njkayaker

That there is never any "free license" to run people over is blatantly obvious (something that everybody knows). (Anybody not clear on this is not qualified to drive.)

It's so obvious, in fact, it doesn't appear to be explicit in the law: it's just taken for granted that everybody knows about it. Indeed, there's a general principle that you can't run into anything (people or whatnot).

And even with this being so obvious, most (if not all) states added "crosswalk" laws (they certainly didn't do so because they were "unnecessary").

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Anyway, I was talking about "right of way", which isn't the same thing as an "obligation to stop".

"Right of way" isn't a "right": it's actually just a rule that decides priority.

Everybody is supposed to give "right of way" up ("yield") if taking it is likely to lead to a collision.

That is, "right of way" is secondary to taking action to avoid a collision (your "obligation to stop" thing).

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This is what I was (basically) saying.

The problem with "right of way" in crosswalks is that many pedestrians misunderstand what it means. They seem to think it's a "free license" to do whatever they want (that's why they have a "false sense of security"). That isn't true practically and legally. One big thing is they are legally required only to enter the crosswalk when it's safe to do so.

That is, pedestrians misunderstand "right of way" (as described in the prior section).

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Roadway users often don’t quite get the concepts of “collision avoidance” (first thing) and “right of way” / “yielding” (second thing).

The language used in boating for the same concepts is different and more clear (I think). The concepts are also explicitly taught and prospective captains are required to understand them.