Above-zero temperatures have turned city sidewalks into splash pads - the kind Rachelle Landry tries to avoid on Tache Avenue.

"I had to run away because there were cars coming and they might splash me,” said Landry.

A common problem pedestrians face during every big melt and one police hear about when people get splashed.

"Once or twice I've gotten soaked pretty bad, and it's not fun," said pedestrian Tyler Penner.

There's no specific law in Winnipeg to penalize drivers who splash people walking, but in Saskatoon a city bylaw means you could face an $80 fine.

If a pedestrian can prove you intentionally sprayed them in Winnipeg, officers could give you a ticket for careless driving.

Winnipeg Police Service Const. Jason Michalyshen said it’s rare and that it can be difficult for police to determine if the driver did it on purpose.

"If a ticket is warranted, we will move forward but we would need to check off a number of boxes before we would be moving forward with a ticket," said Const. Michalyshen.

If you do get splashed on purpose, you can also make a claim through Manitoba Public Insurance.

Spokesperson Brian Smiley said if that happens and you can prove it, MPI will foot the bill for your dry cleaning.

"The circumstances are that the vehicle and the driver made a deliberate attempt to splash that pedestrian,” said Smiley.

He said the pedestrian would have to prove it by taking down a licence plate and providing an independent witness to testify.

“It's very rare but it is in our policy," said Smiley.

MPI said it has paid out about a handful of dry cleaning claims in the past 12 years.

If it’s proven a driver deliberately splashed someone, that driver could get dinged with five demerit points on their driver safety rating.

MPI said it’s up to both pedestrians and motorists to avoid puddles.

Smiley said drivers are entitled to be on a road and that in some cases it’s not safe for motorists to switch lanes to avoid puddles.

He said pedestrians are entitled to be on sidewalks but can avoid being splashed by moving further away from the curb or by stopping on the sidewalk if they see a puddle up ahead.