When do pedestrians have right of way in Australia?
- By
- Aparna Patel
- |
- 31 Jul, 2023
- |
NT’s Road Users Handbook specifically says
As a driver, you are legally required to give way to pedestrians at
crossings and when entering or leaving a driveway. However, you should
always be prepared to stop for pedestrians.
This is generally the minimum standard across Australia, e.g. in NSW pedestrians always have right of way:
Drivers must always give way to pedestrians if there is danger of
colliding with them, however pedestrians should not rely on this and
should take great care when crossing any road.
However some areas have signs that preclude these rights, e.g. Mackay has signs in their CBD indicating that pedestrians do not have right of way. This doesn’t mean cars will hit you but as a frequent pedestrian I find it better to not get hit rather than argue over who had right of way – common courtesy is not necessarily common, though if you are waiting patiently on the side of the road to cross, many drivers will wave you across… and some won’t.
The ABC has a good write up of it on their blog site
They point out that despite the laws, common sense should always prevail – just because a car has the right of way, does not mean he should drive into that pedestrian walking in front of him, and pedestrians should do everything in their power not to be an obstruction to traffic.
In regards to right of way:
In general, drivers are required by law to give way to pedestrians in
the following situations:· At pedestrian crossings and in shared zones.
· When the driver is entering or leaving the road. For example:
when driving into or out of your driveway at home you must give way to
pedestrians on the footpath.· When the driver is turning left or right at an intersection
the driver must give way to any pedestrian at or near the intersection
who is crossing the road the driver is entering. This provision does
not appear to apply to roundabouts, perversely.· When the driver is doing a U-turn.
· When turning left in a slip lane the driver must give way to
any pedestrian on the slip lane.
Credit:stackoverflow.com‘