21950 (99) VC Must yield to pedestrians in cross walk

[bennybarnes220]

Hi all,
First let me start off by saying I am in Northern California. I was pulled over tonight for going through a crosswalk with a pedestrian in it. The noted speed the officer wrote down was 20 MPH the speed limit was 25 MPH, and there was no stop sign. The crosswalk was not lit, and due to the pedestrians dark clothing I did not see them until after I was through the intersection. I have never been pulled over before today, and have no other imperfections on my record. I literally just didnt see the pedestrian. What are my options here, should I try to contest or am I better off doing traffic school? Let me know if any other information is needed.

 

[FlyingRon]

You have no defense. Traffic school is a good option.

 

[davew128]

Well I don't know that there's NO defense. If you didn't impede the pedestrian, one could reasonably and depending on the court successfully argue that failure to yield is not the same as driving through a crosswalk with a pedestrian in it. Certainly if the pedestrian was nowhere near your car, its better