Signs are everywhere on Illinois streets, reminding drivers to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk, even if there’s no stop sign, but does anyone really yield for pedestrians?
More than 6,000 pedestrians are hit by cars every year in Illinois. Out of those, 172 are killed, including 50 children. Most pedestrian fatalities occur in marked crosswalks.
“Compliance is really, really low,” said Active Transportation Alliance spokesman Kyle Whitehead, an expert in crosswalk safety.
Very few drivers obey the so-called “Must Stop Law.”
The Active Transportation Alliance conducted trials at dozens of crosswalks across the Chicago area, to see just how many cars would stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk. Some were well-marked, others were not.
Out of 208 trials, only 40 times did the first approaching car actually stop. That’s only 19% compliance