Seattle's increasing the number of intersections with traffic lights that remain red for at least three extra seconds. Image: Shutterstock by Majson, Hobbit, Golden Sikorka, Unitone Vector

In Seattle, traffic signals matter—jaywalkers receive a special kind of “freeze” here. This year, the city will make its streets even more friendly to law-abiding pedestrians.

By the end of 2020, the Seattle Department of Transportation plans to double the number of intersections equipped with leading pedestrian intervals, or LPIs. These signal adjustments give walkers additional time to hustle into the crosswalk, and into turning drivers’ lines of vision. As part of Seattle’s Vision Zero initiative to improve traffic safety, those delayed green lights—three to seven seconds, normally—may help drastically reduce the number of collisions that injure or kill pedestrians.

Not all intersections will switch to LPIs. SDOT will prioritize crossings where crashes involving walkers happen frequently, such as ones along Rainier Avenue South. But if you’re puzzling over more extra-long red lights in the near future, just know your patience may be saving lives.