Pedestrians in Crosswalks

* Re “For 4 Hours, Polite Driving Pays,” March 29:

I was puzzled by this story [describing an undercover officer posing as a pedestrian].

Having recently attended traffic school, the issue arose of when it is permitted for a vehicle to cross a crosswalk when a pedestrian is present. All sorts of answers--only when the pedestrian is on the curb; only when the pedestrian has reached the center divider; when the pedestrian is still crossing the opposing traffic; when the person is 10 feet away--were rejected by the instructor.

She then read the vehicle code that vaguely said the vehicle must yield to the pedestrian, and reiterated that there was no absolute rule regarding distance or location of the pedestrian. The implication was that as long as the pedestrian wasn’t directly in front of you, or immediately about to step in front of you, it is permissible to drive through a crosswalk containing a pedestrian. Was the instructor wrong about this?

JULIE BIXBY

Huntington Beach