A majority of drivers believe the new hierarchy of road-users will lead to more conflict on the nation’s roads…
Conflict from the Hierarchy?
Of all the changes introduced to the Highway Code back in January, the hierarchy of road-users is the most notable. This, in essence, grants priority on the basis of vulnerability. As a consequence, the likes of pedestrians and cyclists now take priority on the roads over motor vehicles in a number of instances. Research, however, suggests that a majority of drivers believe it’ll lead to more conflict on the road network.
IAM Roadsmart, a road safety charity, surveyed 1,000 motorists to determine their attitude towards the hierarchy. Two-thirds of them (59%) said that they believe it’ll lead to conflict, rather than making the roads safer. Just 6% of them believed the changes will make things safer, whilst 13% said it’d have no impact at all.
A particular cause of concern is the fact that pedestrians now have priority at junctions; meaning that vehicles turning in and out should give way to them. 54% of the surveyed motorists believe this this will cause more conflict, whilst just 15% believed that it’d reduce incidents.
Offering Clarity
Neil Greig, director of policy and research at IAM RoadSmart, has expressed support for the hierarchy. However, he believes more needs to be done to raise awareness around the changes.
He explained, “the changes to the Highway Code are a reminder to all road users to behave responsibly with a mutual respect for each other’s safety. The hierarchy offers clarity as to where priority should be given in various scenarios, so it is important for all road users to understand how the changes will affect them and others in real situations on the road”.
He continued, “we would urge the DfT to be more realistic about the impact that simply changing a seldom-read document will have on the behaviour and safety of road users, and instead, roll out more intensive and timely campaigns to build awareness and confidence in the new code”.
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