TO AVOID HITTING AN OLD WOMAN who was jaywalking, a bus driver in Tianjin was forced to swerve, injuring a pedestrian on the sidewalk and a few passengers on the bus. Southern Metropolis Daily commented on Monday:

It is widely agreed that drivers should give way to pedestrians during an encounter. But the recent incident in Tianjin raises the question of who was responsible for the injury to the third-party passer-by.

Previous verdicts in similar cases suggest that jaywalking pedestrians could face criminal responsibility if their actions cause damage to a person or property. According to the Criminal Law, anyone who uses a public road, including a pedestrian, commits a traffic offense if he or she violates the traffic management rules.

The Road Traffic Safety Law and other relevant laws stipulate that pedestrians should follow all traffic instructions when crossing a road, and are forbidden to impede traffic safety in any way.

The pedestrian "privileges", in fact, are more a warning to all drivers, who generally cause greater damage than jaywalkers in a traffic accident. All parties using a public road are equal before the law and bound by the relevant regulations.

Jaywalking is a violation of the traffic safety rules. But deciding whether a jaywalker or a driver has the primary responsibility in the case of an accident requires extra caution and firsthand evidence.

The old woman in Tianjin reportedly attempted to seek compensation from the driver, who had gone to great lengths to keep her from harm. In this instance, it is she who should compensate the bus driver and the injured passengers and passerby.