Most white cane and guide dog users have had the unsettling experience of realizing they are approaching a car that is not going to stop, or having a vehicle zoom out in front of them as they are about to cross the street. There are White Cane Law statutes on the books in every state in the country to prevent these close-call incidents and save lives.
The Wisconsin White Cane Law states that people operating a vehicle must stop at least ten feet from a pedestrian using a white cane or guide dog.
The Council encourages people to follow the White Cane Law all year long. All pedestrians can benefit from cars stopping at least 10 feet from crosswalks.
Question: Will increasing the distance drivers need to stop make the White Cane Law stronger?
Answer: Not necessarily. The main reason the White Cane Law is not followed regularly is because few people know if its existence in the first place.
October 15 is nationally recognized as White Cane Safety Day. Bus ads promoting the White Cane Law will run in La Crosse and Eau Claire from September 15 through October 15, 2019. This program is funded in part with grant support from the Coulee Region White Cane Club Fund of La Crosse Community Foundation. A press event about the White Cane Law will take place in La Crosse this fall. Watch Council social media and enewsletters for more details.
Enter our White Cane Safety Day Instagram contest! Upload a picture of yourself with your white cane, and include the hashtags #WhiteCaneSafetyDay and #WhiteCaneLaw in your post. Be sure to tag @WCBlind and follow WCBlind on Instagram so we can get in touch.
For other suggestions to spread the word about the White Cane Law, download our White Cane Safety Day Toolkit. Thank you for doing your part to make sure Wisconsin is safer for pedestrians.
