Seeing flashing lights at Hilton Head crosswalks? Here’s when you should stop
If you’ve driven on William Hilton Parkway recently, you may have noticed the new flashing lights at certain crosswalks on the north end.
The new lights, called rectangular rapid flashing beacons, are intended to alert oncoming motorists that someone is attempting to cross the road.
Theresa McVey, traffic operations manager for the Town of Hilton Head Island, appeared on WHHI-TV earlier this month to discuss the new feature, called rectangular rapid flashing beacons or RFBs.
Two sets have been added between Beach City Road and Matthews Drive, McVey said in the Dec. 19 interview. One has been installed on Palmetto Parkway near The Oaks apartment complex. A second set has been installed on the Northridge Drive crossing by the Sea Turtle Marketplace.
Town officials hope the new rapid flashing beacons will encourage pedestrians and cyclists to use the crosswalks. McVey told WHHI-TV that a “high volume” of pedestrians and bicyclists have been observed attempting to cross the road outside the crosswalks.
“That’s alarming and unsafe,” she said.
The improvements are part of a nearly $1 million project to improve roadway safety along the segment of U.S. 278 between Beach City Road and Matthews Drive.
The area has seen a high volume of crashes, according to the data provided to the Town of Hilton Head by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
From 2019 to 2023, there were 414 recorded crashes in that area, including 16 crashes involving a bicyclist and seven involving a pedestrian. Two of the pedestrian collisions were fatal.
What to do if you see flashing lights
South Carolina law requires drivers to slow down or stop for pedestrians crossing within a crosswalk.
That means if someone steps onto the crosswalk, drivers are legally required to stop. However, the law doesn’t explicitly tell you to stop and yield if you see someone waiting to cross who hasn’t yet entered the roadway.
In a Nov. 1 social media post about the new roadway improvements, the Town of Hilton Head Island provided guidance for pedestrians and drivers passing through the intersections.
When the lights are flashing, drivers “MUST stop and yield to anyone in the crosswalk,” the post reads. Drivers must wait until all pedestrians have finished crossing their lane and the adjacent lane before proceeding.
If the lights are not activated and the crosswalk is clear, drivers are free to pass through as normal, the post says.
‘Not a green light’
After pressing the button, pedestrians still need to look and watch for traffic before crossing.
Leaving the curb suddenly and walking into the path of a vehicle are prohibited, according to South Carolina law.
Signs posted to the new rapid flashing beacons tell pedestrians to “wait for traffic to stop” before crossing.
“It’s not a green light to go,” McVey said in the WHHI-TV interview.
We tested the new rapid-flashing beacons for ourselves to see how long it would take for vehicles to stop.
After pressing the button at the Northridge crossing, it took 40 seconds for a car to stop and let us cross safely.
We also noticed that under the bright sunlight, the flashing LEDs can be hard to notice.
McVey said she’s driven through the intersections multiple times, and has seen the new rapid flashing beacons “working very well.”
“I’ve also witnessed still some people aren’t going to the crosswalk,” McVey told WHHI-TV. “But I’ve also crossed there multiple times myself to make sure they’re working how they should be working.”
This story was originally published January 1, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
