What the heck is going on on our Roads??

qwert_yuiop

darwin-rover wrote: »

Not true.
Pedestrians have priority whatever direction the car is coming.
https://www.gov.uk/using-the-road-159-to-203/road-junctions-170-to-183
(rule 170)

I know it doesn't say it there, but is there not something about not being supposed to start to walk across the side street if a vehicle is turning right? Something about letting the vehicle get off the road if they have to turn across oncoming traffic?

RikM

qwert_yuiop wrote: »

I know it doesn't say it there, but is there not something about not being supposed to start to walk across the side street if a vehicle is turning right? Something about letting the vehicle get off the road if they have to turn across oncoming traffic?

Rule 1 - show due care and consideration...

The "priority" rule is for when a pedestrian is already crossing and then it only makes sense. If they see a car turning, they should not start to cross.
If the car is not yet turning, then it's a question of common sense - can you cross without being inconsiderate...?

qwert_yuiop

I'd a friend who got knocked down crossing a side street. He woke up in hospital. His only memory was a woman's voice saying "I just didn't see him. The sun was in my eyes." They never charged her with anything.

warmhands.coldheart

darwin-rover wrote: »

Not true.
Pedestrians have priority whatever direction the car is coming.
https://www.gov.uk/using-the-road-159-to-203/road-junctions-170-to-183
(rule 170)

Yes indeed but as RikM has alluded to.... Note the "If they have started to cross they have priority"

.watch out for pedestrians crossing a road into which you are turning. If they have started to cross they have priority, so give way

A lot of the time pedestrians are just as inconsiderate as many drivers are deemed to be

darwin-rover

warmhands.coldheart wrote: »

Yes indeed but as RikM has alluded to.... Note the "If they have started to cross they have priority"


A lot of the time pedestrians are just as inconsiderate as many drivers are deemed to be

True, but if you hit a pedestrian in your 2 ton flying machine they're going to come off a lot worse than you, and its going to look bad regardless of who had priority.
As someone who walks a lot more and drives less than I used to, I'm a lot more conscious of pedestrians and I always make sure I indicate when turning - something a lot of drivers don't do, making it hard to know if they're turning.

warmhands.coldheart

darwin-rover wrote: »

True, but if you hit a pedestrian in your 2 ton flying machine they're going to come off a lot worse than you, and its going to look bad regardless of who had priority.
As someone who walks a lot more and drives less than I used to, I'm a lot more conscious of pedestrians and I always make sure I indicate when turning - something a lot of drivers don't do, making it hard to know if they're turning.

Completely agree.. I walk quite a bit too with my kids and some drivers are terrible but likewise some pedestrians are terrible too.... I'm constantly pointing out to my kids the silly things a pedestrian or driver does in the hope they learn NOT to do it...
One can only hope...

almillar

I drive and walk. I'd get knocked down most days if I didn't stop walking when a driver goes through a red light...

Mistral001

What happened to the old educational highway code adverts on TV. There used be lots of them on things like how to take a roundabout properly, parallel parking etc. The adverts now seem to be aimed at telling people what not to do using dramatic and presumably high-budget, car action videos instead of what they should do.

Ticked

Mistral001 wrote: »

What happened to the old educational highway code adverts on TV. There used be lots of them on things like how to take a roundabout properly, parallel parking etc. The adverts now seem to be aimed at telling people what not to do using dramatic and presumably high-budget, car action videos instead of what they should do.

I'm in full agreement. The old 'how to do it' adverts were much more effective than the constant 'don't drink and drive' which, through repetition, are largely ignored. The present one of looking twice for motorcycles has value, but we could certainly do with more instructional ads.

belfastgirl23

darwin-rover wrote: »

I always make sure I indicate when turning - something a lot of drivers don't do, making it hard to know if they're turning.

This is really a big problem - as a (mostly) pedestrian, it can be very hard to know if a car is going to turn in, drivers only signal to let other drivers know what they're doing and don't really think about pedestrians. My other pet peeve is drivers in inner city areas driving round looking for parking and being so focused on looking for a spot that they forget entirely that it's a place where people live and they might just be crossing streets...