Getting Familiar with Recent Highway Code Updates
The Highway Code is the law of the road in the UK. It covers all the legal and advisory rules necessary for safety, sustainability and efficiency. There are both mandatory rules and nuggets of advice, with disobedience of the former leading to fines, penalty points, disqualification or even imprisonment. Disobeying the latter can be used against you in a court of law.
It’s worth noting that the Highway Code is not locked in place forever, with it being a fluid, evolving document that changes much like other legal frameworks. This blog will offer you insights into the most significant and recent changes to the Highway Code, so you can maintain safety in an ever-changing landscape for legality, fuel prices and more.
2022 changes to the hierarchy of road users
The most significant recent changes to the code came in 2022, with the establishment of the “hierarchy of road users”. The concept of this is based around placing greater responsibility on the parties who could cause the most harm in a collision, as a means to protect the most vulnerable people on the road.
Understanding the hierarchy is based on three primary rules.
- Rule H1. This is the basic rule that implies drivers in the most dangerous/substantial vehicles, such as cars, vans or HGVs, bear the biggest responsibility for road safety.
- Rule H2. This rule gives pedestrians priority when crossing or waiting to cross a road. Drivers and motorcyclists need to give way to pedestrians at junctions they’re turning into or out of.
- Rule H3. This gives priority to cyclists, horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles when a driver is turning into or out of a junction, or changing direction or lane.
There’s also encouragement for the “Dutch Reach”, which means when you get out of your vehicle, you reach with the hand furthest from the door, encouraging over-the-shoulder looking for the sake of cyclists and pedestrians.
Pedestrian, cyclist-specific & other miscellaneous rules
There are also some other road hierarchy rules more focused on pedestrians and cyclists, along with some other miscellaneous rules. You should keep these in mind to avoid the Highway Code pedestrian priority fine or other penalties.
- Cyclists can ride in the centre of the road, but they still must allow faster traffic to pass them when it’s safe
- Cyclists can also ride two abreast
- Drivers must now leave 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists at speeds up to 30mph
- Pedestrians get priority when waiting at zebra crossings
- It’s illegal to use your phone or mobile device with your hands while driving for any reason, even if it’s just tapping the screen while the phone is docked – use voice controls if you need to use your phone
- Electric vehicles need to park close to charging points and be mindful of trailing cables
You should note that these rules are the most recent major changes, but they have been in effect since January 2022, and there haven’t been major overhauls in the last couple of years. However, it’s always worth keeping your eye on alterations or simply reminding yourself of some principles if it’s been a while.
For more insights into the world of the road, check out our blog today. We offer timely updates, reminders like these, general driving guides and so much more.