Conundrum: Pedestrians on a narrow country road with no footpaths - who gives way?
Options
Comments
-
It is your right of way, pedestrians should move over, however it is also your responsibility not to run people over so... yes, if they are not moving, you must stop. Highway code explicitly states that if pedestrians are in the road you must slow down and stop before you hit them!
I am a keen photographer, and in early March I was shooting around Buachaille Etive Mor around the main A82. I did what I could to keep off the road as much as I could as I was walking from my car to location and vice versa and thanked drivers that gave me space when I wasn't able to use the verge.
There are many reasons why a pedestrian may use the road rather than a verge. In my case, the verge was very uneven, and walking along it might have caused me to lose balance and fall into the road. There's no guarantee that the drivers would see that. As a driver you don't have the best view of the verge, so how can you judge with certainty whether the pedestrians should be on the verge or the road, facing oncoming traffic?
As a motorist, you have, I believe a moral obligation to look out for and avoid physical contact with weaker road users than yourself - and yes, that includes cyclists. Whether they are in the wrong isn't really the point, you should still look out for them and avoid contact.0 -
What on Earth are pedestrians doing walking facing the traffic? :eek:
They should be ambling along in the road facing away from the traffic, wearing dark clothes, with their hoods pulled up over their headphones.
They should, if at all possible, make sure that it is raining and dark too.
However, the Police seem to take a dim view of simply driving over them, shouting "Natural selection"I want to go back to The Olden Days, when every single thing that I can think of was better.....
(except air quality and Medical Science )0 -
Do you really need to ask?
Sadly, yes - because an increasingly frequent driver response (despite a very clear Highway Code rule) is to shout, swear and gesticulate at any pedestrians who don't get off the road - despite the fact that to do so would be difficult and probably involve getting covered in mud.
Highway Code Rule 206
Drive carefully and slowly when approaching pedestrians on narrow rural roads without a footway or footpath. Always slow down and be prepared to stop if necessary, giving them plenty of room as you drive past.0 -
Sadly, yes - because an increasingly frequent driver response (despite a very clear Highway Code rule) is to shout, swear and gesticulate at any pedestrians who don't get off the road - despite the fact that to do so would be difficult and probably involve getting covered in mud.
Highway Code Rule 206
Drive carefully and slowly when approaching pedestrians on narrow rural roads without a footway or footpath. Always slow down and be prepared to stop if necessary, giving them plenty of room as you drive past.0 -
Pedestrians are 'road users', along with cyclists, horse riders, motorcyclists, car drivers, White Van Man, lorries, ambulances, bin lorries, tractors and the like. All have an equal right to use the road as long as they obey the law.
We just need to be tolerant and patient, and find a way of sharing the roads amicably.If someone is nice to you but rude to the waiter, they are not a nice person.0 -
Outside towns and cities, but often just outside quite well populated villages, there are roads with no footpaths, just not particularly easily accessible verges.
It's a sunny day on a quiet road, with not much traffic. You're driving a car - you spot a couple of pedestrians out for a walk and coming towards you. There are two of them, side by side, on your side of the road, but having seen you they move into single file.
It's a narrow road, just about wide enough for two vehicles, there's another car coming towards you, and you expect the pedestrians to get off the road, onto the verge, to allow you to continue your journey without having to stop. But they don't - they just carry on walking single file.
What do you do?
1 Stop before you reach the pedestrians to allow the other car to pass safely.
2 Blast your horn at the pedestrians to get them to move out of the way.
3 Carry on regardless and take a chance on brushing against the pedestrians?
Real life situation - I see it every day. What's the correct answer?0 -
-
Problem is everyone knows what the correct answer should be so you are never going to get anyone on a public forum to admit otherwise.
However having experience of walking down the roads you describe I know what you are talking about.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 343.6K Banking & Borrowing
- 250.2K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 449.9K Spending & Discounts
- 235.7K Work, Benefits & Business
- 608.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 173.3K Life & Family
- 248.3K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards