Mr Loophole says new Highway Code “poses a serious risk to road safety” – and that reading it should be “legal requirement”; Tom Piss Stop; Bol beats Stewart at Tour of Britain; Pidcock and Valverde out of Worlds; Wheels versus car + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“It is in everyone’s interest”: 61 percent of drivers have not read Highway Code updates, says AA
It’s now over seven months since the changes to the Highway Code, aimed at protecting vulnerable road users, came into force (I know, where has the year gone?).
Almost two months have passed since the government launched its latest THINK! road safety campaign to promote the revisions. The ‘Travel Like You Know Them’ campaign, billed as a summer-long publicity push, aimed to not only make people aware of the Highway Code changes but to shift the focus from vehicles on the road to the actual people making those journeys.
“’Travel Like You Know Them’ speaks to everyone who uses the road, with an emphasis on motorists and those who have a greater responsibility to reduce the risk they may pose to others, as per Highway Code’s new hierarchy of road users,” the Department for Transport said in July.
The DfT’s £500,000 publicity campaign followed criticism of the government’s roll-out of the Highway Code changes, with many arguing that the public were not made aware of the revisions and their new responsibilities on the road.
An AA poll carried out just days before the changes came into effect in late January showed that one-in-three of the motoring group’s members were unaware of the new rules.
So, seven months has passed and what’s changed?
Not much, if you’re looking at a new survey conducted by the AA.
Of the 13,327 AA members who took the group’s latest poll on the new Highway Code, 8,090 (61 percent) had not read the revisions.
6,972 drivers said that they had heard about the new rules, but just hadn’t read them yet (it has only been seven months after all), while 1,118 motorists were completely unaware of the changes.
Get them a road.cc subscription right away!
On the bright side, even if over three-fifths of the AA’s members haven’t read the changes, when asked to pick five correct statements from the new Highway Code from a list of ten, the majority of those surveyed answered correctly. Phew.
Tim Rankin, the managing director of AA Accident Assist, told the BBC that the group was “concerned that so many still haven’t read the rules.”
He continued: “While we are pleased that many of the changes can be successfully recalled, we’d like more drivers to know the rules outright so they can keep themselves and others safe.
“It is in everyone’s interest to take every measure that helps avoid collisions and remove confusion from the road, so we urge those that still haven’t read the updated code to do so as soon as possible.”
Tom Piss Stop: Pidcock manages fifth on Tour of Britain stage after untimely call of nature
A yellow weather warning, a wrong turn off course, a delay in live TV coverage, a super-late nature break from the pre-race favourite, and a surprise stage winner…
Yesterday’s opening stage of the Tour of Britain through Aberdeenshire, won by Israel-Premier Tech’s 22-year-old neo pro Corbin Strong, was eventful to say the least.
Will Palmer/SWpix.com
Before the young Kiwi lived up to his name by outsprinting the Ineos Grenadiers’ Omar Fraile on the uphill drag to Glenshee Ski Centre to take his maiden pro victory, the peloton was forced to endure a stereotypically British day of racing, slogging through the wind and rain on their way west from Aberdeen.
The grim, blustery conditions and early downpour not only resulted in a plethora of black raincapes throughout the peloton, but a loss of live TV pictures, which were delayed for 90 minutes thanks to the wind at the finish line.
Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
The lack of live coverage meant we missed Bora-Hansgrohe’s Marco Haller’s collision with a race motorbike (forcing the Austrian to abandon just 15 minutes into the eight-day race, as well as the bizarre moment the bunch strayed off course on the outskirts of Inverurie, 25 kilometres into the 180-kilometre stage.
“The organisers sent us the wrong way,” Ineos Grenadiers rider Magnus Sheffield told CyclingNews at the finish. “Fortunately, I was able to catch on as I’d just flatted on my front wheel. I was actually a bit happy I got to come back a bit easier.
“It was only three or four hundred metres, but it was really funny. I was coming through the cars and it seemed like everyone looked super confused.”
Back on the predesignated route, soon-to-be-retiring Alex Dowsett put in a sterling turn on the front in the thankfully improving conditions to reel in the day’s breakaway of Stephen Bassett, Matt Gibson, Martin Urianstad, Matthew Teggart and Jacob Scott, on the wind-ravaged slog to Glenshee.
In the final five kilometres, one of the pre-race favourites Tom Pidcock – that’s world cyclo-cross champion, Olympic mountain bike gold medallist and Tour de France stage winner on Alpe d’Huez Tom Pidcock to you – appeared to be struggling towards the back of the peloton, seemingly suffering after a day of foul weather and gritty Scottish roads.
While Strong proved the strongest (sorry), and took the race’s first leader’s jersey, Pidcock (who says he won’t be travelling to Australia for this month’s road worlds – more on that later) appeared out of nowhere to place fifth on the day, with his presence at the back of the bunch later attributed, not to sore legs, but to an untimely call of nature:
The reason Tom Pidcock was off the back with 6km to go at @TourofBritain? He stopped for a pee
— Andy McGrath (@Andymcgra) September 4, 2022
Pidcock confirmed after the stage that it was a number one rather than the full Tom Dumoulin that prompted his late chase back on to the bunch.
“I needed a pee,” he explained at the finish.
“I was supposed to be on Omar’s wheel, that would have been ideal, then maybe I would have won. A bit too relaxed, really.
“It was a big headwind, I just made a mistake and didn’t go to the front early enough. The Tour was my last race, the depth meant there’d be a lot of trains going up this massive road, here it just strung out.”
The riders will be glad to hear that there is no weather warning in place for today’s stage in the Scottish Borders from Hawick to Duns. I’m not sure if the blue skies will last all week, however…
‘The wheel’s just a little out of shape, sure you’ll be able to straighten it back up…’
This is what happens when a nice pair of Hunts go toe-to-toe with a motorist at a junction:
Not sure it’s supposed to look like that. pic.twitter.com/E82zE8G142
— Will Poole 🇵🇸🇾🇪🇺🇦🇬🇪 (@willpoole) September 4, 2022
Thankfully, the cyclist ‘escaped’ with concussion and a spot of bruising, though judging by the state of those wheels, it could have been a lot worse…
Got run into by a driver at a junction. Some bruising and concussion but could have been a *lot* worse
— Will Poole 🇵🇸🇾🇪🇺🇦🇬🇪 (@willpoole) September 4, 2022
Cycling Twitter was on hand to focus, as ever, on the most important things in life, such as the health of the bike (and the rider of course!):
The hanger and the mech cage are snapped…
— Will Poole 🇵🇸🇾🇪🇺🇦🇬🇪 (@willpoole) September 4, 2022
‘Just a little out of shape, sure you’ll be able to straighten it back up’ as the mechanic gives you a death stare 😂
— Kerry (@Kerry13_) September 4, 2022
I’ve got some T-cut you can borrow.
Seriously though, did a number on it didn’t they? Guessing insurance will cover it?
— Andy Hill (@4ndyHill) September 4, 2022
Have you noticed your wheel is a bit out of true m8?
— Jean Bout (@_jeanbout) September 4, 2022
Some cyclo-cross at the Vuelta
⏪ 😱😱😱
🙏🏻 ¡Por muy poco @AntonioTiberi4 – @TrekSegafredo!
🤏🏻 That was a close one!#LaVuelta22 pic.twitter.com/i2V9TLlXO1
— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) September 4, 2022
Top-notch bike handling here from Trek-Segafredo’s 21-year-old former junior world TT champion Antonio Tiberi, who seems as if he’d be just as at home on the muddy fields of Flanders as he is on the roads of Italy and Spain…
“It’s all the way in Australia”: No road worlds for Tom Pidcock
We’ve got some more Tom Pidcock news for you this morning, as the Ineos Grenadiers rider revealed after yesterday’s opening stage of the Tour of Britain that he has “pulled out” of the British team for this month’s road world championships in Wollongong – while also casting doubts over his ambitions for this winter’s cyclo-cross season.
The 23-year-old Yorkshireman cited the mental and physical fatigue of a long season racing multiple disciplines – as well as the lingering disappointment of his crash and subsequent fourth place at last week’s world mountain bike championships in Les Gets – as the main reasons behind his decision to withdraw from the GB line-up.
“Mentally, I couldn’t hack another build-up to Worlds. It’s all the way in Australia. If I want to target road Worlds I need to be 100 percent,” he told CyclingNews at the finish line at the Glensee Ski Centre yesterday.
“I was just dreaming of winning mountain bike worlds, so when that didn’t happen, I was a bit lost. Then trying to go and win road worlds, to me, would have been the hardest.”
> Tom Pidcock crashes, finishes fourth at UCI Mountain Bike World Championships
Pidcock admitted that he had experienced a “difficult week” following the mountain bike worlds.
“It was pretty tough because I had prepared so well and everything seemed to be just going wrong. First, before the race and then in the race.
“It didn’t matter what I did or how hard I tried to control things or get them back on track, something else went wrong. But then coming here, I felt more positive about racing.”
Tom Pidcock before the start of stage two of the 2022 Tour of Britain in Hawick (Will Palmer/SWpix.com)
By missing out on the worlds in Australia – where Ethan Hayter and Fred Wright are expected to lead the British team – the Tour of Britain will be Pidcock’s last race on the road before his attention turns to the cyclo-cross season.
However, the current ‘cross world champion is yet to commit to riding a full winter on knobbly tyres – or even defending his rainbow bands – and says he now wants to be “more selective” when planning his racing schedule.
“We need to make our plans for [the cyclo-cross season], I’m not sure,” he said. “There’s some uncertainty about the World Cup in Britain, but that’s obviously one big goal if that happens.
“I want to prepare properly for the Classics. I don’t know how much Hoogerheide suits me, it seems to be getting dryer and faster every year. If I’m going to beat Wout [van Aert] and Mathieu [van der Poel], it needs to be a good course.
“But in my head, I want to do less ‘cross. I don’t want to do the full ‘cross season, then road, then Tour and then worlds, you know? It drags on.
“So I want to be a bit more selective: whether that’s the first part of the season, with the European Championships and the World Cup in the UK, or the end of season with the Worlds, I don’t know yet.”
‘Cyclist saves drowning boar’ video does the rounds again
It may be almost seven years old, but this remarkable footage of a cyclist saving a drowning wild boar from a canal is doing the rounds again on the internet, so we thought we’d share it to brighten up your Monday:
To be fair, I’d never seen it before…
Brothers in the break at the Tour of Britain, as Teggart sweeps up the sprint points
We’re approaching the last 40km of today’s second stage of the Tour of Britain to Duns, in what must be much-welcome sunny conditions after yesterday’s grim slog through the Cairngorms.
The peloton – led by race leader Corbin Strong’s Israel-Premier Tech squad alongside Trinity Racing – has upped the pace considerably in the last hour and reduced the six-man breakaway’s advantage to less than a minute as we enter the final hour of racing.
Today’s break is an unusual one as it contains two brothers, Ribble Weldtite’s Charlie and Harry Tanfield, who, as we reported in May, were the victims of an intentional hit and run while training in Essex.
It’s also been a productive day for the sprints competition leader Matt Teggart who, despite some issues with his bike, has been hoovering up the intermediate sprints in a bid to increase his grip on the white sprints jersey.
Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Teggart’s presence at the front of the race during these opening two stages is somewhat historically pertinent.
In two days’ time it will be fifty years since Matthew’s grandfather, the legendary Northern Irish rider Noel Teggart, represented Ireland in the highly controversial Olympic road race in Munich, where he was ambushed by a group of Irish republican cyclists (banned from international competition due to their refusal to accept the political border in Ireland) and forced to abandon the race in tears.
The WiV SunGod rider will be hoping for a happier outcome and that the break can hold off the peloton – which has been impeded slightly by a crash at a pinch point – as they near a series of climbs which present an opportunity for Teggart to add another Tour of Britain jersey to his growing collection.
Best seat in the house… or field
Where are you watching the race from today? pic.twitter.com/jipz5CRbPH
— Scottish Cycling (@ScottishCycling) September 5, 2022
Mr Loophole weighs in on Highway Code… and says reading it “should be a legal requirement”
Reading the Highway Code should be a legal requirement. And there should be an online test for motorists every time a licence is renewed and every time a new Highway Code is published. https://t.co/0EHTtHG2Ak
— Nick Freeman (@TheMrLoophole) September 5, 2022
Back in January, motoring lawyer Nick Freeman – known by his nickname Mr Loophole for his ability to clear celebrities of driving charges through technicalities (as well as his long-standing campaign to introduce IDs for cyclists) – predicted that the then-upcoming Highway Code revisions would cause “carnage” and warned that “our roads are going to be much more angry and much more dangerous.”
Speaking on the always well-informed Mike Graham’s talkRadio show (that was sarcasm, just to be clear, but don’t tell Laura Kuenssberg), Freeman argued that the changes – particularly the new hierarchy of vulnerable road users – were “well-intentioned but ill-conceived”.
“The whole point of this is to increase safety,” he said. “We’re all in favour of trying to make our roads safer. Safety doesn’t equal priority. I fear it is going to be carnage. Particularly for the most vulnerable people.
“Pedestrians and cyclists have this sense of entitlement, and they’re now going to have the force of the Highway Code behind it, which will only increase this sense of entitlement. It seems to lack common sense. Wouldn’t it be more sensible to say to those who are most vulnerable ‘you have to share this responsibility as well?’”
Fast forward seven months and it seems that Mr Loophole has changed his tune (kind of).
Tweeting this morning in response to the AA’s poll suggesting that over three-fifths of the group’s members hadn’t read the new changes, Freeman said that perusing the Highway Code “should be a legal requirement” and that “there should be an online test for motorists every time a licence is renewed and every time a new Highway Code is published.”
While there were fears circulating around the cycling community (probably) that Mr Loophole’s Twitter account had been hacked; alas, the lawyer let us all know that it was indeed him behind the phone by also tweeting: “The new Highway Code poses a serious risk to road safety – and that threat is compounded by the majority of motorists who have not yet read it. Many of the provisions of the Highway Code are advisory and they should be mandatory.”
Ah, we were so close…
Tour of Britain: Cees Bol edges out Jake Stewart by millimetres in Duns
Some way to claim your first win of the season!
Congratulations, @ceesbol1995 🏆#TourOfBritain 🔴🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/SyQLOWAeda
— AJ Bell Tour of Britain 🇬🇧 (@TourofBritain) September 5, 2022
Team DSM’s Cees Bol broke a 546-day winless steak by narrowly beating Groupama-FDJ’s Jake Stewart – riding for Team GB – on the throw to the line in Duns.
With the remnants of the day’s breakaway reeled in on the descent of the first of the day’s three categorised climbs (though only after points hunter Matthew Teggart pipped the reigning King of the Mountains Stephen Bassett, who had emerged late from the peloton, in a thrilling duel to the top of Wanside Rigg), pure sprinter Bol was able to withstand a number of dangerous-looking attacks on the hilly run-in, including from Israel-Premier Tech’s new signing Dylan Teuns.
All over for the breakaway!@matthew_teggart and @adamlewis_95 – the last of the riders from our leading group – have been caught, but not before Teggart pipped @SKODAUK King of the Mountains leader @StephenBassett_ to maximum points at Wanside Rigg 👏🏻#TourOfBritain 🔴🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/ZhRr7sYOX3
— AJ Bell Tour of Britain 🇬🇧 (@TourofBritain) September 5, 2022
However, by the final kilometres, Team DSM appeared to have taken control of what was left of the peloton, only for Tour de l’Ain stage winner Stewart to get the jump on Bol following a perfectly timed lead-out from his GB teammates.
While Stewart looked to have the win in the bag for much of the closing 200 metres – using the available cycle lane as well, local motorists will note – Bol clawed his way back up to the young Brit, his last-ditch lunge at the line proving the difference in what was a desperately close photo finish.
Cees Bol (@TeamDSM) wins stage two of the @AJBell Tour of Britain in Duns 🏆
Jake Stewart (Great Britain) loses out in a photo finish!#TourOfBritain 🔴🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/mInUD8pIj5
— AJ Bell Tour of Britain 🇬🇧 (@TourofBritain) September 5, 2022
Red jersey Corbin Strong retained his race lead with a solid third place, while Tom Pidcock continues to linger near the head of the GC race, adding a seventh in a bunch sprint to his last-minute fifth yesterday.
It may have only been millimetres in it between Bol and Stewart at the line, but it was certainly enough for the big Dutchman’s long-awaited first win since the 2021 Paris-Nice.
Main image credit: Will Palmer/SWpix
“The UCI has put everyone between a rock and a hard place”: 2018 world champion Alejandro Valverde blocked from racing for Spain at Wollongong Worlds
While this morning we reported that Tom Pidcock had returned his plane tickets to Australia for this month’s UCI road world championships, citing mental and physical fatigue, another potential winner – and former world champion – Alejandro Valverde has been barred by his Movistar team from racing in Wollongong.
Movistar are one of several World Tour teams in danger of losing their place at pro cycling’s elite level, thanks to the UCI’s rather controversial introduction of a promotion and relegation system for 2023.
As anyone who pays attention to the various threads and debates that have engulfed Cycling Twitter in recent weeks, the soccer-isation of professional cycling by the UCI hasn’t been without its critics.
The recent spate of Covid positives at the Vuelta a España led to the withdrawal of top-ten contender Simon Yates, the leader of the relegation-threatened BikeExchange-Jayco squad, who were banking on the British rider’s points in Spain to keep them up.
Meanwhile, other teams have been accused of ‘gaming the system’ throughout the 2022 season by sending their riders to smaller, less prestigious one-day races that – critically – carry more valuable UCI points than single stages or minor GC placings in traditionally more important stage races.
The looming threat of relegation has prompted various squads, including Movistar, to ban their riders from travelling to Australia, where the prospect of jetlag could scupper the team’s hopes of picking up points during the closing stages of the season.
SWPix.com, ECI
“They pay me to put together the best team, with the riders they deem appropriate, but this time it won’t be possible,” Spanish national coach Pascual Momparler told AS, when asked about the availability of 42-year-old Valverde, who is currently racing the Vuelta, the last grand tour of his long, successful and controversial career.
“We had a meeting on Friday to decide whether we would go to the World Championships or not and we finally decided that we will. Juan Ayuso and Marc Soler will be the leaders and we will try to form a team around them.
“It’d be nice if Valverde could take part in the World Championships alongside young riders like Ayuso and Rodriguez so they can learn from him.
“He would love to come, he has said so, but he does not have permission. The team is immersed in the fight for points. It’s the same with [Movistar’s] Alex Aranburu.
“Many teams are refusing to release their riders and this could be a catastrophe for many teams, including ours.
“The UCI has put everyone between a rock and a hard place. It’s going to be an unusual World Championships.”
Road safety: a matter of perspective
Road safety: a matter of perspective. pic.twitter.com/yPNAXWExz8
— Cycling Professor 🚲 (@fietsprofessor) September 5, 2022
Thanks to road.cc reader hirsute for flagging this in the comments!
Reader reaction: “Sense of entitlement to stay alive?”
Nick ‘Mr Loophole’ Freeman’s quip that reading the Highway Code should be a “legal requirement” has flabbergasted some of our readers familiar with the lawyer’s work.
“Is the world going completely crazy?” road.cc reader hutchdaddy asked. “The other week Jim Davidson said something sensible about roads… and now Nick “Loopy” Freeman does too.
“I think I need a lie down. I know, one swallow does not a summer make…”
Of course, poor Jim (who, televisually, is streets ahead of Forsyth – now there’s an outdated reference for you) was only complaining about motorists parking on his street and outside his home.
I wasn’t even sure redundant dinosaurs needed parking spaces, but I digress…
Back to Freeman, with Clem Fandango writing:
He was doing so well, I almost fell off my chair. Had to agree with him about re-testing HC knowledge when licences are renewed (and yes I am a driver).
But… ‘Pedestrians and cyclists have this sense of entitlement, and they’re now going to have the force of the Highway Code behind it, which will only increase this sense of entitlement. It seems to lack common sense. Wouldn’t it be more sensible to say to those who are most vulnerable ‘you have to share this responsibility as well?’
… I sort of see where he’s coming from. I think. Maybe. (you can’t just absolve yourself of any responsibility for your own safety). But he does seem to be spectacularly missing the point that driving is a privilege, poses significant danger to vulnerable road users and so when driving you do have a greater responsibility.
Does he really think that (with the HC behind us ) we’re all going to throw caution to the wind and stride/cycle about like we’re invincible and cars can’t do us any damage? Seems also to have fallen into the trap of thinking that you are either a driver OR a vulnerable road user & never the twain shall meet – you can’t possibly be both and therefore able to see it from both angles.
Oh well. Better than his usual registered tabard nonsense I suppose.
Picking up on Freeman’s point that cyclists and pedestrians have a ‘sense of entitlement’, AlsoSomniloquism said:
Sense of entitlement to stay alive?
Sense of entitlement to be able to travel to where they are going without having to divert massively or wait several minutes for a light to change for 30 seconds because other vehicles HAVE got to have right to not be interrupted too much in their journey?
Sense of entitlement to not have to leave the house dressed up like a Christmas tree because other road users just can see anyone if they are not?
Whilst I applaud what he has stated, he never went far enough as full practical test should be carried out when licenses are renewed etc. However, I also remember him blaming a pedestrian for daring to be crossing the road without wearing hi-viz when his client was driving at 50 in a 30.
Finally, cyclingpaul blamed the government who, despite road.cc’s excellent work, haven’t quite played their part when it comes to publicising the Highway Code changes:
“I keep wondering why I know these new HC rules, and then I realise I read Road.cc and other sites, whereas most motorists don’t. I think the government information about the changes was absolutely woeful.”
Don’t worry, Paul, I’m sure Liz will absolutely smash it…
5 September 2022, 09:01
5 September 2022, 09:01
Help us to bring you the best cycling content
If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £1.99. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.
36 Comments
Read more...
Read more...
Read more...
Latest Comments
I cannot edit my post; the need for a clear distinction between the two is not for semantics, but for those of us who are convoy drivers, who are licensed for that role. We take it very seriously and can incur fines and punishment from the UCI for wrongdoing. Those in front, in the caravan, are just normal everyday drivers and do not have the experience of driving in a race convoy, sometimes at speed, with riders all around us. Therefore, should not be taking risks on any part of the route.
Your wording on this needs to be clear, you've mixed up two different parts of the race. The vehicle was from the publicity caravan (Out in front of the race), similar to what you get at the Tour de France, they throw out merchandise to roadside fans, but later in the article, you say "Tour du Rwanda’s official convoy". The convoy on a UCI race is the vehicles which travel behind the race "in convoy" which include the team cars, officals cars, neutral service...etc. You need to have clear distinction between the two. This was not a convoy vehicle, it was a caravan vehicle.
“when the government confirmed that Nottinghamshire County Council will receive £6.7 million for active travel over the next four years, with part of this funding to be used to repair the greenway” Wow - 6.7 million for the WHOLE council for a WHOLE four years for active travel. And once this one shared route has been repaired and the barriers paid for, there could be a WHOLE five million left for the rest of the county. For four years! Astonishingly generous. Imagine how much excellent infrastructure they will build.
Standard journalist protection against any possible action for libel or defamation when mentioning any accusation that hasn't been proven in court. Obviously it's pretty unlikely that an unidentified person (it doesn't even say in which country the incident occurred) would be taking legal action over this but it's good practice always to include it. While there is no reason to believe Swenson has made up the story there are always different perspectives: the driver or passenger might well claim that the door was already open before he arrived and he wasn't paying attention. Unless/until a case is proved in court or by admission it remains an allegation and so it's safest to add the "allegedly" proviso.
Swenson was hit by "a motorist’s car door, which was 'allegedly' swung open into his path." Allegedly swung open? Is there some reason to believe Swenson is making up this story?
And to show the sleeves with the dummy in the riding position.
The people who would listen to them aren't much of the problem. What're needed are for [insert high profile sportsball people of your choice] to do this.
Get some help you tedious fool.
No, now everybody can see the space after your opening bracket!
What he means is there's nowhere to park all day for free! Morrisons has a 2 hour limit and the shopping centre is pay and display.
36 thoughts on “Mr Loophole says new Highway Code “poses a serious risk to road safety” – and that reading it should be “legal requirement”; Tom Piss Stop; Bol beats Stewart at Tour of Britain; Pidcock and Valverde out of Worlds; Wheels versus car + more on the live blog”
And the other 39% are
And the other 39% are cyclists.
I’d be more interested in how many drivers have even looked at any version of the HC since they passed their test.
“when asked to pick five correct statements from the new Highway Code from a list of ten, the majority of those surveyed answered correctly.”
Would that be 52% of them?
The trouble is most of the HC
The trouble is most of the HC is common sense so it shouldn’t be hard to pick correct statements if presented a list of options. It is when they are asked direct questions that people will struggle to answer.
Common sense is often wrong.
Common sense is often wrong. Just read what Einstein had to say about common sense. In my experience many drivers couldn’t even pick the correct multiple choice answer a lot of the time.
To be fair, Einstein was
To be fair, Einstein was really talking about common sense (i.e. prejudice) in other people. He never had any problem with sticking to his own prejudices, such as his views on quantum entanglement on the basis that it defied common sense and had no easy explanation.
ChrisB200SX wrote:
I think that the vast majority of drivers definitely know what they should be doing, especially when it comes to putting vulnerable road users at risk, they just choose not to do the right thing to save time or to punish those vulnerable road users for existing.
How many times have you read “So I am supposed to stay behind a cyclist for miles because there is nowhere to pass???” as if being mildly inconvenienced excuses putting someone’s life at risk.
I suspect that a significant
I suspect that a significant proportion of the 39% actually lied, or perhaps said they had out of embarrasement or wanting to appear to be a responsible road user. I would also suspect that the last time an awful lot of drivers last read the highway code it was a paper edition they had when learning to drive, and their last look was the outside of it when they handed a paper edition to one of their children when they started taking driving lessons.
I thought I knew it well, but i recently read it “cover to cover” online and was suprised how much I’d forgotten was in there.
I also would expect that the
I also would expect that the apathetic members that didn’t even respond to the survey are also the least likely to have read it.
As an inherently honest
As an inherently honest person, I would have probably answered the question that I was aware it had changed but hadn’t read the HC, because I have only seen it quoted here and other places. It is a classic mistake to assume that the best outcome when a document changes is for everybody to read it, but in reality it is important that people are aware of what the changes mean for them. Most car owners don’t know word for word, and have never read, the legislation that requires them to have an MOT or insurance, but we still know that they are required. The same is true here, the real problem is that so-called news outlets spread misinformation to make their readerships angry, so they don’t get that important information about “what it means for them”, which if they already drive carefully and courteously is “not a lot”.
From the BBC article –
From the BBC article –
“Cyclists in groups … can ride no more than two abreast’
I’m not sure that’s actually what the highway code says… (though arguably it is implict).
Althought the BBC give a link
Althought the BBC give a link to the HC. They also then say that it States and give a list with a summary. I really don’t think that’s helpful. Why didn’t they just cut and paste what the HC states?
The old version said you
The old version said you should “never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads” while the new version reads “You can ride two abreast and it can be safer to do so, particularly in larger groups or when accompanying children or less experienced riders”, so it actually removes the explicit prohibition on riding more than two abreast.
Many motorists have long
Many motorists have long foregone the Highway Code for their My Way Code. Keeping up to date on the HC is a responsibility of holding a driving licence but that’s clearly an inadequate approach so regular retesting should be a necessity.
Its amazing how often regular
Its amazing how often regular retesting would be the answer but it seemingly won’t even be considered by the government for fear of frothing up the gammons too much.
The only barrier is
The only barrier is verification of the person taking the theory test but I suppose you could accept that 5-10 % of people will get a ringer in.
It does happen:
It does happen:
https://road.cc/content/news/woman-jailed-taking-150-driving-tests-others-294273
I have long argued that eyesight tests should be mandatory and would be happy to retake my driving test periodically. I suspect the people who argue strongly against them know they are likely to fail.
Compulsory retesting sounds
Compulsory retesting sounds like it may be expensive. Why not just educate and enable magistrates and judges to fine road users when they are provided with video evidence of vulnerable road users being put at risk by a failure to adhere to the code. That would generate millions and I’m pretty suer the highway code would soon become a best seller.
As you know that requires
As you know that requires enforcement and a willingness of your police force to do something with your footage.
Increased penalties requires people to appear in court but as that is not going to happen then testing is the next best thing.
I was thinking just a fine.
I was thinking just a fine. Some people would challenge these in court for a while but once a few appeals were unsuccessful most would just pay the fine especially if late payments meant doubling fines. Agreed it would take a huge mindset change but it would save “competent and careful” drivers from the inconvenience of a retest. May be a retest could be an option instead of a fine.
It also never surprises me
It also never surprises me how often on social media “drivers” like to twist what it says in HC to suit their own viewpoint, much like religious zealots and their own “bible”.
Surely actual ‘top notch’
Surely actual ‘top notch’ bike handling would have included staying on the tarmac? 😉
https://www.hampshire.police
https://www.hampshire.police.uk/news/hampshire/news/news/2022/september/family-of-cyclist-appeal-to-elderly-motorists-as-driver-jailed/
“The court heard Gardner was only able to read a registration plate at three metres away, as opposed to the required 20 metres.”
Although it should be noted that anyone can have poor eyesight.
It’s not made clear in the
It’s not made clear in the report but I assume that this was with his specs on, anybody can have poor eyesight but you shouldn’t be driving if you can only just see in front of your bonnet.
https://metro.co.uk/2022/09
https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/05/driver-who-couldnt-read-number-plates-3-metres-away-killed-cyclist-17300802/
To a point eyesight can
To a point eyesight can deteriorate without you noticing. My eyesight uncorrected just about meets the required standard for driving, but I recently got some new glasses and bloody hell things are much clearer to the point that I am unwilling to drive without them now. I am sure I would have noticed if I couldn’t read a number plate until I was only 10 feet from it though.
I’m amazed he found his way
I’m amazed he found his way to his car.
I keep wondering why I know
I keep wondering why I know these new HC rules, and then I realise I read Road.cc and other sites, whereas most motorists don’t. I think the government information about the changes was absolutely woeful.
Stopped clock and all that.
Stopped clock and all that.
(re Freeman)
I know right.
I know right.
He was doing so well, I almost fell off my chair. Had to agree with him about re-testing HC knowledge when licences are renewed (and yes I am a driver).
But…..
“Pedestrians and cyclists have this sense of entitlement, and they’re now going to have the force of the Highway Code behind it, which will only increase this sense of entitlement. It seems to lack common sense. Wouldn’t it be more sensible to say to those who are most vulnerable ‘you have to share this responsibility as well?’”
… I sort of see where he’s coming from. I think. Maybe. (you can’t just absolve yourself of any responsibility for your own safety). But he does seem to be spectaculalrly missing the point that driving is a privilege, poses significant danger to vulnerable road users & so when driving you do have a greater responsibility.
Does he really think that (with the HC behind us ) we’re all going to throw caution to the wind and stride/cycle about like we’re invincible & cars can’t do us any damage? Seems also to have fallen into the trap of thinking that you are either a driver OR a vulnerable road user & never the twain shall meet – you can’t possibly be both & therefore able to see it from both angles.
Oh well. better than his usual registered tabard nonsense I suppose.
Clem Fandango wrote:
You know, that reads just like something EnjoyTheRide was writing over on the article about the AA members not reading the updated HC code…
Has anyone seen Mr Loophole and EnjoyTheRide at the same time?
Hadn’t read that thread til
Hadn’t read that thread til now.
Hmmmm. There’s a familiar structure & approach there isn’t there….. I’m sure I’ve come across something veeeeeery similar here before
Sense of entitlement to stay
Sense of entitlement to stay alive?
Sense of entitlement to be able to travel to where they are going without having to divert massively or wait several minutes for a light to change for 30 seconds because other vehicles HAVE got to have right to not be interrupted too much in their journey?
Sense of entitlement to not have to leave the house dressed up like a christmas tree because other road users just can see anyone if they are not?
Whilst I applaud what he has stated, he never went far enough as full practical test should be carried out when licenses are renewed etc. However I also remember him blaming a pedestrian for daring to be crossing the road without wearing hi-viz when his client was driving at 50 in a 30.
Ryan Mallon wrote:
Nice
Road safety: a matter of
Road safety: a matter of perspective.
https://twitter.com/fietsprofessor/status/1566733825002151937
Credit where credit is due,
Credit where credit is due, motoring lawyer Nick Freeman, better known by his nickname Mr Loophole looks like a smug twat.
Is the world going completely
Is the world going completely crazy? The other week Jim Davidson said something sensible about roads…
..and now Nick “Loopy” Freeman does too.
I think I need a lie down.
I know, one swallow does not a summer make…
Davidson is only bothered
Davidson is only bothered about it because it directly affects him, and is outside his house. If it was in another town, or (probably) even another street, I don’t imagine he could give a toss…