You approach a crosswalk and see a pedestrian using a white cane preparing to cross. What must you do?
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A.
Signal the pedestrian to cross first, then continue at normal speed.
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B.
Take the right-of-way because the pedestrian cannot see your vehicle.
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C.
Yield only if the pedestrian is walking within a marked crosswalk.
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D.
Slow down, yield the right-of-way, and then proceed with caution. Correct
The answer is "Slow down, yield the right-of-way, and then proceed with caution."
When a blind pedestrian is carrying a white cane, the manual says you must slow down, yield the right-of-way, and then proceed with caution. Choice C half-remembers the general crosswalk-yield rule and treats painted lines as the trigger, but the white-cane rule applies whether the crosswalk is marked or not.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Signal the pedestrian to cross first, then continue at normal speed.
Waving pedestrians into traffic is discouraged elsewhere in the manual; the required action is to yield and proceed with caution. This answer trades the required yield for a courtesy wave, borrowing a politeness habit the manual never authorizes as a substitute for the yielding duty.
B. Take the right-of-way because the pedestrian cannot see your vehicle.
The manual assigns the yielding duty to the driver, not the pedestrian; the cane triggers extra care, not less. This answer assumes the person who cannot see the vehicle must be the one to hold back, inverting who owes the duty under the manual.
C. Yield only if the pedestrian is walking within a marked crosswalk.
The manual attaches the yield duty to the presence of the white cane, not to a crosswalk; it applies wherever the pedestrian is. This answer defaults to the general crosswalk-yield rule and treats painted lines as the trigger, missing that the cane sets the duty on its own.
This question tests your knowledge of Right of Way in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "Signals: Pedestrian Signals (Blind Pedestrians)," p.9..
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