Experts have issued a warning to drivers as they say attitudes need to be ‘aligned with the Highway Code’ if improvements are to be made to ‘dreadful’ pedestrian fatality statistics
Motorists are being warned about crucial changes in the Highway Code that could land them in hot water for simply turning into a road.
Recent statistics from the Department for Transport (DfT) have shown an alarming rise in pedestrian fatalities in the UK. In 2023, there were 407 pedestrian deaths, a significant increase from 385 in 2022 – a jump of six per cent. Experts from vehicle lease company Select Car Leasing have issued a stark warning about road rules designed to protect pedestrians.
Select Car Leasing highlights that in 2022, the Highway Code underwent amendments aimed at enhancing the safety of walkers, cyclists and horse riders. These changes introduced a new ‘Hierarchy of road users’, prioritising those most vulnerable. A key directive to drivers and cyclists is that they must always yield to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross at junctions.
Mr Conway, managing director at Select Car Leasing, says: “If you’re a motorist about to turn into a junction, and a pedestrian is either already crossing the road or is WAITING to cross, you need to give way and let them complete their journey. It’s a crucial element of the Highway Code that is still misunderstood more than two years after it was implemented.
“Spend time online and you’ll see some motorists complaining that pedestrian behaviours are getting worse and that they are prone to ‘just walking into the road’ without regard for their own safety. But this opinion could be coloured by the fact that some motorists still don’t understand how pedestrians should be protected by the Highway Code.”
If a motorist is guilty of attempting to turn into the path of a pedestrian, they could be prosecuted for driving without due care and attention – which carries a fine up to £2,500 and between three and nine penalty points, reports Nottinghamshire Live.
The Highway Code itself is clear. It states: “When people are crossing or waiting to cross at a junction, other traffic should give way. If people have started crossing and traffic wants to turn into the road, the people crossing have priority and the traffic should give way.”
Mr Conway adds: “If you’re a driver who ends up remonstrating with a pedestrian who is in the middle of a road that you’re trying to turn into, chances are you’re very much in the wrong and the pedestrian is behaving correctly. And it’s crucial that motorists’ attitudes towards pedestrians are aligned with the Highway Code if we’re going to improve those dreadful fatality statistics.”
The Highway Code has put pedestrians at the top of the traffic pecking order, and this includes cyclists who, just like car drivers, are expected to let pedestrians cross before zooming off. The updated rules state: “People driving, riding a motorcycle or cycling must give way to people on a zebra crossing and people walking and cycling on a parallel crossing.”
“A parallel crossing is similar to a zebra crossing, but includes a cycle route alongside the black and white stripes.” Despite these changes aimed at boosting pedestrian safety, an RAC survey conducted at the start of 2024 found that many UK drivers are still not adhering to the new Highway Code regulations.
The survey, which included 2,500 motorists, revealed that only about 23 per cent said they ‘always give priority to pedestrians at junctions’, with a worrying six per cent admitting they never yield to pedestrians in these situations.
