Pedestrians ‘still in danger’ as drivers are ‘unaware of major Highway Code rule change’ introduced two years ago
PEDESTRIANS are still at risk on UK roads after a new survey revealed that some drivers are unaware of a major change to the Highway Code in 2022.
Less than a quarter of drivers said they follow one such rule change which requires traffic to give way to pedestrians waiting at a crossing, a poll of 2,500 UK drivers commissioned by the RAC found.
To compound that danger, 31% of motorists feel that pedestrians are at greater risk on our roads that they were two years ago, Mail Online reported.
Fresh ruling demands drivers must give pedestrians the right of way over the traffic – including cyclists.
Drivers must wait until the pedestrian has crossed the road before they can drive on.
However, only 23% admitted they will always give that priority.
Despite the rule being imposed, Government figures still show that 30 percent of pedestrian fatalities on Britain’s roads occur at junctions.
The figures also show that pedestrian casualties on our roads increased in 2022 by 7% compared to 2021 figures.
A report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee in November warned that messaging around Highway Code changes were not communicated effectively enough to encourage public participation.
“When initially introduced, we welcomed the major Highway Code changes because they were set to make the roads much safer for the most vulnerable users,” RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said:
“However, two years on, it’s concerning to see there’s still so much uncertainty, with most drivers not stopping for people crossing when they should and therefore many pedestrians seeing no change to their safety at junctions.
“Part of the reason may be that drivers simply don’t know that the changes have been made, least of all the consequences of ignoring them.
“Most drivers probably rarely refer to the Highway Code once they’ve passed their tests, and that’s where the problem could lie.
“We urge motorists to take another close look at the changes – either by visiting the Highway Code or RAC websites, or by picking up a printed copy.
“We’d also urge the Government to make another concerted effort in communicating the changes to all road users.”
A DfT spokesman added: “All road users must feel confident using our roads which is why we made sure the changes to the Highway Code were directly informed by a public consultation with over 20,000 responses.
“To increase awareness of the changes, we have used our Think! campaign to increase awareness and understanding of the changes over the last two years.”