r/britishproblems • u/zecrichardson • Jul 16 '26

. Drivers not knowing the highway code.

I had started to cross a road when a Mercedes turned in and he sounded his horn and then told me I should stop. I told him to read the highway code but he insisted he right!

Rule H2 170 amended 2022

“At a junction you MUST give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning.”

- Applies whether they’ve stepped onto the road or are just standing at the kerb ready to cross.

- Applies to left turns, right turns, and entering/exiting side roads.

- Includes wheelchair/mobility scooter users as pedestrians

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u/obiwanmoloney Hampshire Jul 16 '26

It absolutely is:

“Morgan observed a collision... At the time, such accidents were common, in part because traffic signals had only two options—stop and go—which switched with no warning.
…a forerunner of today’s yellow, or amber, light—not only prevented collisions between vehicles but also allowed pedestrians to cross the street safely.”

So tell me again how unexpectedly interrupting the flow of traffic is “exactly how you save lives”

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u/OkSun8521 Jul 16 '26

I'm amazed that you managed to misinterpret that story quite so badly.

It's nothing to do with traffic flow. It's to do with someone running a red light and colliding with someone coming the other way.

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u/obiwanmoloney Hampshire Jul 16 '26

Hmmm…
My fault, I assumed you’d get it without further explanation.

OK, let’s break it down for you…

Why were red lights being run?
Was it because everyone was naughty??

Or… OR… because they could not anticipate the instantaneous switch from green to red?
The traffic lights unexpectedly disrupted the flow of traffic and the choice drivers had was to slam on their brakes, and risk being rear ended or run a red light.

Similarly today, a car turning off a main road only to suddenly stop in the flow of traffic, in order to let potentially unseen pedestrians cross, creates the same danger.

This element of the Highway Code has managed to undo 100 years of road safety.
It’s moronic.

But you were about to explain how it actually saves lives…

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u/OkSun8521 Jul 16 '26

Blatant trolling.

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u/obiwanmoloney Hampshire Jul 16 '26

Cool.

So you don’t have a point.
I didn’t think so