You stare blankly at the opposite side of the road, waiting for the traffic lights to turn before you can cross the zebra crossing. You come across another one, this time without traffic lights to signal you to cross. You waited patiently until traffic is clear, before dashing across.
You’ve probably used the zebra crossings like the above. Yet, it would have slipped your mind that you just came across two completely different coloured zebra crossings, a yellow and a white. Both serve the same purpose, yet slightly different and now you know.
White Zebra Crossing
When we conjure up an image of a zebra crossing, chances are we’d picture a black and white. The function of a white zebra crossing is to let drivers know that they must stop and give way to pedestrians who are crossing it.
Unfortunately, that is easier said than done. You’d notice that most white zebra crossings have no traffic lights accompanying it, which can make crossing them a challenge. A study done by MIROS showed that 74% of drivers do not give way to pedestrians at zebra crossings especially in the absence of traffic signal.
Therefore, it will be up to the pedestrian to when it’s safe to cross. However, once a pedestrian is already crossing a white zebra crossing, drivers must stop to give pedestrians the right of way.
Yellow Zebra Crossing
The yellow zebra crossing is a little different. These crossings are usually accompanied by traffic lights and are usually placed in areas with high traffic density, making it hard to cross the road. Unlike the black and white zebra crossing, pedestrians and motorists will have to abide by the traffic signals. According to the Malaysian Public Works Department, there is no ‘first come first serve’ basis at this crossing.
It goes without saying that the road is a dangerous place, while zebra crossings help pedestrians cross the road safely, safety should not be taken for granted and pedestrians must be vigilant when crossing the road. As for drivers, we highly urge that you slow down when coming up to a zebra crossing regardless if it’s white or yellow.
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