Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucky@LeMans
LOL !
Do the pedestrians have an obligation to look before they cross the road ? What about the Green Cross Code ?
With regards to cyclists, what are the rules for under taking another vehicle in those situations ?
Pedestrian Crash For Cash anyone ?
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The way I understand it is that drivers have a legal obligation to look out for pedestrians but pedestrians are only advised to look out for vehicles. The details indicate that drivers need to give more consideration to the additional vulnerability of children, hearing or sight impaired people etc., which most people do anyway, but it is a charter for people to just walk into the road in front of moving vehicles without diverting their attention from their phone.
As for cyclists, as I read the legislation, they have right of way up the inside or outside of any vehicle that intends to or is turning into a junction, as do pedestrians and horses.
That turns a couple of basic, longstanding rules of the road on their heads - never overtake another vehicle when approaching a junction to the right and never overtake on the inside unless the road layout or (traffic jam) conditions allow it.
Given how modern SUV's, never mind vans and HGV's have terrible blind spots to the rear three quarters, and even sensibly sized modern cars have huge blind spots to both sides obliquely ahead from their crash protectingly thick windscreen pillars, there are going to be many casualties caused by people who are legally in the right blundering on past a vehicle being driven by someone who can't see them as they turn.
As I alluded to earlier, though, if someone can be blamed for a death on the road then it doesn't count as an accidental death. The result of that stupidity is that the inevitable and significant increase in pedestrian and cyclist fatalities on our roads as a result of these new laws will be hailed as a major improvement in road safety as there will be less 'accidental' deaths.
Madness.