Too many people take a Pirates Of The Caribbean approach to the Highway Code – as in: “It’s more what you’d call ‘guidelines’ than actual rules.”
But while Barbossa’s take on the Pirate Code was only relevant to the high seas in a romping good film, the actual rules applied to our roads are a matter of life and death. This is why they are drummed into every learner driver even before they get behind the wheel – and then largely ignored by so many qualified motorists.
However, the changes to the Highway Code coming into force at the end of this month are something everyone who takes to the road needs to know about.
The nub of the matter is that motorists now need to give way to cyclists and pedestrians at junctions, creating a new “hierarchy” which implies drivers are automatically at fault in an accident with more vulnerable road users.
Some pedestrians are needlessly reckless
It makes perfect sense that those who can cause the greatest harm should take the greatest responsibility and care to keep others safe. There is, however, a fly in the ointment of this well-intentioned change: people.
To be precise, stupidly reckless people who pay no heed to their own safety or behaviour when crossing a road or riding a bike.
Anyone who drives knows one of the biggest dangers on the road is the pedestrian plugged into headphones at full volume, replying to texts on their phone, who simply walks into traffic without a second thought.
I doubt there is any motorist in the land who hasn’t had to slam on the brakes, blare on the horn and glare at an offending numpty. Usually the response is either a blank stare while mouthing “whaaaaat?” or an angry snarl, a one-finger salute and Anglo-Saxon advice about procreation.
Then there are the people who aren’t even in a self-imposed sensory deprivation tank. They simply walk into the road regardless of cars, presuming everyone in the world will stop for them. Every motorist on Union Street knows this to be true.
New Highway Code isn’t a shield of invincibility
Let us turn now to the small but determined band of cyclists who are clearly colourblind, because they can’t see red lights. They think it’s a challenge to weave between lanes without indicating, or decide pavements are as much their domain as roads.
My fear is the new Highway Code will be seen as a green light for people who believe it is up to others to look out for them, so they can just do as they please
It’s become far worse now large swathes of the population are having food delivered to them by two-wheeled couriers, who have as much regard for rules as Captain Jack Sparrow. But without the charm.
My fear is that the new Highway Code will be seen as a green light for people who believe it is up to others to look out for them, so they can just do as they please when it comes to road safety.
Pedestrians and cyclists are now, rightly, better protected – but that doesn’t mean they have a licence to do what they want without any accountability for their actions.
The new Highway Code isn’t a shield of invincibility. It’s still everyone’s responsibility to keep themselves and others around them safe, whether in a car, on a bike or on two feet. So, do it.
Scott Begbie is entertainment editor for The Press & Journal and Evening Express
