Woman stepped out in front of my car

[User5306921]

I was driving on a relatively busy road. I was going straight but there was a right turn ahead of me.
The traffic going in the opposite direction was at a standstill.

I noticed a woman with her head in her phone, standing at the edge of the footpath.

I'm not sure why, probably the way she was too close to the edge of the path, but I slowed down a bit, I was doing maybe 20 miles under the limit on the road.

The woman literally stepped out on the road right in front of my car. I braked suddenly, thankfully didn't hit her, and she continued walking across, head down, still looking at her phone.

I got an awful shock. The car going in the opposite direction (who had stopped in the traffic jam) threw his hands up in the air. I don't know if he was gesturing at me or at her.

I was so shaken. If I had hit her would my licence be revoked? I don't have dashcam.

Many years ago, I remember my driving instructor telling me to watch out for people on footpaths in case they step out in front of me. I am very watchful when I see elderly people or young kids.

I can't get it out of my mind.

AIBU - It would be my fault if I hit her and I'd lose my licence.
YANBU - This would have been the pedestrian's fault.

About pedestrians and their right of way in the UK when crossing roads...

Yes, in some situations they do have priority and you do need to stop and allow them to cross.

But not in this situation.

As a pedestrian, do you think that when you approach any point on a straight road, you can safely step out into traffic because all those cars will be ready to stop because you have priority? You do not. They will not be ready to stop. If one hits you then it is your fault.

Obviously a driver cannot legally run someone down just because they’re on the road when they shouldn’t be. When you see a pedestrian in the road, you do need to stop (or at least try to stop). But sometimes, there isn’t enough stopping distance. Especially if a pedestrian has just stepped out in front of you. They do not have priority and you are not expected to be able to stop with just seconds of warning as a pedestrian steps out in front of you.

Point taken, I was indeed thinking of a side turning.

I also live in Glasgow which has a population who step off the pavement without engaging their eyes or their brain on a regular basis, and regardless whose fault it is it's always the driver who seems to get the blame. As a result I never drive centrally unless I can avoid it and am always super vigilant when I do.

I live 12 miles from Glasgow. My boyfriend lives in Garnethill. I drive through the city centre every weekend when going to stay at his. Doesn’t change the Highway Code.

Pedestrians still don’t have priority when waiting to cross a straight road. You can’t just run them over, but if someone steps out into traffic front of you and you can’t stop in time, then you’re not at fault. It their own fault.

If someone starts to cross at a side road and you run them over then it is your fault, because they had priority and you should have been looking, reading the road and stopping to allow them to cross.

Because the world is as it is, not as we would like it to be.

I understood you the first time. My second paragraph was more of a comment rather than an explanation.

"20m mph under the speed limit", so am going to guess you were driving on a road that's 30 mph and you were driving at around 10 mph?

Seems unlikely that traffic would be at a standstill on a 40 mph road, or that a pedestrian would try crossing on such a road without looking

Point being that it sounds like you overreacted. Would need to know the actual speed limit / road to know for certain

Theoretically it would be her fault, if you could prove what happened, but if you are driving a car you are meant to ensure you don't hit anybody so quite likely you would be prosecuted, for careless driving maybe. Probably just a fine and points on your licence if found guilty.

Speed limit is 30. I was doing approx 20mph.
The traffic on the lane going in the opposite direction was at a standstill. They are approaching a junction with lights.
The direction I was travelling was moving. If a car ahead is turning right, the traffic often slows down/stops but there wasn't any car turning right.
It seemed unlikely she would cross as well which is why I was so shocked when she did.

right okay I was going to ask if it is electric

Get an electric car - an older one without the sci fi noises - and you'll come across this every day.

I'm now much more aware of people on phones, groups talking together, those who look like their aren't looking etc.

It’s really unnerving when something like this happens. But you were vigilant and you managed to avoid hitting her. The perception is often that you’re the big, bad reckless driver and they are the poor vulnerable pedestrian, when in fact pedestrians often do stupid things and put their own safety at risk. Although obviously they are actually vulnerable, stupidity notwithstanding. Let’s face it, if you hit someone in your car, even if you did everything to avoid doing so, all attention would be focused on the pedestrian who is injured - as is completely right in this situation - and human instinct in the moment is to blame the person in charge of the couple of tons of metal on wheels. I was driving along a busy road last week, late in the evening. There was a group of teenagers messing around on the pavement and something just told me to give them a wide berth, so I swerved out. One of the boys then stepped backwards off the pavement onto the road waving a crutch about the place. No idea if it was his or someone else’s (I suspect the latter!) If I hadn’t done a quick assessment and adjusted my position on the road, he would have been a goner. My heart was absolutely pounding in my chest and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And it was only luck that there was nobody in the outside lane so that I could move. You really have to have your wits about you.

Ours is the stick on type. The wires aren't much problem and it charges from the lighter plug (or from an onboard USB); no need to take it indoors.
More of a problem for me is merrily driving off then realising the dashcam is in our other car. We need 2!

It`s not just drivers op.
The amount of times ive had prams pushed on my legs is unreal because parents are not looking where they are going.
One hand pushing the pram other hand scrolling their phone.

Presumably there were lots of witnesses if the opposite traffic was at a standstill - at least the guy waving his hands was watching it unfold. Yes we should give way to pedestrians if appropriate but there should be mutual communication not someone launching themselves off the pavement without looking. Your anxiety about the incident is uncalled for ie losing your licence for an incident such as this. You would probably benefit from a dashcam.
Personally I would have woken dolly daydream up by a burst from my horn but appreciate you say you were shocked. You did nothing wrong, sounds like your driving and reactions were impeccable actually.

Or if you’re driving and see a pedestrian in the road ahead then you have to stop. You can’t just hit them. But it doesn’t give them priority.

Yes you have to stop like you say because of course you can’t just hit them but you don’t have to just stop to not hit them you have to stop because if they’re already in the road then yes according to the Highway Code, the pedestrian does have priority

I meant it doesn’t give her priority to just walk out into the road, the way this pedestrian did. She can, but then she could die if the driver just cannot stop in time. Thinking, “well, they’re not allowed to just run me over so I’ll just walk out looking” isn’t really the thing we want to promote. You don’t have priority to cross a straight road with no pedestrian crossing. If you’re dumb enough to just step out then you better hope the driver has enough braking distance.

Try not to worry about it OP. You were careful and you slowed down and you did not hit her!

Pedestrians are protected by the law. Of course we shouldn’t just walk out in front of cars and no one has said that’s ok however pedestrians do have priority because they’re seen as vulnerable. Yes if she got hit in the example it 100% be her fault she caused it by just walking out but still the highway code says a pedestrian has priority

Were you turning right into a junction and she was crossing that road? If so, it would have been YOUR fault as the new Highway Code gives pedestrians right of way at junctions. You have to wait for them to cross.

No. It is a straight road. I was going straight. There is a junction to turn right.
The woman was on the footpath on my left on the straight road too.

Phew @Coconutter24 gets it...pedestrians just have priority. They are definitely classed as vulnerable. I have folk that see me driving towards them (yes - on a straight road!) yet still look at me and carry on crossing in front of me 🤷‍♀️ I let them carry on. I am aware as soon as that foot of theirs hit the tarmac they're the priority and not me. That is about the size of it.

Phew @Coconutter24 gets it...pedestrians just have priority. They are definitely classed as vulnerable. I have folk that see me driving towards them (yes - on a straight road!) yet still look at me and carry on crossing in front of me 🤷‍♀️ I let them carry on. I am aware as soon as that foot of theirs hit the tarmac they're the priority and not me. That is about the size of it.

I think some people are mixing up priority and accountability (I’m not sure that’s the right word) of course pedestrians shouldn’t just walk out we know this and yes they may cause an accident but they do have priority.
Im glad someone else understands that! lol

No one is saying that if a pedestrian is in the road then you can mow them down because they shouldn’t be. But the OP asked if this would have been her fault. The answer is now. And you going “well actually, pedestrians have priority” doesn’t meant anything. Yes, when they’re in the road you have to stop. But they don’t have the priority to step out into the road in front of your car and then blame you when they get hit.

Approaching a junction - driver needs to be prepared to stop and allow them to cross. If they hit the pedestrian then it is their fault.

Driving down a straight road - driver does not expect someone to just step out but must then take evasive action. If they hit the pedestrian because they simply did not have the braking distance, then it is not their fault because there was no expectation for them to be prepared to give way as the pedestrian acted outside of the law and outside of expectations.