Highway Code

Just travelled back from Yorkshire today. Overall an easy journey along the A64,A1 etc. For most of the journey I was able to keep close to the posted speed limits for my car and wondered how many drivers actually read the Highway Code. This question was mostly prompted by a towed caravan travelling at 70mph. There were also numerous times when traffic was held up by a lorry trying to overtake another at close to their maximum speed and getting nowhere for quite some time, whist not a traffic offence just annoying and do see on some roads signs signifying no overtaking for lorries at certain times.
So my question is do you all know the current regulations, particularly those just introduced for priority on the road?

No Howard, but here in Norfolk we don't have the sort of road system where you can exceed a 70mph limit for long periods, quite often you are stuck behind 20mph farm vehicles for long periods.

I did read about giving way to cyclists and pedestrians at road junctions, same in some towns in France you have to allow cars to enter into the major road you are on from road on your right hand side..

I think there may be some serious personal injuries down the line in the UK.

Emgee

Edited By Emgee on 04/01/2022 22:29:15

If (and maybe I misunderstood the news piece) cyclists now have right of way when going straight across a junction and can 'undertake' a car about to turn left - then I imagine that there will be some very serious accidents - whether drivers know about this change or not.

I'm afraid many drivers don't seem to use their mirrors much these days anyway and this change is just asking for trouble. I thought I was pretty good with my mirrors but having been 'undertaken' by a guy on an e-Scooter whilst following a tractor recently (which really made me jump! ) I think you need eyes in the back of your head now.

Regards,

IanT

I think there will always be a perception that "driving is getting consistently worse" just like littering, vandalism and petty crime. We tend to feel things are declining, and sometimes the facts reinforce this, and sometimes they don't. I was interested to read that a Village pump here in Gillingham (Dorset) had been given its own shelter to allow people to pump their water out of the way of the elements, however this was taken down a few years later as young people had congregated in it, were hanging around intimidating local people and had vandalised the pump... this was in the late 1800s.... the bus shelter of its day.

Edited By Jon Lawes on 04/01/2022 23:44:28

Definitely time for installing dash cams. I have one at the front and one at the rear in my car.

I don’t think anyone needs to read the highway code for, would not make a jot of difference to, blatant speeding offences.

I have fitted dash cams and I am sure one day I am going to mow down one of the many cyclists round here who think nothings wrong in cycling down rural lanes with no lights at night. It's only going to take one car coming the other way and splat. Darwinism as far as I'm concerned.

Dash cams are a really good investment mainly for insurance evidence. It's still not easy to send footage to the Police though!

Thinking ahead a bit, who will the law prosecute for traffic offenses caused by driverless cars? Computers will at some point go wrong, and algorithms may have faults/bugs. My daily driver has amongst many things, auto parking which is great, but on two occasions it has come up activated on the screen searching for parking space when I'm doing 70 along the motorway!

Cyclists and pedestrians ALWAYS had the right of way when traveling on the main road across minor road junctions, something that the average under-trained car driver is woefully unaware of.

The current changes just emphasise the fact.

Level5 autonomy is still vapourware. If/when it does happen then I’d guess that the makers will carry cover at a huge premium which they then pass on to owners as an annual charge/rental for use of the system'

pgk

Hmmm, New Year's resolution: must buy an up-to-date Highway Code and read it! Do I still need a man with a red flag?

Dave

I live in a village in East Sussex and the village school, which is about 500 metres from my house, serves the surrounding area and has 450 Primary pupils; when it comes to pick up time in the afternoon the village is gridlocked with cars that are picking up children, this is from 2.30 till 3.30. I doubt that any of the parents even know of the existence of the Highway Code, there is flagrant disregard for the rules of the road, heaven help anyone needing the attendance of an ambulance or fire engine because they wouldn’t be able to get through because cars are parked at all angles and even across junctions. Jon I would say that driving standards are on a downward spiral, I realise that I am no saint and have in the past made errors but the roads are so busy today that we cannot afford standards to decline. Dave W

Adhering to the Highway Code is all well and good, but how are we expected to know there's been an update, other than looking on the gov.uk website (assuming that's up to date of course) every day. How do we then get around the "Ignorance is no excuse" idea?

In the Telegraph today is an article that Ben Gurion University have taught a Goldfish to drive, I hope he has read the Highway Code.😀

Mike

As a cyclist I appreciate my disc brakes. Many times I have had to brake hard to avoid collisions with left turning motorists. Despite wearing the obligatory bright yellow and having flashing lights (not aimed at oncoming drivers) I still seem to be totally invisible to some motorists. I try to avoid roads, preferring bridal paths etc. but I still have to use the road to get to where I can enjoy cycling. Need more dedicated cycle paths, there are a few round about but usually shared with pedestrians. Why is it that a lady with a pram can occupy all of a path that is 5m wide

John

Also as a cyclist, I'm not convinced that motor vehicle drivers appreciate the consequences if they collide with a cyclist.

For example: Their conscience, their insurance premium, damage to their vehicle, a hefty fine, a prison sentence, etc.

Why do many seem to be in such an incessant hurry to get everywhere, and take every opportunity to overtake a cyclist when it's inappropriate? Like at in island crossing point, that's clearly too narrow for a vehicle and cycle to pass together.

You must have some big ladies round your way. Proper cycle routes would be wonderful for everyone, cyclists would be much safer and motorists would not be in conflict with cyclists. Milton Keynes was built with safe cycle routes to keep cyclists and cars completely separated, rather easy to do at the planning stage. Oxford has various cycle routes but many of them are just quieter streets. The Dutch reach seems unnecessary to me as from the age of eleven when I started cycling to school through town traffic I was very soon aware that it was safer to ride with an open door space to my left when passing parked cars and when queue splitting be acutely aware that people in stationary traffic will get out of their car to visit the boot or attend to a passenger, these defensive tactics have stood me in good stead on cycles and motorcycles. Queue splitting at a safe speed is still a massive time saver and gives a chance to stop if a door does open. The turning left is just bad car driving, even a sedate cyclist will clear the turn in a few seconds so cutting them up is totally unnecessary, I just follow them and turn when they are clear which most sensible people will also do but there will always be idiots and we have to be ready. Motorcycles are also invisible to car drivers and I always cover my brakes and roll off my speed if a car is waiting to pull across me from the left or the right. It is too much to hope that other drivers will drive properly so defensive driving/ riding must be honed to perfection.
Mike

I don't think that they are particularly large it's just that they seem to move about a lot to occupy all the available space. Along the lines of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle

John

Think about the mother pushing a pram & cannot use the pavement because some idiot has parked so far on to the pavement that she cannot get her pram past. Then she finds that cars are so close that she has difficulty getting out into the road ( & back) to get past. My last house was right on the high st & people would park in front of my front door so that pedestrians had to pass single file. Prams could not get past & I had little room to leave my house. The footpath was over 5 feet wide. Church goers would park opposite sides of the road such that the bus could not get through & the driver would have to get out & interupt the church service/wedding to get drivers to move

A little off track, but still on the question of highway codes of sorts. Can anyone direct me to a site where one can get all the highway rules for cyclists in Belgium, France & Holland. Each country varies slightly. I did see a site ( now lost it) where there was guidance for one set of university students cycling in Belgium in attempt to reduce accidents.I have tried following locals & they just seem random.

I am told that if car & cyclist are in collision the car is always deemed at fault, so bikes can do what they like. I do not fanct trying that out. Seems that cyclists in the UK have heard this as well & are determined to try it out.

Standard stuff concentrates on cars & motorways etc & is not directed specifically to bikes. There are some odd rules ( to me at least) in Belgium & as a frequent visitor to Ostend in my yacht I still have problems. I get confused, having had a few close encounters with vehicles. In one instance-a local plod yelled at me " you know the rules, obey them" He was gone before I could say " No I don't"

Here you find links to the Dutch highway (trafic) rules **LINK** , under the heading "Belangrijkste verkeersregels voor fietsers" you find the main rules for cyclist, all in Dutch of course but Google translate will help you. Over 45 years I have driven many miles on UK roads, from the deep south of Cornwall to Orkney in the north. However I will never ever cycle on your roads, far to dangerous. Niko.