I would add that absolutely do not cross if a car has stopped at a stop sign UNLESS you have an explicit signal from the driver. Most drivers have an almost instinctual stop & go at such stop signs and not in response to seeing a pedestrian. Always wait for the driver to see you and have a nod with them so you are sure they have stopped for you.
My girlfriend used to smirk and roll her eyes at me when I would stop and stare at drivers and wave to them when we would cross in front of them at crosswalks and stop signs and wait for them to wave back, until someone almost ran us over the one time I didn't. Now she's a waver like me.
And even then, you have to be careful of the cars behind them. Was crossing at a cross walk once- the first car stopped to let me cross- the car behind them swerved around them and blew through the cross walk- at about the time I would have been there, had I not been paying close attention and stopped!
I always do this anyway. I figure if they're stopped I can be decent and let them go, I'm usually not in any hurry when I'm out walking, no reason to hold up the person in the car and like you said it's much safer.
