Accident waiting to happen-Highway code

[refraction]

Apologies if there is a thread already on this but looking at the new Highway code rules. The giving way to a pedestrian when turning is an accident waiting to happen. Have I got this wrong?

I nearly got hit by someone swinging in to a corner like that after I had started to cross.
As I explained to the driver, I cannot see who is behind me indicating to turn but they could clearly see me walking towards and starting to cross the junction. Also, I do not need a licence to walk, you are the one responsible for hazard perception.

OP I agree it's really stupid. If they have a red man signal at lights and you come round the corner, it'sok for them to cross???

But equally it's like this in Australia but only at certain corners and it's signed so as a driver you know.

In my mind it's def an accident waiting to happen.

Is it only if the car is turning left? What about if a car is turning right into the side street and someone wants to cross? This scenario doesn’t seem to be mentioned.

I think that could be quite a challenge, you'd have to check there was no oncoming traffic or pedestrians waiting to cross, you'd have to be clear for both before you could move.

I like the principle but it is much harder to see pedestrians waiting to cross who may in fact just be waiting. Plus on the school run you will never get past certain corners. I always slow down for people crossing and often people waiting to cross but not if a car is right behind me.

@DrunkenKoala

This happened to us today walking home from school. DD and I were waiting to cross road (same set up as top picture) and the motorist turning into the road stopped on main road and ushered us to cross and the cars behind him were fine about it too.

When I first heard about this a few weeks ago I was concerned it would be carnage but I’m now seeing/hearing it advertised more and I think motorists are becoming more aware and changing their driving accordingly.

Throw is what I’ve been doing in preparation for the change. May as well get used to it now!

THIS not throw!

This was in my mind last week. I was turning into a side road, where a lady approached the road to cross. She saw me indicating, and waited for me to turn I'm.

I, waited for here to cross. As I thought they now have right over car now.

So it was a stalemate, until I was sure she wasnt going to cross. (Wasnt going to wave her over).

However, in her position neither would I cross the road while a car was waiting to turn and assume it would stop for me.

Exactly what is the correct thing to do?

Sorry, you're saying it's the people on foot who are lazy, rather than, um, the people sitting in their cars?

Yes everyone in their cars should absolutely walk every journey and it's lazy not to. FFS. Most of the school parents are just walking back to their cars anyway!

Yes everyone in their cars should absolutely walk every journey and it's lazy not to. FFS. Most of the school parents are just walking back to their cars anyway!

Where I live, people absolutely are totally lazy. Most people I know would rather take a 5 minute drive over a 15 minute walk when they a) have nothing to carry b) are physically fit enough and c) don't have time pressures that mean an extra 20 minutes total would make a difference.

There are many reason half the country is fat and this is one of them.

Waited at a junction to cross to a pedestrian refuge with DC. Not one of the four cars stopped to let us cross. ( Last one actually sped up and leaned out his car and shouted "too late!") (?!). We hadn't even put a foot out onto the road, we were waiting until it was safe to cross.

I don't see a problem. This is actually the way I was taught to drive in 1995 (no, I don't know why either) but my instructor was always very, very clear that pedestrians had right of way as vulnerable road users.

I was in a big metal box and could do lots of damage to them.

It's easy and if you do any sort of advance driver training you are taught to keep looking out for the potential of people stepping out in front of you.

Going at the right speed for the road and the conditions makes all the difference too.

I was also taught to wait until pedestrians had completed their journey over a zebra crossing (for example) in case and I quote "they change their mind and run back the way they've come from"!!

You can imagine the impatient drivers behind me as I wait for a slower person to cross all the way!

I'm a very safe driver. Others have commented on it.

I lived in Denmark as a teenager and this was the rule there. It worked very well.

I, however, nearly died when we moved back to the UK as I never looked before crossing side roads, just kept walking…

In my experience many pedestrians already behave as if this is the rule. I was taught to glance behind before starting to cross in case a car is turning in, but pedestrians do not seem to do this. I already expect to give way to the pedestrian in this situation.

It does make sense that cars give way to pedestrians in many situations as there's obviously a far higher risk of loss of life or serious injury to the pedestrian compared to the risk of death/serious injury to passengers being rear-ended in a car that's already slowed down significantly to turn into a junction.

I don't think this rule change presents increased risk, because even if a driver doesn't know the new rule, they would still need to be prepared to stop if the car in front does anyway.

So really, the main thing this will reduce is the driver behind incessantly beeping because you're unable to turn without mowing down a pedestrian.

This rule simply clarifies the existing law - that you're not supposed to run people over and that the driver of the car behind might not be able to see everything that you can see so they should trust that you've stopped for a reason and be patient.

It’s a real push towards prioritising vulnerable road users and part of an active travel agenda. Overall I think it’s good news, but might not change behaviour too much; there are some places I would still wait to cross.

It's intended to replace accidents already happening because of drivers not being aware/slow enough to give way to pedestrians already crossing, I think.

Better a stoved in bumper or two than a squashed person.

It would be good if people looked for cars turning before just walking across a road

There’s a road near me that’s infamous for this
If you know it you know to go round the corner at 1mph usually for some dickhead behind you to flash you like mad and/or beep because they nearly went into the back of you

It’s usually at around 8.25am when parents are literally scurrying to school late with their kids and don’t even look before dragging them across

Personally i think crossing at junctions should be banner, you should be required to move down the road to cross so that there is stopping distance.

But I also think that passing on the left should also be stopped, I do think that on today's roads, particularly in towns and cities, there is so much to observe when you.are driving and drivers can only be human.

I am a careful driver, always give cycles and horses a full car width space when overtaking bit feel that there are aspects of the highway code that were written in a different time when there were less vehicles, especially hgv and larger transport vehicles and road systems were less complicated. One example is a lady in London who was passing a lorry on the left, the court investigation showed that she would have only been visible to the driver for 2 seconds in his left mirror, however consider that he.is also checking his other mirror, observing the road ahead etc, it is easy to understand how he could miss the left wing mirror for 2 seconds.

It would be good if people looked for cars turning before just walking across a road

Well yes. You're meant to look even if you're on a marked crossing.

@ErrolTheDragon if only …

Personally i think crossing at junctions should be banner, you should be required to move down the road to cross so that there is stopping distance.

But it's far simpler to apply the rules to drivers who (1) can do far more damage to pedestrians than vice versa and (2) are required to know the Highway Code to be allowed to drive.

Pedestrians often don't know the Highway Code, and even if the government imposed fines for people crossing at a junction, the risk of death/injury is likely to be a stronger incentive not to do it anyway. Regulating pedestrian behaviour seems like the wrong way to go about this as it's the cars that have the potential to do the damage and the pedestrians haven't signed up to be driven at.

My driving instructor also taught me to be prepared for any/every pedestrian on the pavement to suddenly jump out in front of my car! Also that children, animals or balls could appear between parked cars and out into the road.

It's happened to me. Teenagers, all in black on a winters night just stepped out in front of. Because I was aware of them I was able to stop in time.

I've also had a man in his 50s shoot out in front of me on an electric scooter 🛴. Daylight. From between parked cars.

If a car bumps into you from behind they were too close, going there wrong speed, not accounting properly for stopping distances or not paying attention. Better a bent bumper than a broken body.