traffic crime
Do jaywalking laws apply in neighborhoods and other areas with few-lane roads?
<p>Do jaywalking laws apply mainly to areas with multi-lane roads and higher traffic, or do they apply even in smaller neighborhoods and 5 mph campgrounds? Is it considered illegal if, for example, I cross the street to visit a neighbor whose house is right in front of mine, separated only by a small road? I'll primarily apply this to U.S. law and assume that any state laws against jaywalking would be similar. I've looked for answers to this question but haven't found anything that directly addresses this issue.</p>
<p>If crossing the street is illegal even in such scenarios, are intersections the only valid way to cross the street in neighborhoods, assuming there are no marked crosswalks? If not, in what types of areas do jaywalking laws apply/not apply?</p>

<p>I believe the answer you seek can be found by searching for the terms &quot;(desired state name) statutes pedestrian crossing.&quot;</p>
<p>In the case of the state of <a href="https://m.flsenate.gov/Statutes/316.130" rel="noreferrer">Florida</a>, there are references to the situation you describe. Some of it appears slightly contradictory, but the ones that apply are not ambiguous:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(10) Every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than
within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an
intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the
roadway.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>(12) No pedestrian shall, except in a marked crosswalk, cross a
roadway at any other place than by a route at right angles to the curb
or by the shortest route to the opposite curb.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The contradictory portion appears thus:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(11) Between adjacent intersections at which traffic control signals
are in operation, pedestrians shall not cross at any place except in a
marked crosswalk.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There appears to be no reference regarding distances between adjacent intersections. It's unreasonable for one to be expected to walk a half mile (0.8 km) if there's a mile between intersections. There's an area nearby in which the traffic control signals are spaced about that distance apart.</p>
<p>Cities may have specific regulations regarding such activities.</p>

<p><a href="/questions/tagged/australia" class="post-tag" title="show questions tagged &#39;australia&#39;" rel="tag">australia</a></p>
<p>The rules for pedestrians are in <a href="https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/sl-2014-0758#pt.14" rel="noreferrer">Part 14</a> of the Road Rules (NSW rules linked but they are uniform across Australia).</p>
<p>The relevant rules are Nos 230 Crossing a road—general and 234 Crossing a road on or near a crossing for pedestrians</p>
<p>They say:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>230(1)  A pedestrian crossing a road—</p>
<p>(a)  must cross by the shortest safe route, and</p>
<p>(b)  must not stay on the road longer than necessary to cross the road safely.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and</p>
<blockquote>
<p>234(1)  A pedestrian must not cross a road, or part of a road, within 20 metres of a crossing on the road, except at the crossing or another crossing, unless the pedestrian is— [and I won't list the situational exemptions].</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So, it is flat out illegal to cross within 20m of a crossing. It might be illegal if you don't cross by the &quot;shortest safe route&quot;.</p>

<p><a href="/questions/tagged/germany" class="post-tag" title="show questions tagged &#39;germany&#39;" rel="tag">germany</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Do jaywalking laws apply mainly to areas with multi-lane roads and higher traffic, ...</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Yes, they only apply <strong>if the traffic density, driving speed, visibility or the flow of traffic <em>require it</em></strong>. (§ 25(3) StVO)</p>
<hr />
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stvo_2013/__25.html" rel="noreferrer">Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung (StVO) § 25 Fußgänger</a><br />
...<br />
(3) Wer zu Fuß [Fußgänger] geht, hat Fahrbahnen unter Beachtung des Fahrzeugverkehrs zügig auf dem kürzesten Weg quer zur Fahrtrichtung zu überschreiten. <em>Wenn die Verkehrsdichte, Fahrgeschwindigkeit, Sichtverhältnisse oder der Verkehrsablauf <strong>es erfordern</strong></em>, ist eine Fahrbahn nur an Kreuzungen oder Einmündungen, an Lichtzeichenanlagen innerhalb von Markierungen, an Fußgängerquerungshilfen oder auf Fußgängerüberwegen (Zeichen 293) zu überschreiten. Wird die Fahrbahn an Kreuzungen oder Einmündungen überschritten, sind dort vorhandene Fußgängerüberwege oder Markierungen an Lichtzeichenanlagen stets zu benutzen.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(3) Anyone who is walking [pedestrian] must cross the lanes quickly, taking into account vehicle traffic, using the shortest route across the direction of travel. <em>If the traffic density, driving speed, visibility or the flow of traffic <strong>require it</strong></em>, a lane may only be crossed at intersections or junctions, at traffic lights within markings, at pedestrian crossing aids or on pedestrian crossings (sign 293). If the lane is crossed at intersections or junctions, existing pedestrian crossings or markings on traffic lights must always be used.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>...</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Just for information, as you've got Australian and German answers (quite apart from the reminder that within the US, statutes do vary significantly by location), I'd mention that there is no such offence in the United Kingdom where it's considered a personal responsibility to cross the road safely!</p>
<p>Well, just for @Community, despite the issues of attempting to prove a negative, here are the instructions as how to cross the road in the UK - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/rules-for-pedestrians-1-to-35" rel="noreferrer">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/rules-for-pedestrians-1-to-35</a></p>

<p>Many laws have <em>very boring</em> preambles, which people tend to ignore: definitions, procedural rules, etc.  One of those is the &quot;Jurisdiction&quot; or &quot;Applicability&quot; section, which states in which locations the law applies.</p>
<p>That is the section of interest here.</p>
<p>A campground is private property, and the roads there are not public roads. It would likely be excluded from jaywalking laws on that basis... unless the facility was of a nature that resembled a public road, and they had made arrangements with police to enforce on their roads.  An arrangement like that is typically seen in shopping malls, for instance.</p>
