Skip to content

Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025

Are Minnesota drivers required to yield to pedestrians crossing at unmarked intersections?

Deanna Pistono, MinnPost
yes

Drivers in Minnesota must yield to pedestrians within marked crosswalks and unmarked intersections where there is not a traffic light.

That’s according to state statute 169.21. However, as noted by the law as well as the City of Minneapolis webpage, pedestrians cannot move into a crosswalk if an oncoming vehicle has no time to stop.

Although this law has been on the books since at least 1937, Minnesota drivers seem to have a hard time following it. Using data collected in the summer of 2021, researchers found that drivers in the state failed to yield to pedestrians at such settings nearly 60% of the time. Their findings were published in the Journal of Safety Research. 

As of 2022, Minnesota is one of 19 states that require drivers to stop if a pedestrian is anywhere in the roadway at a crosswalk or unmarked intersection. Other states allow drivers more leeway.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

See all fact briefs

MinnPost is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces thoughtful, in-depth journalism about civic and cultural affairs impacting Minnesota. Through our reporting, we take readers beyond the headlines and deep into the issues that matter through our public-service journalism, empowering them to engage in the politics and policy-making shaping Minnesota’s future.

Learn More

Latest Fact Briefs

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.