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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To post rules 8 and 170 of the Highway Code for some drivers

49 replies

PastaLaFeasta · 16/10/2015 16:42

Hopefully I am being a bit U as there shouldn't be many people being arses but I need to get out the rant after the school run walk home. And yes I'm a driver too.

We were crossing a side road while walking alongside a main road. Nothing coming after a car has driven out on to the main road. Get halfway and a car approaches indicating. We carry on walking, no change of pace because there's no obligation to run out of the way or stop to let the car pass but we get angrily beeped and glared at. Nice. She even stopped a little longer to show her displeasure.

So Ms Ford Focus I suggest you brush up on your Highway Code and next time you are late for the school run or whatever you don't take your impatience out on a five year old and their parent, who in this case probably does walk a bit slow thanks to a bad back and unstable pelvis (who often lets cars pass who offer to let me cross because I know I'm a bit slow and can't run without pain). I've made it easy for you by pasting the rules below.

Rule 8
When crossing the road, look out for traffic turning into the road, especially from behind you. If you have started crossing and traffic wants to turn into the road, you have priority and they should give way (see Rule 170).

Part of Rule 170
Watch out for pedestrians crossing a road into which you are turning. If they have started to cross they have priority, so give way.

OP posts:
Brioche201 · 16/10/2015 16:48

YABU.We are not the Ford Focus driver!

goawayalready · 16/10/2015 17:13

yanbu we have lots of "ford focus drivers" in my area half of them go to ds school and sometimes they wave at me when its pissing it down and they are driving past me waiting to cross the road

whatdoIget · 16/10/2015 17:17

I think a lot of drivers don't seem to know this, so it's worth posting it. Yanbu

nortonhouse · 16/10/2015 17:24

YANBU! This kind of thing happens to me all the time. I live in London and between one thing and another normally walk 6 - 10 miles per day, and most drivers seem to think they rule the roads and pavements regardless of the Highway Code.

Preminstreltension · 16/10/2015 17:24

I always find it amazing that drivers will turn into side roads with no attention to who is standing there, about to cross or even already crossing. Even when it's children - when a good driver should really slow or stop just in case the child runs out. So YANBU to post this - I would also appreciate a taser to blast the culprits so perhaps that could be arranged too.

HeySoulSister · 16/10/2015 17:36

But she did give way

How stupid posting that here, what does it achieve?

Original poster
PastaLaFeasta · 16/10/2015 17:59

Read the first sentence brioche. It's a rant which others may have experience to share/hope to raise a bit of awareness (perhaps about invisible disabilities although I've heard similar from people using walking aids) and maybe such drivers do lurk here, perhaps even this one.

Although I don't know anything about Ford Focus drivers being bad, I do drive a car which does get stereotyped and don't think I match up to it...

I'm in London too so see a fair bit of crappy behaviour and angry drivers. It's slow and stressful but no need to be rude unless they deserve it. We almost did get run over near this junction, I had to pull my DD out of the path of the car. That wasn't even a side road, it was a driveway entrance. The driver didn't see us! Perhaps it's not so common elsewhere. I've often had drivers refuse to stop at zebra crossings here which I never had in other places I've lived and running red lights is much more common.

OP posts:
TeamBacon · 16/10/2015 18:05

Yes, correct, but the trouble is that a lot of pedestrians seem to think they can step out into the road, even if a car is already turning into it. Yes, usually the car will stop, but people aren't robots, and unless the pedestrian is already in the road, then they need to wait for the car to pass!

LeftMyRidingCropInTheMortuary · 16/10/2015 18:05

It is courteous to sort of speed up a bit or at least acknowledge that they're (Ford focus woman) waiting.

Btw highway code is not actual law. Just fyi.

sugar21 · 16/10/2015 18:10

Oh jeez I have a ford focus, but was not out driving this afternoon. Phew!

Northernlurker · 16/10/2015 18:11

The op is having a rant, having experienced somebody being an ignorant arse. She's posted in AIBU which is the correct place to post rants describing frustrations. I fail to see why her posting is being called 'stupid' etc.
I would never dream of hooting at pedestrians because a) I am a courteous driver and b) I know the bits of the Highway code the OP has posted. However I can manage to read her rant without being obsessed by the need to critique her for posting it.

SaucyJack · 16/10/2015 18:13

Don't waste your breath OP. Drivers don't care because if there is an accident- they will come off best.

WhetherOrNot · 16/10/2015 18:16

We absolutely LOVED being in Canada - cars have to give way to people. It's great.

wasonthelist · 16/10/2015 18:16

"Btw highway code is not actual law. Just fyi."

Some is some isn't.

BaronessEllaSaturday · 16/10/2015 18:18

PastaLaFeasta I wonder if you live somewhere near me, Pedestrians are a sub species, pavements are for parking on not walking down, zebra crossings are just funny lines painted on the road to be totally ignored. Red lights are totally optional, especially if they are a pelican crossing and never ever cross a road if there could be a car within about half a mile as you will be in their way and they will let you know. There is also something funny about the atmosphere here that stops indicators working.

redredblue · 16/10/2015 18:18

Also the part of the Highway Code which says don't park within 10 metres of a junction!
I always see cars parked on junctions and it makes me Angry

LeftMyRidingCropInTheMortuary · 16/10/2015 18:19

No none of it is law. In and of itself.
You have to quote the Road Traffic Act or whatever.

LeftMyRidingCropInTheMortuary · 16/10/2015 18:20

Ten metres! Hahaha!
Again, it's not law so not enforceable.

prettybird · 16/10/2015 18:36

If you're going to quote bits of the Highway Code "in and of itself", why not post the whole introductory spiel, which makes it very clear that some bits are legal requirements, others are not but can be used to establish liability.

"Many of the rules in the Code are legal requirements, and if you disobey these rules you are committing a criminal offence. You may be fined, given penalty points on your licence or be disqualified from driving. In the most serious cases you may be sent to prison. Such rules are identified by the use of the words ‘MUST/MUST NOT’. In addition, the rule includes an abbreviated reference to the legislation which creates the offence. See an explanation of the abbreviationss_.
Although failure to comply with the other rules of the Code will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted, The Highway Code may be used in evidence in any court proceedings under the Traffic Acts (see The road user and the laww_) to establish liability. This includes rules which use advisory wording such as ‘should/should not’ or ‘do/do not’."

prettybird · 16/10/2015 18:38

That was from the Government's own introduction to the Highway Code

LeftMyRidingCropInTheMortuary · 16/10/2015 18:58

But they are not legal requirements in themselves. What that bit you quoted means is that some parts are in statutes AS WELL.

LeftMyRidingCropInTheMortuary · 16/10/2015 19:03

The Highway code is not law in and of itself.

Some parts of it have been incorporated into statutes. The statute is the law.

I see that muggles might not understand the distinction!

LeftMyRidingCropInTheMortuary · 16/10/2015 19:04

In fact, you proved your own point by quoting that the Code is "evidence" (not law).

LeftMyRidingCropInTheMortuary · 16/10/2015 19:06

No-one has ever been prosecuted under, say, Rule 8 of the Highway Code. They are prosecuted under the Act/Statutory Instrument.

This is why I dislike armchair lawyers. They make for terrible clients too!

Narp · 16/10/2015 19:12

Yes, because whether it's a law, a statute, a rule, or just a non-twatty thing to do is the issue here....