Any driving instructors around?

[Midwife1997]

It's to do with zebra crossings. My husband insists that unless someone is actively on the crossing he is not obliged to stop his car. I'm mortified when there is someone standing there looking at traffic and he sails on by. I'm just so embarrassed when he does this. I know if I was the pedestrian I would think it so rude etc.
Midwife

"You are legally required to stop at a zebra crossing once a pedestrian has moved on to the crossing, however, you're not required to stop until the pedestrian has moved on to the crossing"

However, I agree with you, it's rude of a driver not to stop when someone is standing waiting to cross, as the driver I always do and I would expect a driver to also stop for me.

I would not step foot on a crossing until the driver had stopped!

I was surprised this was the case and think it's a terrible. Rule. If I walk my dog, I don't want him to step ahead before finding whether the car will stop or not.

Saying that, it makes no difference. Aboutv 1 in 3 cars still don't stop even when we've stepped one foot on (not two because then I'm playing with our lives).

It's shocking and makes me very angry.

My instructor told me to slow down and prepare to stop if there was someone approaching a zebra crossing.

Your husband is right, but he is being an arsehole.

Though looking into it you only have to give way when a pedestrian has stepped onto it so he is correct.

He’s correct but it’s a dick move. It’s also not very safe as he can see a pedestrian is preparing to move into the road. Pedestrians always take precedent as what a vehicle can do to them is quite different to what they can do to the vehicle.

I thought you had to stop if someone was approaching the crossing to use it - frankly even if that's not the law, it's polite.

He's right, but he's rude. If he's passing at speed he also risks hitting someone who presumes the rule is as you thought.

Technically he's correct, but if everyone did the same there'd be almost no point to having zebra crossings.

I believe that by law he is actually correct, however, I would always stop.

I may be wrong though but I think if you didn't stop in a driving test that you would fail. As I say I could be wrong about that but I'm sure that's what my instructor told me when I sat my test a couple of years ago

I think the problem is that if the letter of the law required you to stop before a pedestrian put a foot on a crossing, people standing on the pavement chatting to the companions would be a frequent cause of traffic stopping for no reason.

As a motorist, I have no difficult at all in telling who is standing near a crossing because they want to cross, and who is just standing oblivious to the fact they are next to a crossing. I always stop for people who are waiting to cross.

Is your husband foreign? I remember in my first few days in London, having grown up abroad, waiting for a gap in traffic at a pedestrian crossing in front of the British Museum. It was only when a taxi hooted at me that I realised that he had actually stopped so I could cross. Where I grew up cars did not stop for pedestrians, pedestrians waited for cars not to be around.

I was also wondering whether your DH was from abroad?
Certainly in some places the 'norm' is not to stop unless someone is already on the crossing.
In the UK it is the norm to stop if someone is waiting as far as I am concerned.

It’s courtesy to stop if you can see someone is waiting to cross. A bit like holding the door open for someone behind you, you wouldn’t let it slam in their face!

Thanks everyone. No, he's not foreign but sticking to the 'that's what my driving instructor told me' line. He's normally really courteous.

Your DH sounds like an entitled twit tbh

So when I’m walking my dc in a buggy, I’m expected to push her out onto the crossing and “hope” your DH stops?!

I get annoyed with the ditherers who insist on waiting until you have completely stopped before starting to cross even when you are clearly slowing down ages back.

I always stop if it looks like someone is waiting but then I also walk out cheerfully whenever I can see cars far enough away to stop. I don't insist on waiting till they are completely stopped. Helps keep traffic flowing.

Tell your OH that drivers like them are scary. How can you trust that the driver has actually see them and will indeed stop if you start to cross?

It's hard enough for an adult, it's even harder to assess what is safe for a child who doesn't drive and doesn't understand how quickly a car can stop.

Your OH is indirectly contributing to accidents at crossings because kids might just decide to start ridding and one day, one car won't stop at all and hit them.

I get annoyed with the ditherers who insist on waiting until you have completely stopped before starting to cross even when you are clearly slowing down ages back.

There are several reasons for doing that. If there are children around I will wait until a car has stopped completely as I don't think the children will have the necessary judgement of speed and distance to follow my example. I also just don't trust drivers slowing down - sometimes they're just checking their phone and are oblivious to me or the crossing. Other times there may be other things around that the pedestrian has spotted but you haven't - up to and including someone behind you about to overtake on a crossing.

@PatriciaPerch and all in the name of keeping traffic flowing. I mean god forbid pesky people on foot should hold up cars. Personally I find traffic flows better with fewer cars on the road, so I walk, cycle or use public transport where I can. Once I get in a car, I accept that I'm not actually god's gift and sometimes I might have to wait for someone else.

I mean god forbid pesky people on foot should hold up cars
As a pedestrian I like to keep both traffic and pedestrians flowing as efficiently as possible yes. The more people dither at crossings the more drivers ignore them and sail through. I take a nice big stride out as soon as I can see there is stopping distance available which means mostly that drivers can slow then speed up again without needing to stop entirely and as a pedestrian I've waited less time too.

As a driver I look for potential crosses at every crossing and slow down if there any. But when they insist on you stopping entirely of there was time and space not to need to it is a bit irritating.