Drivers not following Highway code

I am afraid I think you're exaggerating. You sat for SEVENTEEN MINUTES waiting to turn into a side road on a busy Saturday? I don't know where you live but round here that would cause chaos and people would just drive round you and make the turn. You're saying there was not one single gap in pedestrian flow for seventeen minutes? I don't believe you.

The road is marked.

Note the two give way lines at junctions, a single and a double dotted line

You should...

...give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning.

The very important part of that being should not must.

Now, they have right of way if they are standing on the corner waiting to cross.

Can you show me that bit exactly please.

Not at all - it's a definite change. Previously, the pedestrian had right of way if they were already crossing. Now, they have right of way if they are standing on the corner waiting to cross.

Previously drivers didn't give way to the pedestrians in the second scenario, and in my experience, despite the change in rules they still don't.

No, but a proper pedestrian crossing is obvious. Evidently this new rule isn’t obvious, the thread is about how drivers aren’t bothering to follow it. When a car stops to allow a pedestrian to cross outside of a crossing, rightly or wrongly many s pedestrian will assume it’s safe to go.

You are not going to be rear ended because you slow down for a pedestrian. It's utter nonsense.

And anyway, the damage to your car if someone does go into the back of you is far less than you will do to the pedestrian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have I done enough !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

but really, the mind boggles.

The Highway Code applies across the UK, with possibly a couple of differences in NI - this is not one of them - you do not run down pedestrians who are crossing a side road you want to turn into or out of.

I don't know about you, but if I see a vehicle in front of me indicating to turn into a junction I slow down, when their brake lights come on I slow more. If there is someone crossing, or waiting to cross the junction I know the vehicle in front will have to stop, I slow or stop accordingly. Its not hard.

It changed in the spring this year if I recall and was very well advertised.

You do the right thing and just let everyone else get on with being stupid or inconsiderate. You don't roll through a pedestrian crossing because pedestrians might not look or another driver might not stop

Why would I obey rules that don't apply in the part of the UK where I live?

That will get me rearended.

That's exactly what it was, it's a codification of the type of polite driving that was pretty much the accepted norm

I was always told pedestrians have the right of way if they are crossing a road to a continuation of the pavement. I've been driving for 50 years and I suspect something like that was in the highway code when I passed my test. Most pedestrians and drivers are sensible about it, pedestrians don't have a death wish and drivers don't want to kill anyone. But as a driver you are the one in charge of a potentially lethal weapon, I see the 'change' more as a clarification.

What happens if you stop for a pedestrian but there’s a car coming the other way who doesn’t? I stopped for a pedestrian in this situation recently, as per new rule, and a car suddenly came round the corner and entered the junction from the other side of the road but didn’t bother. I like to be as considerate as possible to pedestrians but I worry they’ll think it’s completely safe to go because I’ve stopped and then get flattened.

I’m sure when I was learning to drive many years ago I was told never to wave someone across because you can’t be certain it’s safe, in a similar way to how you’re not supposed to flash your lights at people as a ‘you can go’ signal. I’m very surprised someone did that during their test and didn’t fail.

I started cycling again, about 2 months ago, after not doing any for several years. I've noticed that drivers are really much more patient - I often wave them past. A few years ago, they'd often turn left in front of me, blare the horn, pass very close etc.

This is North Tyneside.

Try driving in Bradford. You'd think the rules don't apply here, it's terrifying!

Exactly. So with impatient sods like that everywhere, the new rules are prone to make them pull out and do stupid things as I discovered, because they just think you as the driver in front are dithering!

I thought of this thread today when I was turning left into a side road and a couple were just finishing off crossing it.

I indicated in good time, slowed down gently but then took slightly longer to turn due to the couple crossing. Of course, Mr Big Important Prat in Oversized Bully Car SUV beeped me. I was clearly meant to run them down.

He must have been able to see them.

anotheranotheranotheranother

I do not believe this at all.

Well, good for you!

I hope this rule is changed back to how it was, I believe the previous way was in fact safer. I would much rather wait for a clear road and then cross then rely on someone stopping for me.

I get the rule but sometimes...
I drive a road through the town centre in a Saturday and then have to turn left onto a side road to get out of town
You can imagine on a Saturday it's just a constant flow of shoppers and I've sat there for (I timed it) 17 mins before with massive amounts of traffic/buses behind me. Can't turn as no traffic lights and no break in pedestrians

It did have traffic lights but they removed them to make it more pedestrian friendly...

Retest every 5 or 10 years as mandatory would be great, just so people would be compelled to encounter rule changes and to put a check on bad habits. But nothing will prevent the huge entitlement some drivers feel they have to the road.

It's a figure of speech, PP didn't literally mean you're the luckiest person in the world

Not a soul driving in central london gives this the slightest regard.