§ 21954 Pedestrian Right Of Way Rules

Vehicle Code·California

AI SummaryVerified

This law says pedestrians must let cars go first if they're crossing the street outside of a crosswalk. But drivers still have to be careful and not hit people.

Key Takeaways

•If you cross the street outside a crosswalk, you have to wait for cars if it's dangerous.
•Drivers still have to be careful and not hit people, even if they're crossing the wrong way.
•Police can only stop you for crossing wrong if it's really dangerous, like a car is about to hit you.

Example

A person crosses the street in the middle of the block, not at a crosswalk.

If a car is coming and it's dangerous, the person crossing must wait. But the driver still can't just speed up or ignore the person.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source

View on CA.gov

§ 21954 Pedestrian Right Of Way Rules

(a) Every pedestrian upon 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 so near as to constitute an immediate hazard. (b) The provisions of this section shall not relieve the driver of a vehicle from the duty to exercise due care for the safety of any pedestrian upon a roadway. (c) (1) A peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, shall not stop a pedestrian for a violation of subdivision (a) unless a reasonably careful person would realize there is an immediate danger of a collision with a moving vehicle or other device moving exclusively by human power. (2) This subdivision does not relieve a pedestrian from the duty of using due care for their safety. (3) This subdivision does not relieve a driver of a vehicle from the duty of exercising due care for the safety of any pedestrian within the roadway. (Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 957, Sec. 10. (AB 2147) Effective January 1, 2023.)

Last verified: January 9, 2026

Key Terms

pedestrian marked crosswalk unmarked crosswalk immediate hazard due care peace officer immediate danger of a collision

References

Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
California Legislature. Vehicle Code. Section 21954.

§ 21954 Pedestrian Right Of Way Rules

Vehicle Code·California

AI SummaryVerified

§ 21954 Pedestrian Right Of Way Rules

This law says pedestrians must let cars go first if they're crossing the street outside of a crosswalk. But drivers still have to be careful and not hit people.

Key Takeaways

•If you cross the street outside a crosswalk, you have to wait for cars if it's dangerous.
•Drivers still have to be careful and not hit people, even if they're crossing the wrong way.
•Police can only stop you for crossing wrong if it's really dangerous, like a car is about to hit you.

Example

A person crosses the street in the middle of the block, not at a crosswalk.

If a car is coming and it's dangerous, the person crossing must wait. But the driver still can't just speed up or ignore the person.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source

View on CA.gov

§ 21954 Pedestrian Right Of Way Rules

Last verified: January 9, 2026

Key Terms

pedestrian marked crosswalk unmarked crosswalk immediate hazard due care peace officer immediate danger of a collision

References

Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
California Legislature. Vehicle Code. Section 21954.

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

References

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

References