Pedestrian crossings: spot the situation and respond early
Approach a pedestrian crossing with particular care and adjust your speed early. At a crossing without traffic control, give way to people already on it, or waiting in front of it and clearly intending to cross. Stop if necessary. They do not need to step onto the crossing or give a hand signal first.
General practice quiz covering different topics · no registration required
Four situations and their legal basis
These four situations connect observation and action: What can you see? What can you not see yet? What must you do now? The first three crossings have neither traffic lights nor police directing traffic. The fourth specifically covers turning right at a circular green light. None of the scenes includes a tram.
Legal basis: SVG Article 33(2), VRV Article 6(1). The linked legal texts are in German; the explanations here are teaching text in English, not an official translation.
1 · The person is still waiting at the kerb
Situation: You approach a pedestrian crossing without lights. A person waits immediately in front of it and clearly intends to cross. Your view is unobstructed.
Choose one answer:
- A. I keep going until the person steps onto the crossing.
- B. I slow down in good time, stop if necessary and allow the person to cross.
- C. I wait for a hand signal before responding.
Answer: B. A waiting person's clear intention to cross is enough. You must not wait for them to step onto the road. Eye contact can help, but is not a condition of their priority. In the illustrated solution the car remains stationary while the person crosses.
People on foot must also take care: They must not step onto the crossing unexpectedly or claim priority when a vehicle could no longer stop in time. Drivers remain responsible for observing early and choosing an appropriate speed. SVG Article 49(2), VRV Article 47(2).
Observation for your next lesson: Look at both sides of the road and the whole crossing early. Who might step onto it? Adjust your speed before the decision becomes urgent. Keep paying attention to the rest of the traffic too.
2 · Part of the waiting area is hidden
Situation: You approach a pedestrian crossing without lights. An obstruction hides part of the waiting area. You cannot yet see anyone crossing, but someone could emerge from behind it.
Choose one answer:
- A. If I cannot see a person, I can continue at the speed limit.
- B. Before reaching the obscured area, I adjust my speed so I can stop in time if a person appears.
- C. I sound the horn as a precaution and keep the same speed.
Answer: B. A limited view does not confirm that nobody is there. Your speed must suit your visibility. You must be able to stop within the distance you can see and take particular care near the crossing. A fixed claim such as “30 km/h is always safe here” would be wrong: visibility, road conditions, traffic and the vehicle all affect the situation.
Why the other answers fail: The speed limit is a maximum, not a promise that this speed is suitable. A warning signal does not make an overly fast approach safe. This also does not mean you must stop at every empty crossing with a clear view.
SVG Articles 32(1) and 33(2) · VRV Article 4(1) · BFU: restricted visibility at a crossing
3 · A car has stopped in the next lane
Situation: In an urban area, two lanes in the same direction lead to a pedestrian crossing without lights. A car in the left lane stops to let a person cross. You approach in the right lane. The other car may partly block your view.
Choose one answer:
- A. Nobody is visible in my lane, so I pass the stopped car.
- B. I pass slowly; priority only applies in the left lane.
- C. I brake in good time, stay before the crossing and let the person cross.
Answer: C. You must not overtake a vehicle that stops before a pedestrian crossing to allow someone to cross. On an urban road with several lanes in the same direction, permission to pass on the right does not apply when a vehicle has stopped to give way to pedestrians. The stopped car may be hiding the person about to reach your lane.
An additional rule in slow traffic: Do not enter the crossing if traffic would make you stop on it. This is separate from the crossing situation shown; the animation does not show a queue beyond it.
4 · Your light is green and you want to turn right
Situation: At a junction with traffic lights, your signal shows a circular green light, not a green arrow. You want to turn right. Pedestrians also have permission to cross the road you intend to enter. Their permission to cross is an explicit condition of this question.
Choose one answer:
- A. I let them cross and turn only when I will not impede them.
- B. My green light automatically gives me priority over everyone else.
- C. My indicator requires them to wait for me.
Answer: A. At a junction with traffic control, turning drivers must give way to pedestrians or users of vehicle-like devices crossing the road they are entering. A circular green light does not remove this duty. Check the crossing area while preparing to turn and again during the manoeuvre.
The important boundary: A green directional arrow without an accompanying flashing amber warning light is an exception to this rule. This scene explicitly has no such arrow. Nor does the example establish a universal Swiss rule that pedestrians always have priority whenever a vehicle turns. Without lights or police control, assess the actual arrangement, including a pedestrian crossing, a vehicle route across a continuous pavement (Trottoirüberfahrt), or a special zone. Even when you have priority, you must avoid endangering others.
Three distinctions to remember
Children: Take particular care around children. Be prepared for an unexpected step or a mistaken judgement about traffic. The BFU recommends coming to a complete stop when someone wants to cross; a clear standstill is especially important for children. A hand signal inviting a child to cross does not confirm that every other lane is safe. Schwyz cantonal police: stop fully without beckoning.
Riding or pushing a bicycle: Riding an ordinary bicycle across a pedestrian crossing does not, by itself, give the rider pedestrian priority. A person who gets off and pushes the bicycle is treated as a pedestrian. A cycle crossing, dedicated cycle signals or other priority rules need separate assessment; they are not shown in these four questions. The legal category ‘Kinderräder’ covers cycles designed specifically for children below compulsory school age. Swiss law treats these as vehicle-like devices; this does not cover every bicycle ridden by a child. At a crossing, vehicle-like devices follow the pedestrian rule. In all cases, avoid endangering anyone. VTS Article 24(2).
Islands and trams: At a crossing without traffic control, each half separated by a pedestrian island counts as a separate crossing for a person on foot. Drivers must still respond to recognisable hazards on the other half. A tram generally has priority over pedestrians, including at a pedestrian crossing; any applicable traffic lights or police directions must be followed. These special arrangements are outside the four scenes.
SVG Articles 26(2) and 38(1) · VRV Article 47(2–3) · BFU: safe behaviour at crossings · City of Zurich: riding or pushing a bicycle · VRV Article 1(10): children’s cycles and vehicle-like devices
Your next practice step
For each situation, explain: What do I notice? What is hidden? Why do I adjust my speed or stop? If your only reason is “I have priority”, reconsider visibility and any recognisable danger.
Practise more Swiss theory questions – the existing general practice quiz covers different topics. It is not a pedestrian-crossings-only test.
Find a driving instructor in Zurich – work on observation and early speed adjustment at a suitable stage in your learning. Your instructor should guide real traffic practice safely; do not deliberately create surprise hazards.
General practice quiz covering different topics · no registration required