Drivers given urgent warning over new Highway Code rule few know about

Motorists throughout the UK are being advised of a significant yet widely overlooked update to the Highway Code. The recent amendment has conferred greater priority to pedestrians under new situations, which many drivers remain oblivious to.

The rules now assert that when pedestrians are waiting to cross at a junction—regardless of whether there's a marked pedestrian crossing or not—they must be given priority. This indicates that drivers need to be vigilant for pedestrians who might enter the road with the intention to cross, especially as they turn into an intersection.

Caught off guard by this change, some drivers might express their annoyance towards pedestrians by sounding their horns. However, under the fresh stipulations of the Highway Code, the pedestrians would actually be correct in their action.

This modification is part of what is termed as the "hierarchy of road users", a system where pedestrians are considered above motorists in priority. Despite these changes, the concern remains that many drivers do not recognize this shift and might wrongly expect pedestrians to yield to them.

The ignorance of these updated guidelines could lead to potential hazards if motorists do not acknowledge the rights of pedestrians to cross at junctions. Campaigns have begun, including radio broadcasts, aiming to educate on the new adjustments to the code, reports Birmingham Live.

According to the revised Highway Code: "At a junction you should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning. You must give way to pedestrians on a zebra crossing, and to pedestrians and cyclists on a parallel crossing."

"Pedestrians have priority when on a zebra crossing, on a parallel crossing or at light controlled crossings when they have a green signal. You should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross a zebra crossing, and to pedestrians and cyclists waiting to cross a parallel crossing."