How to navigate A1A chaos? Police explain law, give tips for walkers, drivers
A couple crosses A1A without using a crosswalk to get to Atlantic Dunes Park in Delray Beach. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Rich Pollack
The close call came as Rafael Pineiro was crossing State Road A1A in the town of South Palm Beach.
He and a friend had just started walking from the beach park near the south end of town when a car slowed to let them cross.
At the same time, the driver of a second northbound car decided to go around the slower first car and came perilously close to hitting his friend and Pineiro, who is advocating for crosswalks in town — which has none — following a collision that killed a pedestrian in 2023.
“I remember saying ‘this is a bad situation’” just prior to the near miss, Pineiro said. Fortunately, he was paying close attention to the roadway and he and his friend stopped walking in time.
Crossing a highway should be simple: Look both ways and wait until the coast is clear before you cross. However, when it comes to A1A, with its abundance of crosswalks in some areas — and lack of them in others — and with many bicyclists also using the road, the guidelines for when a walker should go and when a driver should stop can be complicated.
Confusion can contribute to tragedy and may have been a factor in February when 71-year-old Roz Lowney was killed while crossing A1A in a Delray Beach crosswalk.
For drivers and pedestrians, knowing the best way to be safe can be challenging.
Should a driver stop and let someone waiting to cross the road go if that person is not at a crosswalk? Is it OK to cross outside of a crosswalk? Should pedestrians step into the crosswalk when a car is still going, but is far enough away that the pedestrian believes the car has time to stop?
Do drivers have to stop if they see a walker entering a crosswalk in the opposite lane? Do bicycles have to stop when a pedestrian is in a crosswalk?
Top tip: Assume nothing
While the answers differ based on specific circumstances, law enforcement professionals who have decades of experience and hundreds of hours of training advocate being cautious and offer some tips that can enhance safety for everyone using A1A.
One of the most basic of the recommendations that apply to both drivers and those crossing A1A is to avoid assumptions.
People entering a crosswalk should never assume that a vehicle is going to stop, even though that is the law, law enforcement and safety advocates say.
“The crosswalk isn’t your savior,” says Manalapan Police Chief Jeff Rasor, who spent several years leading Delray Beach’s traffic division before arriving in Manalapan this year, and who has undergone several hundred hours of traffic safety training. “The crosswalk is not a physical barrier.”
Rasor said some who cross the road just assume a car is going to stop and step into the crosswalk without waiting for the car to slow or without making eye contact with the driver to get an idea of whether he or she will slow down.
On A1A where there are pedestrian-activated flashing yellow lights, some pedestrians enter the crosswalk as soon as they push the button, believing all drivers will hit the brakes.
But some drivers don’t. “Don’t have a false sense of security,” Rasor says.
Do drivers know the law?
Florida law is clear about cars stopping when there is a pedestrian in a crosswalk — crosswalk signs say it, too. Motorists must stop even when the pedestrian is in the opposite lane of traffic and must stop once the pedestrian steps foot into the crosswalk.
Still, Highland Beach Police Chief Craig Hartmann points out that a beach road like A1A draws a lot of tourists from out of state and even out of the country who may not know the law. As a result, pedestrians need to be extra sure the vehicle will stop, which isn’t always the case.
Drivers on A1A should also be alert and defensive and not assume they will be able to stop in time when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk. Rasor recommends keeping an eye on your speed and driving within the speed limit.
He said drivers should reduce their speeds when they see a pedestrian entering the crosswalk. By slowing down gradually before coming to a halt, instead of coming to a sudden stop, motorists can avoid rear-end collisions.
Drivers should also be extra cautious if they see someone not at a crosswalk, on either side of the road, waiting to cross. Both Rasor and Hartmann, however, recommend not stopping because the driver behind you could try to go around you and end up hitting the pedestrian.
Don’t be distracted
The message from both Rasor and Hartmann for pedestrians waiting to cross is to go back to what you learned as a kid — look both ways first. Both recommend looking to your left, then to your right and then to your left again.
Crossing in a place without a crosswalk is OK if there’s not a crosswalk nearby, Rasor said, but it should always be done with extra caution.
Another piece of advice to both pedestrians and motorists is to stay off your cellphone both when crossing the road and when driving along a road with lots of pedestrians and bicyclists, especially if you’re holding the phone.
Distracted pedestrians and distracted motorists account for a fair number of the crashes involving both vehicles and pedestrians, Rasor said.
Even motorists speaking on a phone hands free should be extra vigilant when driving on a heavily traveled road like A1A because of the distraction the phone causes.
Distractions also account for crashes involving bicyclists. In a recent survey done by Boca First, bicyclists listed distracted, impaired and careless drivers as one of the top dangers in riding on A1A.
Like vehicles, bicyclists are required to stop if a pedestrian is in a crosswalk.
Rasor says that it’s important for pedestrians to make sure they’re aware of their surroundings so they’ll have a better idea of when vehicles might be coming their way. If you’re about to cross the road after a curve, for example, recognize that you might not see a car coming right away, so be extra cautious.
Trent Schambach and his son, Sutton, wait with Shelby Stenger, Sutton’s grandma, to cross A1A to their car from Atlantic Dunes Park in Delray Beach.
Night crossings
Hartmann recommends taking extra safety steps when crossing after dark.
“Crossing at night, you’re not as visible as you are in the daylight,” he said. “It’s more important that your caution and awareness are greater at night.”
In Highland Beach, which has been a leader in taking measures to ensure pedestrian safety, lights have been installed to illuminate all the town’s seven crosswalks and they are on all night. Those crosswalks all have pedestrian-activated flashing yellow lights and orange flags that pedestrians can carry across the road.
Other communities also have pedestrian-activated yellow lights at crosswalks.
Highland Beach is planning to embed lights in the crosswalks once road construction is completed.
Educating both motorists and pedestrians on how to cross A1A safely is a priority for local law enforcement agencies. In Highland Beach, police often go to condo meetings and other gatherings to share safety tips.
Highland Beach has also conducted crosswalk safety operations in which a police officer in civilian clothes attempts to use a crosswalk. Motorists who don’t stop can receive a citation.
“Our residents’ safety is our No. 1 priority, so we’re willing to deploy the latest safety measures,” Town Manager Marshall Labadie said.
Patrick and Maeve Murphy, visiting from Boston, use the crosswalk and crosswalk flag to properly cross A1A just north of the Coronado at Highland Beach. They were headed to the beach.
Tips for navigating A1A
For pedestrians
• Look both ways (left-right-left) before crossing — even if you’re at a crosswalk.
• Stay off your cell phone while crossing to avoid distractions.
• Push the button (before crossing) to activate warning lights at crosswalks that have them. Using orange flags where available also will increase your visibility to drivers.
• Don’t assume a car is going to stop, even if you’re in a crosswalk and it’s the law.
For motorists
• Don’t use a handheld cell phone while driving — and be extra vigilant watching for pedestrians and bicyclists while using a hands-free cell phone, which also is distracting.
• Stop for pedestrians once they are in a crosswalk, whether they’re in your lane or the opposite lane. (It’s the law.)
• Drive within the speed limit, making it easier to gradually stop for pedestrians without having to slam on the brakes, which could cause a rear-end collision.
• Be cautious about pedestrians attempting to cross outside of crosswalks. Don’t stop if they are waiting for traffic to pass before crossing, as drivers behind you might not know what you are doing and may either rear-end you or seek to go around you, endangering the pedestrians.
Source: Local law enforcement agencies
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