If a traffic signal changes while a pedestrian is still on the street, which of the following has the right-of-way?
- The pedestrian ✓
- Motorists making a turn
- Motorists coming from the pedestrian’s left
- Motorists coming from the pedestrian’s right
Answer: A. The pedestrian
The pedestrian keeps the right-of-way — if the signal changes while someone is still crossing, drivers must still yield to that person.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says you must yield to pedestrians at intersections and when turning, and that it is always the driver's responsibility to avoid hitting a pedestrian. It also tells pedestrians not to leave the curb until approaching vehicles have stopped or will stop, and to watch for turning vehicles. Putting that together, the change of signal does not hand the street over to drivers while a person is still in it — the driver has to hold back and let the pedestrian finish. Nothing in these pages gives turning or approaching motorists priority over someone already crossing.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Motorists making a turn — The handbook lists turning as one of the times you must yield to pedestrians, so a driver making a turn has no claim over someone still in the street.
- C. Motorists coming from the pedestrian’s left — Drivers approaching from the pedestrian's left are not given priority anywhere in these passages; the driver's duty to avoid hitting a pedestrian still applies.
- D. Motorists coming from the pedestrian’s right — Drivers coming from the pedestrian's right are likewise not granted the right-of-way, because yielding to pedestrians at intersections applies to all drivers.
Remember it
Ask yourself whose body is out there: a person on foot in the street outranks any vehicle waiting, no matter what the light says.