file photo by Boyd Loving
By Michael Symons February 5, 2017 7:01 PM
TRENTON — More than 500 pedestrians have been killed in New Jersey since 2014, the most in any three-year stretch since the early 1990s. A new legislative proposal seeks to remedy that by shifting more of the responsibility onto them, rather than drivers.
Bill A4449, called the Driver and Pedestrian Mutual Responsibility Act, says pedestrians could only cross at designated crosswalks, ends a requirement that drivers stop and stay stopped for people who are crossing a street and doesn’t automatically blame drivers if someone is hit in a crosswalk.
Assemblyman Chris Brown, R-Atlantic, said the purpose of the legislation “is to try to bring common sense back to the Statehouse.”
“Throughout the summer and even into the winter months, there are numerous complaints and problems with pedestrians just stepping off the curb into traffic,” Brown said.
“What we have done is try to codify common sense and make sure that people use the good brain that God gave them before they cross the street,” he said. “And you would think you wouldn’t necessarily need to put some of these common sense items into writing, but unfortunately you do.”
Read More: Why NJ lawmakers want to get rid of the stop-for-pedestrians law | https://nj1015.com/why-nj-lawmakers-want-to-get-rid-of-the-stop-for-pedestrians-law/?trackback=tsmclip
