Pedestrians armed with flags, a rights vs. privilege dispute?

Babs Rivera carries a bright orange flag as she crosses Connecticut Avenue in Washington Monday, Oct. 10, 2005. The nation's capital is experimenting with using bright orange flags as a cheap and seemingly effective way of helping pedestrians make that harrowing walk across busy city streets with life and limb intact. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

AP has run another story based on earlier articles in the Washington Post. This time it's "Crosswalk Flags Aid Pedestrians in D.C. " (which ran in the Express today). From the article:

When 12-year-old Serena Seward and Sarah Appel cross a busy intersection in the nation's capital they carry a bright orange flag. It's a simple idea — the flags catch the attention of drivers and remind them that city law requires cars to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks...

Weird or not, the flags have been successful in reducing pedestrian accidents in cities that are using them, say supporters, including Washington Mayor Anthony Williams. "Pedestrian crossing flags definitely improved driver compliance," he said.

But the flags aren't a cure-all. The capital's transportation department reports that two people crossing with flags have been hit since the program began just over a year ago. In Berkeley, Calif., the program got off to a bad start when a woman carrying one was struck during its first week. Berkeley dropped it altogether last year after the flags kept disappearing.
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Again, this is another issue of the "rights" vs. the "privileges" of drivers. Driving is a privilege, not a right. It's pathetic that pedestrians must resort to carrying safety flags to cross the street.

Also see the blog entry from June, "Mayor launches 10-point pedestrian safety campaign -- in Seattle!" which has a link to the Post article referenced above.