Major Highway Code changes just weeks away as experts warn of hidden and updated rules

GB News: Panel debate Highway Code changes

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Driving law changes are set to come into effect on January 29, 2022, and will create a “hierarchy of road users”. The Highway Code rules are being amended to make roads safer for car drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.

From this date, pedestrians and cyclists will have priority over motorists at junctions, following a public consultation earlier in 2021.

The main changes include the addition of Rule H1, H2 and H3, which rank road users according to how at-risk they are in the event of a collision.

Rule H1 says that drivers of large goods and passenger vehicles bear the greatest responsibility to take care on the road, followed by vans and minibuses, cars and taxis and motorcycles.

Cyclists, horse riders and horse drawn vehicles also have a responsibility to reduce danger to pedestrians.

Rule H2 requires drivers to give way to pedestrians at junctions as well as zebra, light controlled, and parallel crossings.

Rule H3 requires drivers to give priority to cyclists when they are turning into or out of a junction, or changing direction or lane

But experts at LeaseCar.uk have pointed out some of the lesser-known rules, which may catch some drivers out when they are introduced.

One winter addition is for stopping distances. The gap should be doubled on wet roads, but an update to the rules means drivers should leave a gap up to 10 times greater when travelling at high speeds on icy terrain.

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There is an extra clause added to “be aware of emergency services, traffic officers, recovery workers and other people or vehicles that have stopped” and encourages those in the left lane to move into the adjacent lane if it’s safe.

People that hog lanes on fast roads are often moaned about for being a nuisance, but it is also an extremely dangerous thing to do.

An update to the Highway Code rule number 138 states that road users on a dual carriageway with three or more lanes, can use right hand lanes to overtake, but they should return to the left-hand lane.

Rule 264 now states “keep in the left lane unless overtaking”.

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