Recent-ish new highway rules that favour the pedestrian - I fear accidents

[DistingusedSocialCommentator]

The stop and give way to a pedestrian crossing a road at a junction. That is what the majority of sensible road users have done anyway

Along with the above comes a new bit "Give way to pedestrians waiting to cross the road at a junction." This IMO will result in more accidents, EG, those that drive to close to the driver in front. The driver in front indicates to turn left like a good driver but at the junction off a main road is a pedestrian waiting to cross. The good driver stops to let the pedestrian cross and bang into the rear of the car goes the driver that was driving up their arse.

We often turn left into our close of a busy, main road and I always fear some seriously ignorant driver going into the rear of one of our cars if we had to suddenly pull up as there was another car shooting towards the main road as turning often has cars parked on one side.

If you are a good driver you should know this but here it goes: You are coming off a main, or road for that matter and hoping to turn left into another road. A pedestrian waiting to cross. You stop and there is a chance on the main/bigger roads the driver behind you is a moron and driving to close to you as you indicate and slow down before that. The rule applies to turning right as well but that is not as risky

AIBU to believe this new law will result in more harm than good, EG more car-to-car accidents when a car driver gives way to a waiting pedestrain/s to cross?
(I always slow down in advance to turn but have noted many times idiots right up th backside of our car and I think, what if I had to stop to allow someone across the road or there is something in the road and this new rule will just cause more accidents as many that have a licence have no idea how to drive safely and within the law)

I always try to keep a good distance as people turn into another road or their drive for that matter etc but I feel this new rule has not been well thought out

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-highway-code-8-changes-you-need-to-know-from-29-january-2022

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-pedestrian-factsheet-2021/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-pedestrian-factsheet-2021

Pedestrian deaths seem to be down since the new laws came in, not up.

Drivers need to drop their speed and keep distances from each other to avoid rear end collisions.

I cross the same junction every day multiple times. Some drivers let you go. Some don't. The worst is when one is leaving and another entering at the same time. One gives way and the other doesn't. So obviously you don't cross. But the one who gave you way looks pissed because you won't risk your life with the other car because they where soooo nice to stop for you....

So you would rather avoid any potentially good idea for the benefit of people driving dangerously?

That makes no sense to me. Those drivers you're looking to protect, and it is them you are protecting not who they hit because they're legally at fault for whoever or whatever they hit, are already causing collisions in other scenarios.

If anything, I'd be interested in understanding what else we can do to discourage or punish those dangerous drivers. Especially as I'd be surprised if what you're describing is their only bad behaviour on the road

Exactly container. I don't want drivers being "helpful". I want them all out of the way then I'll cross. Waiting for me is actually more stressful as I'm rushing to make a decision to cross or not.

The point is you will always have twats, but the next generation of drivers will do better.
These rules have been in place for ever in France and other European countries: it works, it makes sense, it's safe.

What would help though is introducing more/clearer zebra crossing at every junction. All it requires is a bit of paint, and it makes it clear to everyone where pedestrians are expected to cross and cars to stop.

Not if it shunts your car into the pedestrian crossing the road.

It's dangerous to cross at a junction when you could cross a few meters in. That would also give stopping distance to get a braking car out of the road or the main flow of traffic.
I don't always know if someone is "waiting to cross" - is it when they at the kerb staring straight ahead? As many are walking along the pavement and then cross straight from that position without pause, and usually without looking over their shoulder (I have a particular junction I live near in mind). If I'm turning right, am clear for oncoming traffic but in the time it takes me to drive across a pedestrian moves over to the edge of the road right at the junction - stopping means stopping sideways on in the middle of a lane of traffic.
I think some responsibility for safe use of the roads needs to come from all users of it. I am a safe pedestrian and a safe driver, but I know you get reckless versions of both!

YANBU. I have stopped when turning left to let a pedestrian cross (in accordance with the new rules), only for cars behind me to have beeped a few times. It’s a ridiculous rule IMHO!

It's who they hit you are protecting as they are taking the force of the collision. The legal side of it is covered by insurance anyway. If the pedestrian was banned from crossing at a junction and had to walk say 10-15m into the side road to cross no one would get injured as people would have chance to stop once into the side road if a hazard was already in the road.

I can’t imagine it would lead to too many collisions given that my experience as a pedestrian is that virtually nobody is paying any attention to this rule.

But that's the point they always did have priority but before the rule was clarified, people thought it was only if they were already crossing. The 'new' rules were to explain more clearly a rule that was already in place that people had misunderstood.

That is until 2021, the newspaper paper I linked stated that deaths had increased in 2022.

Exactly this. Don't think a single car has stopped for me out of hundreds of occasions that I've been attempting to cross in the period since the law was clarified. I run and walk regularly around urban routes and nobody in my area seems to have adapted their driving to give way to pedestrians.

Pedestrians have always had priorty over cars (except on motorways).

When my dad moves sheep from field to field it is perfectly legal for him to stop the cars himself and walk the sheep along the road. Whe he needs to cross the motorway that divudes one of his fields he has to ask thebpolice to sop the traffic.

Hardly any drivers do this; and when one does it's often useless because there's a car coming the other way that isn't stopping.

Stupid rule.

Anybody know why we don't let pedestrians wander down train tracks?

Or dawdle along the outside lane of the M4?

Or take a stroll down 27L at Heathrow?

Because vehicles are fucking dangerous and if you're not careful you can get killed.

And surprisingly nobody complains about any of the above. But sit them on a bicycle or stand them on the pavement outside the post office and suddenly they think they can do what they like. And then they have the aducity blame the driver when they step out in front of a car because they can't be bothered to take their eyes off their phones.

Look, just because something is "In The Highway Code" doesn't make it a good idea. This scheme was pushed by the leader of an cycling society and anti-car advocate. Now it's all well and good giving a cyclist priority, and I'm sure the lycra clad louts love it, but priority is academic when you're lying on the pavement with a broken spine. And I don't think the knowledge that "you had right of way" is going to be of much comfort to you when facing a life of disability.

My old driving instructor used to say about anything bigger than me,

"Always behind, never beside"

And it's a rule I stick to.

People need to take responsibility for their own safety. Stop walking out in front of vehicles. Is it that difficult of a concept to understand?

Imo I think it should have been to restrict crossing at junctions - eg as a pedestrian i should not cross at the junction, I should move down the path slightly and cross there.

I also think that it should be illegal to step on to a road/ off pavdment during dusk and night without high vi's eg a high vis strip, unless at a light controlled crossing as it is so hard to be seen wearing dark colours at night.

Stop for pedestrians. If that's too difficult to understand, don't drive.

Most pedestrians stop at a junction before they cross and wait for a car to pass before crossing anyway. I've indicated for them to cross before me, one way street, just in case a policeman is watching.

I have stopped a number of times when turning into a junction and waited/waved at a pedestrian to go, but each time they haven't and it's a weird stand off until I finally go. When I'm a pedestrian, I would also wait for the car to go because I don't trust drivers to give way as most don't and I don't want to get hit.

Do some of you never get out of your cars?
A pedestrian crossing a side street at a junction is proceeding along their path, a driver turning in to the side street is crossing in front of them, of course you should bloody give way, and you should be driving slowly enough in an urban area that you do that.
And you should be driving slowly enough to see and not hit pedestrians, even if they're dressed all in black.
We need to be much quicker to remove licences from people who are clearly not safe to be driving huge piles of metal around streets that other people are walking on.

Why should a pedestrian be expected to inconvenience themselves and walk further because a car driver must be assumed to be incompetent?

The new laws made a difference for approximately one week, then cars were back to not caring about all the school kids waiting to cross side roads (rat runs) in the morning.

Why?

It's easier and safer for pedestrians to just open their eyes and wait.

Are you saying pedestrians walking along a main road should turn and go 10 or 15 metres down every side street they pass in order to cross it?