Posted on Feb 25, 2016

These days, you can’t ignore stop signs and speed limits and expect to not get a ticket. But if you completely ignore the law that compels drivers to yield to pedestrians at all corners and crosswalks, you’ll probably get away with it.

Yield To Pedestrians stickerAs a result, the rate of pedestrian fatalities across the county is not improving. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, pedestrian fatalities are 15 percent higher than in 2009 and remain relatively unchanged since 2013.

A Madison pedestrian was recently hit in a crosswalk near Regent Street and West Washington Avenue. A careless driver failed to yield the right of way and hit him while turning left. The victim sustained a leg fracture and other injuries, but is expected to recover. Hupy and Abraham is representing the victim.

In Milwaukee, a 35-year-old man was tragically killed in a crosswalk. The man was crossing South 16th Street when a driver sped up to “beat the light.”

The man died of his injuries at a local hospital and the driver did not stop. The Milwaukee Police Department have been asking the public for information to help them catch the driver.

The Milwaukee Police should also take this as a lesson to take pedestrian laws more seriously. For the past three years, Attorney Michael Hupy has written letters to all 19 metro-Milwaukee Mayors and Police Chiefs, urging them to start writing tickets to those who ignore the law.

“In this area, there’s a lack of understanding … Drivers don’t realize that they need to stop or yield for pedestrians whenever there’s a crosswalk. I’ve even seen county buses and city police not follow the law. Even if people do know the law exists, they feel they don’t need to follow it,” says Attorney Hupy.

Hupy and Abraham has distributed thousands of free “Yield To Pedestrians” bumper stickers and produced public service announcements to educate people on the law.

Jill Erin Wellskopf
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Director of Marketing, Hupy and Abraham