Crossing The Road
ORS 811.028 and ORS 814.040 — drivers stop and stay stopped at a crosswalk; outside one, the pedestrian yields
In a crosswalk, drivers stop and remain stopped. A driver stops and remains stopped for a pedestrian crossing in a crosswalk, marked or unmarked, or proceeding under a traffic control device, when the pedestrian is in the driver's lane or the lane next to it, or in or near the lane the driver is turning into. A pedestrian is crossing once any part of the pedestrian, or a wheelchair, cane, crutch or bicycle, moves onto the roadway in the crosswalk with intent to proceed. Not doing it is a Class B traffic violation.
Outside a crosswalk, the pedestrian yields. A pedestrian crossing the roadway anywhere other than a marked crosswalk or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection yields the right of way to vehicles, and no pedestrian may suddenly leave a curb into the path of a vehicle so close it is an immediate hazard. Either is a Class D traffic violation.
| The pedestrian faces | What the pedestrian may do |
|---|---|
| The pedestrian facesGreen light or green arrow | What the pedestrian may doProceed across within any marked or unmarked crosswalk |
| The pedestrian facesSteady yellow or steady red | What the pedestrian may doNot enter the roadway, unless a pedestrian signal directs otherwise |
| The pedestrian facesWalk | What the pedestrian may doProceed in the direction of the signal |
| The pedestrian facesWait or Don't Walk | What the pedestrian may doNot start to cross; one already crossing continues to a sidewalk or safety island |
Failing to obey a traffic control device that applies to a pedestrian is a Class D traffic violation, unless the pedestrian is following a police officer's directions. A driver need not stop on the far half of a road divided by a safety island, or where a pedestrian tunnel or overpass is provided. How these apply to a particular crossing is a question for a licensed Oregon attorney.
Sources for this section (4)
- ORS 811.028 — Failure to stop and remain stopped for pedestrian
- ORS 814.010 — Appropriate responses to traffic control devices
- ORS 814.020 — Failure to obey traffic control device
- ORS 814.040 — Failure to yield to vehicle
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Oregon attorney.