In Ohio, runners should run on the street, and pedestrians always have the right-of-way, right? No! Until I read attorney Elizabeth Mote‘s article on page 16 of the May-June issue of Ohio Lawyer, “Laws & Safety Tips For Ohio’s Runners,” my belief was that runners should run on the street and not on the sidewalk, and that in all circumstances pedestrians have the right-of-way.
Ms. Mote, an attorney with Kitrick, Lewis & Harris Co., L.P.A. in Columbus, Ohio, points out that runners are considered pedestrians in Ohio and should run on the sidewalk, if one exists. Additionally, if a pedestrian is not in a marked crosswalk then the pedestrian must yield to vehicles, according to Ohio law. Of course it is a good idea to just yield to pedestrians in the road wherever they are.
