Traffic regulations for pedestrian safety

Traffic regulation for pedestrian safety encompasses not only rules of the road but also planning powers to create a safe environment, together with the use of vehicle design and other standards to reduce the severity as well as the incidence of accidents. Main aspects of traffic law discussed are speed and parking restrictions imposed on drivers and crossing restrictions imposed on pedestrians. The desirability of giving legal precedence to pedestrians over left turning vehicles at intersections is questioned, especially where slip lanes are in use; to increase vehicle capacity in these circumstances 'left turn on red' is considered as an alternative. Both alcohol affected pedestrians and young children are regarded as special cases not amenable to the normal practices of traffic regulation. The uniform vehicle code of the United States is put forward as a model for pedestrian traffic law as it stresses the mutual rights and obligations of pedestrians and drivers.