Flashing Beacons Not Enough: Yakima Drivers Disregard Crosswalks

Around Yakima we have several intersections with crosswalks. Those are no-brainers as, as the driver, you think if you run a red light you'd get pulled over and get a hefty fine to the tune of upwards of $250.

But considering there's a crosswalk there as well where a pedestrian could have been walking, that's what makes it scary.

Those stoplights aside, there are several crosswalks around Yakima as well. No, there's no traffic light telling cars to stop.

The problem is, so many cars don't bother stopping.

They're supposed to, but they don't.

A few have even installed those lit beacons that flash letting drivers know there's someone wishing to cross. They have one of these pedestrian crossings on 40th and Chestnut, another on 7th and Tieton, and a few more around town.

So many cars still don't bother stopping.

Can you get a fine for driving through a crosswalk

The answer is you can.
Not as much as if you ran a red light, but you can be fined.

According to tri-cityherald.com you can get fined upwards of, get this, $48.

It may even double in school zones so be extra careful around there.

This is pertaining to actual crosswalks with the marking on the roads. According to RCW 46.61.240 all intersections are crosswalks for pedestrians to legally cross when it's safe to do so. In these cases, the pedestrian must yield to traffic.

If you see someone wishing to cross at a crosswalk, let them cross.

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Source: Driving Through a Crosswalk in WA Could Have You Pay a Fine

Filed Under: laws, Washington State Laws