Drivers must drive with caution near both types of sidewalks.

Sacramento Pedestrian Laws

Sacramento, along with many other cities in California, has specific laws in place that aim to prevent pedestrian accidents.

• Pedestrians usually have the right of way when they are crossing the road. Usually, pedestrians have the right to cross the road at intersections where there are crosswalks, street lights, or stop signs.
  
  
• Pedestrians should refrain from being engaged in any type of distractions, such as listening to music and wearing headphones at a very high volume.
  
  
• Pedestrians should not jaywalk, but, recent laws have made jaywalking legal as long as it is safe considering the circumstances of the crosswalk and the time of traffic.
  
  
• Pedestrians must always yield and provide the right of way to emergency vehicles, such as fire trucks or ambulances.
  
  
• In the event that there is a safe sidewalk available, pedestrians should be using that sidewalk. In the event that a pedestrian does not use a sidewalk when there is a safe one clearly next to them, they may be partially responsible for their injuries in an accident.
  
  
• In the event that there is no sidewalk, a pedestrian should walk on the left side of the road and face traffic to avoid any collisions from vehicles from behind.

Freedom To Walk Act In California

The Freedom to Walk Act was enacted on January 1st 2023, and it was a statewide rule that allows pedestrians the right of way to cross the sidewalk when it is reasonably safe. This means that jaywalking could technically be legal under this act. But, pedestrians still have a duty to cross when it is safe. For example, when there are other oncoming vehicles, and a pedestrian decides to cross, it could be a violation of this act since the surroundings were not safe.