Highway Code changes: Just 18 percent of cyclists think road safety has improved, poll finds

The objection at the time of the published changes which seemed most ludicrous to me, but dearly held onto by many, was that giving way to pedestrians crossing a side road when turning from a main road would cause drivers behind to crash into the vehicle waiting to turn. Apparently many drivers felt that it was a huge imposition for them to not to crash into the vehicle ahead by being asked to look ahead, leave sufficient gap and, most outrageously, drive at an appropriate speed and that the good old days of simply driving at pedestrians crossing side roads was something of a golden age of motoring freedom.

I think the situation is pretty much as it was when the changes came in, those that are going to give you space, end up giving you the space and more, those that werent going to give you any room are clueless about it all and you're virtually touching each other as they pass still

todays ride a pretty classic example, some nice overtakes and people waiting in gaps, and lots of bad passes and drivers thinking they can just nip through a gap because you are only a cyclist after all.

worst one was had a car attempt an overtake think they got up alongside my rear wheel (I wasnt really focussing on the behind because I could see what was coming next) and when they realised they werent going to make it as either they were accelerating into a head on collision with an oncoming car or were going to take me out, and they hit the brakes hard, and all you could hear was the ABS kicking in and the tyres skidding on the road still, and you are just hoping they dont suddenly clip your rear wheel as they try to get back behind you and wrestle control with their out of control car.

The roads may be safer, but its the people using them are seemingly becoming more entitled, arrogant and willing to put themsleves in stupid situations to save a few minutes (if that). And that is across all modes of transport, I encounter some absolute entitled bellends on bikes when cycling, particularly in London.

Here they seem to be bedding in.

I'm getting more drivers stopping at sideroads, and in the car I am stopping at traffic islands for crossing peds and cyclists and have not had any following cars up my bottom yet.

I note that the AA survey states that the number of members who have either read the new rules, or have awareness of them, is 92%.

We've got the interested-in-improvement and the awake; we need to worry about the dopeys, the hoons, and the crims.

I am experiencing many more considerate passes since the change. I think the conscientious drivers now give more room. Most seem happy to do so.

The main change for me though is that I now ride way out in the road. I reckon the new highway code has given me the freedom to do this as many drivers have read that "cyclists now rule the road" and aren't sure of the changes so they play it safe. Most passes now are on the other side of the road.

The aggressive drivers are as bad as ever, may be even worse, so you can't relax at any time. Riding assertively does give you more wriggle room though when push comes to shove.

My last report was in November and I've had no problems since then until this week. I've just had three incidents in the last four days. What's going on?

I am a utility cyclist with occasional leisure rides in the countryside.  I never ride without a camera.

The bad'uns are just as bad, the mediocre have generally improved and the good have got gooder.

I have noticed an increase in the irritatingly polite but slightly dangerous - the ones who stop to let you out when there are other vehicles flying around in all directions, and the ones who wait, and wait, and wait to pass when you feel that there were good opportunities for competent drivers - you are waiting for the dam of frustration to burst at the worst time. I did have a sequence of 3 overtakes within about a mile where each one had a near miss with oncoming traffic but gave me amazingly polite amounts of room to achieve this.

Do I feel safer - not really. I'm worn out by being on edge on the roads, and am moving to riding more gravel, which unfortunately means some drives to starts given the limited off road options locally. It actually makes sense because it is my first and last 5 miles which are the incident-ridden bits of the ride - basically urban drivers on urban and local country-esque lanes.

It's gotten worse! The road is turning into a battlefield every day.

From my perspective (urban town, suburbs, london) I would say the absolute nutters are as bad if not worse. However, the oblivious idiots are fewer, with a significant increase in decent passes.

It gives me an excuse to justify taking primary through certain chicanes I use on a daily basis (either side of the Clifton Suspension Bridge) - I know damn well that no car could get safely past me (and certainly not as recommended in the HC), so why should I enable someone to even try?

Has my road experience as a whole improved over the last year?  No, not really, but then I don't think I ever had the truly awful experiences that I regularly read about on here (above or below the line).

Based on submissions to OpSnap, driving standards would appear to be worse now than pre pandemic.

2019 - 9600 cycling commuting miles - 73 submissions 

2022 - 3500 cycling commuting miles - 89 submissions