2 Years On: Is the New Highway Code Actually Working?

By Blind Spot DriveBlog

2 Years On: Is the New Highway Code Actually Working?

In 2022, the United Kingdom introduced a heavily revised version of The New Highway Code, bringing in over 50 new rules and regulations. Central to this was the “hierarchy of road users”—a fundamental shift that places greater responsibility on motorists to protect the most vulnerable road users, such as cyclists, pedestrians, and horse riders. The thinking behind this was that everyone on the road would have a safer environment, taking more care regarding those at greater risk.

Two years on, the question many are asking is:

Has the New Highway Code delivered? Overall, the new rules would seem-at best-in doubt, amidst a mix of confusion, non-compliance, and some positive feedback from younger drivers. Do our roads have improved due to this, or has the work failed to hit intended targets?

This article deeply examines the results of the changes so far, looks into compliance, awareness and road safety outcomes, and offers an evaluation of whether these changes have actually worked.

The New Highway Code: What Changed?

Before we dive into how effective the New Highway Code change was, let’s briefly remind ourselves about some of the headline new rules introduced in 2022:

Hierarchy of Road Users: The new highway code makes it clear that those in charge of vehicles have a higher degree of care for the protection of more vulnerable road users. This places pedestrians and cyclists at the top of the hierarchy, with drivers of cars, vans, and larger vehicles showing greater care around them.

Priority of Pedestrians: This is one of the highly talked-about changes; it surely means pedestrians will have priority at junctions. In fact, this new rule states that drivers should stop and give way to the pedestrians who may either be waiting to cross or already crossing, while they are turning into or out of a junction.

Other serious changes include regulations involving how drivers are to treat cyclists. These include leaving at least 1.5 meters when overtaking cyclists and allowing cyclists to ride in the center of lanes when necessary, to increase their view and safety.

Additional Changes for Cyclists: Be further towards the center of your lane when on quieter roads, when approaching junctions, and when approaching or passing slower-moving traffic.

Car Door Opening: Now, it is recommended that drivers use the Dutch Reach method for opening car doors; this means using the hand furthest from the door to encourage a turning of the head to check for cyclists or pedestrians approaching.

These changes had been planned to make roads much safer and decrease the number of accidents by changing driver behavior to give priority to other road users who are more vulnerable.

Reality of Compliance-Ignoring the Problem

Yet, despite its confident vision, the latest survey by the RAC shows alarming figures in terms of adherence. Less than a quarter of all drivers surveyed, almost 23%, abide by this rule at all times, giving priority to pedestrians who may be waiting to cross junctions. This is compounded further by 19% of drivers who report that they follow this rule sometimes and another 6% of drivers who say they never stop for pedestrians that might be waiting to cross.

This is highly concerning when put in context of the latest road casualty data. Pedestrian deaths at junctions accounted for 30% in 2022 of all pedestrian deaths. A total of 385 pedestrians were killed in 2022, up from 361 in 2021-this is a highly troubling trend. The increase in deaths shows that, despite the new regulations, safety concerning pedestrian deaths at junctions is still an issue.

This could be because drivers either do not know or are simply flouting the new rules. The fact that so many drivers are either unaware of or simply flouting the new rules says something about the disconnection between what the New Highway Code intends and what is happening on the roads. One might question how this revised The New Highway Code will work in reality, and indeed whether more is being done to enforce such changes.

Failed Approach?

Public Perception and Pedestrian Safety The RAC survey also showed mixed feelings by the public over the effectiveness of the new Highway Code: 18% of motorists surveyed believe changes have outright failed, while 31% of drivers think pedestrians are now in greater danger than before changes were introduced.

This growing sense of skepticism is a cause for concern, because it suggests that the majority of the driving population does not understand or does not believe in the changes that were made to The New Highway Code. If drivers perceive that pedestrians now pose an increased risk, then one might expect further hesitation or reluctance on the part of the drivers to follow the rules.

The silver lining, however, is that it also found 37% of younger drivers, aged 17 to 24, believe The New Highway Code has caused roads to become safer for both cyclists and pedestrians. This compares to just 13% of older drivers, aged 65-plus. Perhaps this generational split in perception gives a good indication that newer drivers may be more accepting of the new highway code as they learn their way through.

This, however, is little to go on with an otherwise murky picture. That almost one-third of drivers think pedestrians are less safe now evidences that in all probability, those policymakers face an uphill task to convince the public these changes are beneficial.

Lack of Awareness: Ignorance Is a Bigger Problem One of the biggest concerns raised by the RAC is apparently the lack of knowledge about The New Highway Code changes. Rod Dennis, a spokesman for the RAC, expressed his concern about the level of ignorance over the new rules: “Two years on, it’s concerning to see there’s still so much uncertainty, with most drivers not stopping for people crossing when they should, and therefore many pedestrians seeing no change to their safety at junctions.”

That would point out, logically, a potential miscommunication and failure to educate. If the public is not aware of the changes, or worse, don’t understand the consequences of ignoring them, then the new rules likely aren’t going to have the desired impact.

A number of factors may account for this seeming ignorance. The new edition of the New Highway Code did receive high media visibility when it was first published, but perhaps this public education has been lost in the interim. One announcement is unlikely to embed such changes into public consciousness, and often repeated reinforcement is necessary to make sure that drivers remember, and then follow, the new rules.

Second, there is little incentive for most drivers who passed their test many years ago to revisit the Highway Code unless they become involved in some kind of incident that forces them to re-take a test. Without an active campaign to keep drivers informed, many will potentially continue to drive based on outdated habits, with perhaps limited awareness of the new responsibilities placed upon them.

The Department of Transport’s Role: What Needs to Be Done?
It is now an onus on the DfT to ensure good implementation of the new Highway Code. Though the introduction of the revised Code was a step forward, it is painfully clear that more work is needed to ensure the changes are understood and respected by the driving public.

Public Awareness Campaigns
Introducing more aggressive public awareness campaigns is one possible solution. This may fall under various targeted campaigns through television, radio, social media, and even roadside billboards, to remind the drivers of the new rules and the penalty one might have to pay for breaching them.

These campaigns can be targeted on specific aspects of the Highway Code, such as the pedestrian priority rule, so that effective delivery of key messages is ensured. An example will be visual demonstrations of the new rules in action with statistics about pedestrian fatalities driving the message home.

Driver Education Programs
Another proposal would be refresher courses within the driving system. The DfT can work with driving schools, insurance companies, and other interested parties to provide optional or incentivized driver education programs. Such programs may familiarize professional drivers with the new rules and safe driving techniques, thereby remedying the knowledge deficit for drivers whose test was before the changes in rules.

Implementation of New Rules
Of course, awareness is not everything; enforcement is equally important. Without meaningful consequences for ignoring the new rules, drivers may be less likely to change their behavior. The DfT, in cooperation with local authorities and law enforcement agencies, may wish to implement an increase in the numbers of traffic enforcement officers at key junctions and high-risk areas as part of their overall strategy of securing compliance with the pedestrian priority rule.

CCTV technology and other forms of surveillance may also allow the identification of drivers who fail to stop for pedestrians, with fines or warnings issued to offenders.

Time Will Tell: The Long-Term Impact
Finally, it might yet be too soon to gauge the relative success or failure of this revised Highway Code, given that initial data illustrates disturbing trends regarding pedestrian safety and compliance by drivers with new rules. It has to be remembered that the captured change in public behavior takes some time.

The RAC’s findings indicate that younger drivers are more optimistic about the changes and perhaps a sign that, over the next few years, there will be some sort of attitude change. We might find that as the newer generations of drivers are educated from the outset with this revised Highway Code, improvements in compliance and road safety begin to emerge.

Meanwhile, the DfT will necessarily have to take centre stage in promoting, educating, and enforcing the new rules to ensure that the driving public is properly aware of the changes in as large numbers as possible. Only then, through sustained effort, will the full impact of the new Highway Code on road safety in the UK be realized.

Meanwhile, it would appear that there is still more to be done as regards the present level of awareness and compliance. As pedestrian deaths increase at junctions, the stakes couldn’t be any higher. Whatever route continues to be adopted-whether it is stronger public campaigns, greater education, or further and better enforcement-the theme is one and the same: safer roads for all.

Main image by ArthurHidden on Freepik