According to a new survey, the majority of British drivers aren’t aware of impending changes to the Highway Code…
Drivers Unaware of Changes to Highway Code
A series of changes to the Highway Code are due to come into effect on January 29th. Many of these will be predicated on a new ‘hierarchy of vulnerability’; granting priority to the likes of pedestrians and cyclists. However, a new survey conducted by the AA has found that two-thirds of drivers aren’t even aware that the changes are being made.
The survey, which involved 13,500 drivers, found that only 33% of the respondents were aware of the changes. A fifth (20%) believed that the plans for ‘false’ and half (48%) were completely unaware of them. Some of the most significant changes involve giving cyclists priority at junctions and leaving 1.5 metres space when overtaking them. In addition, pedestrians will get priority over all other road-users when crossing the road.
A ‘Mammoth Task’
Edmund King, the President of the AA, has spoken about the difficulty of educating drivers. He said, “with such fundamental changes to the Highway Code taking place to make our roads safer, we need to ensure road users understand the new rules ahead of time. While we can educate new drivers through our driving schools, it is a mammoth task to inform and educate the 40 million full licence holders already on the roads. Previous AA research shows that three in 10 drivers (30%) have not looked at the Highway Code since they passed their test”.
He added, “considering these changes cover vital issues such as rights of way and introduces a ‘hierarchy of responsibility’, we urge the Department to start talking about these changes now in a comprehensive campaign”.
Naturally, for fleets, the new rules provide new challenges in the field of duty of care. Should drivers run afoul of the new rules, the company as a whole can be held responsible. In which case, it makes sense for fleets to launch their own internal campaigns to keep their drivers informed; regardless of whether the government decides to launch its own or not.
Operator Has Its Licence Revoked After Blaming Drivers For Offences – https://autoservefleet.co.uk/latest-news/operator-has-its-licence-revoked-after-blaming-drivers-for-offences/
Oxford Zero Emission Zone Will Go Live In February – https://autoserve.co.uk/motoring-news/oxford-zero-emission-zone-will-go-live-in-february/
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