Pavements and Sidewalks – Language Differences
Where Do You Walk?
In Great Britain, you walk on the pavement. In the United States, you walk on the sidewalk.
British English
Users with British English background are often confused by the word pavement. In British English, pavement refers to the path along the side of a road, also known as the footpath or footway. In the US and Canada, as well as other non-commonwealth countries, the path along the side of a road is the sidewalk.
In other words, a pavement marking is a marking on the paved part of the road (road marking) and not a marking on the sidewalk. The sidewalk is the area set aside for pedestrians.
Why it is Important
You will see the word pavement in most driver’s manuals and handbooks. The word is also likely to appear on your official knowledge test, so if you have learned British English, it can be confusing on the official DMV test.
Sometimes, you will see the word sidewalk in DMV questions, the area beside a street. For example, you must stop before a sidewalk when exiting a garage or alley.
Carriageways and Highways
The North American roadway or highway is a carriageway in British English. A single-carriageway road is an undivided highway, and a dual-carriageway road is a divided highway.
Practice Tests
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Thank you so much for this clarification about pavement because when i read questions with pavement i imagined this must be a small neighbourhood road but the answer given showed something that made me think what a pavement was.