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I was talking with a friend this past week and they asked me a question that made me think.

The question was, "Didn't someone get killed after being struck by a car by the library?"

"Yes," I said. "We covered that."

The person went on to say that while driving in that same area, someone was trying to cross the street at that same location.

"That isn't a crosswalk," the person said. "The crosswalk is only a few feet away. People should get some exercise and walk to the crosswalk so people driving can see them and stop for them."

Sounds like a good idea to me. It makes total good sense from a safety standpoint.

In researching the pedestrian in crosswalk law, I came across a brief explanation of how both pedestrians and motorists should respond.

Rules and pointers for pedestrians and drivers

The most important safety tip to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities is to pay attention. You can significantly reduce your chances of being in a collision with a motor vehicle by obeying traffic rules and being aware of dangers posed by cars in your vicinity. Make eye contact with drivers if possible and make sure that they can see you.

Both drivers and pedestrians have certain safety responsibilities that depend on both circumstances and common sense.

Drivers must:

Yield to pedestrians when crossing a sidewalk or entering an alley or driveway

Yield to pedestrians who have started crossing at an intersection or crosswalk on a "walk" signal or a green light, if there is no walk signal

Yield to pedestrians who are crossing the highway within a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection where there are no traffic lights or control signals

Not overtake and pass any vehicle that stops at an intersection or crosswalk to permit a pedestrian or bicyclist to cross the roadway safely

Pedestrians must:

Yield to drivers when crossing a road where there is no intersection or crosswalk or where the pedestrian does not have a green or "walk" signal and where vehicles have a green signal

Not suddenly move into the path of a closely approaching vehicle that does not have sufficient time to yield for a pedestrian

Walk on and along the left side of a highway when not walking on a sidewalk. Note: This law does not apply to bicycles. Bicycles operate under the same laws as other legal vehicles on the road and should always stay on the right side of the road.

Those are the rules for both drivers and pedestrians. For safety's sake, let's follow them.