Do you jaywalk, or wait patiently by the road side for the green man to light up? Pedestrians visiting different countries are faced with a bewildering array of different rules and cultural norms for crossing the road - there's certainly no such thing as an international standard.
The FIA Foundation backed EuroTest study has highlighted the differences in its latest Pedestrian crossings survey. It calls for the rules governing users and driver behaviour at crossings across different countries to be brought in line. The study, undertaken by automobile clubs in 17 European countries led by the Automobile club d’Italia has revealed the "lottery" that pedestrians face when attempting to cross the streets in different countries.
In some countries the safety of their crossings was a major concern. Brussels had four of the five of the worst examples identified including the very worst pedestrian crossing in terms of safety. It was located close to the Belgian capital's main shopping street, Avenue Louise, at the intersection between Rue Lesbroussart and Rue Van Elewyck. Problems included the presence of parked vehicles behind the crossing, insufficient sight distance for the turning vehicles and a step of 8 cm, which was difficult to negotiate, on both the access sides of the pavement.
On the other hand London, boasted not only the winning pedestrian crossing (located close to Westminster, at the intersection of Tothill Street and Storey’s Gate) but indeed six out of the top ten rated crossings.
Caroline Ofoegbu of the FIA European Bureau, which helps run the tests with the automobile clubs, told the BBC of the problems that pedestrians encounter.
"If you're going to another city as a foreigner what are your chances of crossing the road?" she said. "You don't think 'do I need to know the differences about crossing roads?"
"In Belgium for instance, if you cross the street anywhere other than a crossing and a police officer sees you, it's a 70-80 euro fine - and he'll take it as an insult that you saw him and still crossed!"
Click here for further information on EuroTest >
Click here for the BBC's report >