2022 Highway Code changes: Do you know the new road rules for cars, cyclists and HGVs?

The Highway Code has been updated, earning it much easier for drivers to be prosecuted around accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists, amid considerations about a deficiency of promotion to maximize general public awareness of the new procedures.

As of 29 January, pedestrians have new priority when crossing street junctions, while cyclists have priority when passing a turning car or truck, under a new hierarchy of street consumers. Hojol Uddin, a motoring attorney at JMW Solicitors, claimed the new rules might give some cyclists the self confidence to take additional threats on the street.

“My concern is there will be a situation wherever vehicle house owners are additional likely to be prosecuted now than they have been just before,” he informed us.

Uddin also shared considerations that the Office for Transportation (DfT) was “railroading” the new policies in with no adequately informing the community to start with.

Whilst the on the net variation of the Highway Code can be updated immediately, actual physical copies made up of the new procedures will not be obtainable till the spring.

Although the DfT has established a working group to make your mind up how the changes should be communicated to the public, a spokesperson for Cycling British isles – one of the organisations within just that group – advised Automobile Categorical that promoting was unlikely to start off until eventually immediately after the new procedures experienced been executed.

Duncan Dollimore, Cycling UK’s head of strategies, stated in a statement: “Quite a few people will not have go through the Freeway Code for years, so it’s necessary that the crucial changes are plainly explained, with uncomplicated, exact and unforgettable messages.”

The Alliance of British Drivers, meanwhile, is proposing that the Govt seems into sending each home in the Uk a bodily copy of the up-to-date Highway Code.

In get to understand the implications of the adjustments, and pending publication of the revised Highway Code itself, we asked the Office for Transportation for answers which you can read down below. First nevertheless, right here is an outline of what we consider are the most sizeable revisions to the Highway Code.

What are the 2022 Highway Code improvements as proposed?

Rule H1: New hierarchy of road consumers
Motorists of vehicles that can trigger the finest damage in the event of a collision bear the finest accountability to choose care and reduce the threat to others. This principle applies most strongly to motorists of HGVs, LGVs, vehicles/taxis and bikes. Cyclists and horse riders furthermore have a responsibility to lower danger to pedestrians.

Rule H2: New priority for pedestrians at junctions
At a junction, drivers, motorcyclists, horse riders and cyclists ought to give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a street into which or from which you are turning. You should give way to pedestrians ready to cross a zebra crossing (now you only have to give way if they’re previously on the crossing), and to pedestrians and cyclists ready to cross a parallel crossing.

Rule H3: New precedence for cyclists when automobiles are turning
You must not slash throughout cyclists, horse riders or horse drawn vehicles going forward when you are turning into or out of a junction or changing way or lane. This applies whether or not they are working with a cycle lane, a cycle keep track of, or driving in advance on the highway and you should give way to them. Do not change at a junction if to do so would cause the cyclist, horse rider or horse drawn auto going straight in advance to end or swerve. You need to stop and wait for a protected gap in the move of cyclists if essential.

Q&A: DfT on the 2022 Freeway Code revisions

We spoke to the Division for Transport in late 2021 about the 2022 Highway Code variations…

AE: Can you verify the impact of the Statutory Instrument is that the Freeway Code adjustments outlined – primarily those people pertaining to new right of way principles for cyclists – will turn out to be law on 29 Jan 2022? (And can consequently be legally enforced?)

DfT: The proposed alterations to The Highway Code will be executed at the pretty stop of January 2022 if accepted by Parliament. The proposed variations to The Highway Code are advisory only and not underpinned by legislation.

AE: What are the penalties for motorists failing to give way to cyclists for each the new principles?

DfT: The new rule to give precedence to cyclists heading straight ahead does not search for to alter the legislation but alternatively to guarantee a more mutually respectful and considerate tradition of risk-free and effective street use that gains all people. You really should not slash across a bike owner just like you would not reduce across an additional motorist. 

Whilst failure to comply with the ‘advisory rules’ of the Code will not, in by itself, trigger a man or woman to be prosecuted, The Freeway Code may well be utilized in proof in any court docket proceedings (under the Site visitors Functions) to set up legal responsibility. This contains the rules which use advisory wording these kinds of as ‘should/really should not’ or ‘do/do not’.  

Enforcement of the law is a subject for the police who will come to a decision, on the evidence of each individual circumstance, irrespective of whether an offence has been fully commited and the appropriate motion to just take. 

AE: Do the new priorities use to cyclists only, or do they also utilize to electric powered cycles, e-scooters, mopeds, motorcycles, etcetera?

DfT: The new procedures use to all road customers. For case in point, motorists need to give way to cyclists and cyclists need to give way to pedestrians. It remains illegal to experience a privately owned scooter on public land.

AE: How does the DfT respond to the charge that the session results are in truth exceptionally seriously skewed in favour of the activist biking foyer? (Who supplied 75 for every cent of responses.)

DfT: We are unable to comment on the Cycling Uk statements. However, our session analysis signifies that more than 60% of respondents recognized themselves as a motorist.

AE: What is the system to communicate these extensive-ranging adjustments to motorists, supplied the time frame to implementation is so brief. Will there be nationwide Television or social media advertisement campaigns, for example? 

DfT: We agree that for the adjustments to have the desired effects, it will be significant that they are supported by specific awareness increasing and conduct change communications.

Our properly-proven Imagine! marketing campaign will be developing a communications campaign to aid implementation of the alterations, both equally at start and beyond, timed seasonally to aid situations of increased energetic travel.

Responses to the Freeway Code alterations:

“Nearly three-quarters of crashes involving cyclists consider spot at junctions and there are fourteen Highway Code policies meant to deter motorists from overtaking, slicing in and jogging into pedestrians and cyclists crossing aspect-road junctions.

“Multiple procedures potential customers to confusion, whilst, most European nations have a universal precedence rule, the place whoever is turning into a junction has to give precedence to any person heading straight forward.

“This basic transform clarifies the regulations at junctions, and is a key stage toward embedding a custom made that could make a huge variation to bicycle owner and pedestrian basic safety. It would also give highway designers the confidence to layout better cycling and going for walks infrastructure these as cycle lanes and cycle paths that go across the mouths of facet-streets, generating them less difficult, safer and additional successful for everybody.” Duncan Dollimore, Biking British isles Head of Campaigns

“IAM RoadSmart are concerned the new Highway Code will boost conflict on the highway rather than lower it.  Informing every street user in the United kingdom about the new rules will be a enormous activity specially when most drivers imagine they are proficient and really do not need to refresh their techniques.

Getting the communications appropriate will be essential when some cyclists start out exercising their new legal rights to undertake website traffic and set by themselves at risk. 

Susceptible street people are entitled to the highest  safety from motorised autos but simply just switching a guide no 1 reads is unlikely to provide the effects hoped for. In our view investment decision in segregated services remains the greatest way to really encourage folks to look at lively journey as a real alternate.” Neil Greig, Plan Director, IAM RoadSmart.

“The upcoming variations to the Highway Code are a reminder that all road end users have a duty to look after just one another, in particular the most susceptible kinds: pedestrian, cyclists, other two-wheeled transport and horse riders.

“The encouragement of extra ‘active travel’ and a boom in deliveries by people on bicycles has remodeled street use to some extent, and the Freeway Code wanted to be updated to mirror that.

“As most persons do not examine the Freeway Code at the time they have passed their check, all motorists will will need to be certain they go through and fully grasp the new rules right before they turn into live in January.” Edmund King, AA president.

Now check out the genuine expense of Lower Website traffic Neighbourhoods…