USA Banner
  U.S. flag
              An official website of the United States government Here's how you knowOfficial US Government Icon
              **Official websites use .gov**A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
            Secure Site Icon
              **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                  A **lock** ( A locked padlock ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 
 U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation
 Search DOT
            Search
                    About FHWAFHWA Organization
                Headquarters Offices
                Field Offices
                Strategic Plan
                Business Opportunities
                Staff Directories
                Careers
                Highway History
                Contact UsProgramsAcquisition Management
                Civil Rights
                Federal Lands Highway
                Infrastructure
                Innovative Program Delivery
                Operations
                Planning, Environment, and Realty
                Policy
                Research, Development, and Technology
                Safety
                Browse by TopicsResourcesCore Highway Topics
                Federal Aid Essentials
                Automation
                Complete Streets
                Laws and Regulations
                Policy & Guidance Center
                Section 508
                Publications and Statistics
                Professional Development
                National Highway Institute
                Resource Center
                Accessibility Resource Library
                FHWA Research LibraryNewsroomPress Releases
                Speeches & Testimony
                Photos
                Videos
                Media ContactsMenu FHWA Highway Safety Programs Home
                        Safety
                        Proven Safety Countermeasures


            
            In This Section
        Proven Safety Countermeasures
                Search Safety Proven Countermeasures
                Resources
      
   Related Links
          For More Info Visit the Crosswalk Visibility Enhancements Tech Sheet

              Crosswalk Visibility Enhancements
U.S. Department of Transportation logoU.S. Department of Transportation
    Federal Highway Administration
    FHWA-SA-21-049

          PDFCrosswalk Visibility Enhancements_508.pdf (PDF, 429.92 KB)


        Poor lighting conditions, obstructions such as parked cars, and horizontal or vertical roadway curvature can reduce visibility at crosswalks, contributing to safety issues. For multilane roadway crossings where vehicle volumes are in excess of 10,000 Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT), a marked crosswalk alone is typically not sufficient. Under such conditions, more substantial crossing improvements could prevent an increase in pedestrian crash potential.

Three main crosswalk visibility enhancements help make crosswalks and the pedestrians, bicyclists, wheelchair and other mobility device users, and transit users using them more visible to drivers. These include high-visibility crosswalks, lighting, and signing and pavement markings. These enhancements can also assist users in deciding where to cross. Agencies can implement these features as standalone or combination enhancements to indicate the preferred location for users to cross.

"A high visibility crosswalk crossing a two-lane road. The two-lane road extends from the lower left to the upper right corner of the illustration. To the right of the crosswalk, on street parking is present on both sides of the roadway. On the right side of each lane approaching the crosswalk, a pedestrian crossing warning sign with directional arrow plaque is present. R1-6a Stop Here For Pedestrians signs are also present in the center of the roadway. Within the illustration, two inset images show close up photographs of the W11-2 pedestrian crossing warning sign with W16-7P directional arrow plaque and the R1-6a Stop Here For Pedestrians sign, respectively."

Source: FHWA

High-visibility crosswalks

High-visibility crosswalks use patterns (i.e., bar pairs, continental, ladder) that are visible to both the driver and pedestrian from farther away compared to traditional transverse line crosswalks. They should be considered at all midblock pedestrian crossings and uncontrolled intersections. Agencies should use materials such as inlay or thermoplastic tape, instead of paint or brick, for highly reflective crosswalk markings.

Improved Lighting

The goal of crosswalk lighting should be to illuminate with positive contrast to make it easier for a driver to visually identify the pedestrian. This involves carefully placing the luminaires in forward locations to avoid a silhouette effect of the pedestrian.

Enhanced Signing and Pavement Markings

On multilane roadways, agencies can use ”YIELD Here to Pedestrians“ or ”STOP Here for Pedestrians“ signs 20 to 50 feet in advance of a marked crosswalk to indicate where a driver should stop or yield to pedestrians, depending on State law. To supplement the signing, agencies can also install a STOP or YIELD bar (commonly referred to as ”shark’s teeth”) pavement markings.

In-street signing, such as ”STOP Here for Pedestrians“ or ”YIELD Here to Pedestrians“ may be appropriate on roads with two- or three-lane roads where speed limits are 30 miles per hour or less.



        Sources
        1. (CMF ID: 4123) Chen, L., C. Chen, and R. Ewing. The Relative Effectiveness of Pedestrian Safety Countermeasures at Urban Intersections - Lessons from a New York City Experience. (2012).

2. (CMF ID: 436) Elvik, R. and Vaa, T. Handbook of Road Safety Measures. Oxford, United Kingdom, Elsevier, (2004).

3. (CMF ID: 9017) Zeeger et al. Development of Crash Modification Factors for Uncontrolled Pedestrian Crossing Treatments, FHWA, (2017).

Transportation agencies should refer to the *Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)* for information on crosswalk markings (Chapter 3C) and in-street signing (Sections 2B.19 and 2B.20).
    
    Safety Benefit IconSafety Benefits:
              
High-visibility crosswalks can reduce pedestrian injury crashes up to1
          40%
      
            Intersection lighting can reduce pedestrian crashes up to2
          42%
      
            Advance yield or stop markings and signs can reduce pedestrian crashes up to3
          25% U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

202-366-4000Subscribe to email updates
                    About
  

        
              About FHWA
                Careers
                Org Chart
                Staff Directories
                Work with UsPrograms
  

        
              Acquisition Management
                Civil Rights
                Federal Lands Highway
                Infrastructure
                Innovative Program Delivery
                Operations
                Planning, Environment, and Realty
                Policy
                Research, Development, and Technology
                SafetyPolicies, Rights, Legal
  

        
              About DOT
                Accessibility
                Budget and Performance
                Civil Rights
                FOIA
                Information Quality
                No FEAR Act
                Office of Inspector General
                Privacy Policy
                USA.gov
                Web Policies and Notices
                Web StandardsNews & Events
  

        
              Newsroom
                Press Releases
                Speeches & Testimony
                Media Contacts
                Connect with Us