Do Crosswalk Flags Improve Pedestrian Safety?
Research and field observations point in the same direction: when pedestrians are more visible, drivers are more likely to notice them and yield.
Crosswalk flags are a simple, low cost way to increase visibility at the point of crossing and help drivers react sooner.
What the Research Shows
A Transportation Research Board and NCHRP review of pedestrian treatments at unsignalized crossings found that pedestrian crossing flags in Salt Lake City and Kirkland were moderately effective. Motorist yielding ranged from 46 percent to 79 percent, with an average compliance rate of 65 percent.
The report also found that pedestrian crossing flags and in street crossing signs were effective in prompting driver yielding, particularly on lower speed, lower volume roadways where visibility improvements can help drivers detect pedestrians sooner.
A More Recent Academic Study
A 2019 study in Las Vegas examined driver behavior at a marked midblock crosswalk with and without pedestrian crossing flags. The researchers found that drivers were more likely to yield when pedestrians carried crossing flags.
The authors concluded that pedestrian crossing flags are a low tech, low cost intervention that may improve pedestrian safety at marked crosswalks.
Improve Visibility at Your Crosswalks
Looking for a simple way to improve pedestrian visibility without a major infrastructure project?
See Me Flags helps schools, neighborhoods, municipalities, HOAs, churches, and private properties deploy highly visible crosswalk flag systems quickly and affordably.
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What Cities Are Seeing
Crosswalk flag programs have been adopted by cities across the United States as a practical way to improve pedestrian visibility at uncontrolled crossings.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City says that while no formal engineering studies were conducted, city staff observed a dramatic increase in driver willingness to yield to pedestrians carrying orange flags.
Kirkland, Washington
Kirkland’s pedestrian flag program has been positioned as a way to help pedestrians gain the attention of drivers and improve visibility and safety while crossing.
Las Vegas, Nevada
A 2019 Las Vegas study found that drivers were more likely to yield when pedestrians carried crossing flags at a marked midblock crosswalk, supporting their use as a low cost visibility measure.
Crosswalk Flag Installations in Action
Crosswalk flag systems are used in real world environments to improve pedestrian visibility and driver awareness at crossings.
Installed See Me Flags Set at dusk
Student actively using a crosswalk flag while crossing
Crosswalk flags deployed in a busy intersection
Why Crosswalk Flags Work
- They make pedestrians more visible at the exact moment they enter the crosswalk
- They create more visual contrast between the pedestrian and the surrounding environment
- They add motion, which helps draw driver attention
- They are easy to deploy without the cost and delay of larger infrastructure changes
- They support safer driver behavior by helping motorists detect pedestrians sooner
The Bottom Line
If drivers can see pedestrians sooner, they have more time to yield.
Crosswalk flags are not a substitute for good road design, but the available research and municipal experience support them as a practical way to improve visibility and driver awareness at many crossings.