Jaywalking

[Resident]

Since the change in the Highway code, as a driver who's on the roads 9-10hrs a day for most of the week I've seen an dramatic increase in the number of pedestrians who just walk striaght out into the road without looking or any thought to their own safety. This is especially prelevant in town and city centres. Worst of it is at light controlled pedestrian crossings where they will blatantly ignore the red pedestrian light or walk straight across the road within yards of an actual crossing.

Personally I saw it coming when I read the new rules ahead of impletmentation. I knew full well that the majority of the population would completely and utterly misintepret, through stupidity or intentionally, the responsibilty heirarchy to mean that being at the top of the tree meant they had NO responsibilty for their own safety.

Is it time, at least in urban areas such as towns and cities that some form of 'jaywalking' law be introduced?

 

[Lopéz]

I don't think what you're describing is "jaywalking" - my understanding is that jaywalking is crossing other than in accordance with the law/regs, and the recent regulation change was to allow this sort of behaviour, so I don't think there will be much appetite to put in a law that stops pedestrians doing what they have just been allowed to do...

 

[Freakbro]

I don't think what you're describing is "jaywalking" - my understanding is that jaywalking is crossing other than in accordance with the law/regs, and the recent regulation change was to allow this sort of behaviour, so I don't think there will be much appetite to put in a law that stops pedestrians doing what they have just been allowed to do...

Not out into the main road it wasn't. A pedestrian has priority when crossing a junction of a side road, if they have already started, from cars approaching the junction or turning off the main road. But the regulations also put an onus on the Pedestrians to still be aware of oncoming cars and act safely.

As Resident says, a lot of the public seem to have misconstrued this as the right to step out into the main highway and have priority, they don't.

 

[Resident]

I don't think what you're describing is "jaywalking" - my understanding is that jaywalking is crossing other than in accordance with the law/regs, and the recent regulation change was to allow this sort of behaviour, so I don't think there will be much appetite to put in a law that stops pedestrians doing what they have just been allowed to do...

As @Freakbro put. They aren't entitled to just walk out anywhere and at light controlled pedestrian crossings they are still obliged to adhere to the signals

As for defining "jaywalking", obviously in the UK we don't yet have a definition so I will take from the state of New York - "Crossing or walking in the road with no regard for approaching vehicles or crossing a crosswalk when signals prohibit"

 

[Lopéz]

His post wasn't specific about that - "walking into the road" could be anything.

I live in Austria, and people walk across side roads at junctions without even looking; but drivers are ready for this as we've had this regulation for quite some time.

 

[Stu999]

I don’t think anyone has ever read the Highway Code and thought, “Great, I’ll walk out into the road without looking now!”.

People are idiots, some of those idiots walk into the road without looking. I’ve not noticed any increase since the rules changed.

 

[Rroff]

I don't think this is for the most part related to the changes to the highway code - the majority of people whether driver or pedestrian seem oblivious to them.

As someone on the road a fair bit I've seen a huge rise in this kind of behaviour ever since things started to get back to normal from the pandemic, before the highway code changes, and I have no idea why. For instance see loads of people walking in the road 2 abreast approaching the inside of a blind bend, or walking in the road with their head down, earphones in, looking at their phone with their back to oncoming traffic, etc. as well as all the people just stepping out without a glance at traffic to cross the road.

People are idiots, some of those idiots walk into the road without looking. I’ve not noticed any increase since the rules changed.

Personally seen a distinct change over the last 1-2 years, there was always some but now it is far too common.

 

[robj20]

I don't think what you're describing is "jaywalking" - my understanding is that jaywalking is crossing other than in accordance with the law/regs, and the recent regulation change was to allow this sort of behaviour, so I don't think there will be much appetite to put in a law that stops pedestrians doing what they have just been allowed to do...

This guy proves your point nicely OP. Totally didn't understand the new rules.

 

[Resident]

This guy proves your point nicely OP. Totally didn't understand the new rules.

It would, if he lived in the UK and needed to pay attention to the new rules.

I don't think this is for the most part related to the changes to the highway code - the majority of people whether driver or pedestrian seem oblivious to them.

As someone on the road a fair bit I've seen a huge rise in this kind of behaviour ever since things started to get back to normal from the pandemic, before the highway code changes, and I have no idea why. For instance see loads of people walking in the road 2 abreast approaching the inside of a blind bend, or walking in the road with their head down, earphones in, looking at their phone with their back to oncoming traffic, etc. as well as all the people just stepping out without a glance at traffic to cross the road.



Personally seen a distinct change over the last 1-2 years, there was always some but now it is far too common.

My my experience is a little skewed given that as a bus driver I'm mostly driving around town/city centres so see it more often. I concede that there was an increase of it post-pandemic but from my perspective it's become worse since the new rules.

 

[dacads]

Isn’t that a dance move?

 

[Doobedoo]

I don’t think anyone has ever read the Highway Code and thought, “Great, I’ll walk out into the road without looking now!”.

People are idiots, some of those idiots walk into the road without looking. I’ve not noticed any increase since the rules changed.

It comes across to me like a more of a I don’t give a damn attitude and what you going to do about it. People appear to becoming much more ignorant and rude as time goes by.

 

[Lopéz]

This guy proves your point nicely OP. Totally didn't understand the new rules.

Thanks, but the OP said walking into the road, not a main road, so my point stands. If people want to wander out into a main road without looking then more fool them, mow them down.

 

[sigma]

I don’t think anyone has ever read the Highway Code.

Fixed

 

[Diddums]

British thing this. People have absolutely zero concept of the world around them. You see it everywhere, from the idiots who block aisles and doorways with prams and trolleys, to the ones who just sit in the middle lane for miles and miles on end, to people who just cross roads without looking, to the cyclists who think that because they have right of way, that they're somehow protected from being pancaked by an artic.

I've done many thousands of miles in many different countries and the UK really does stand head and shoulders above all of them when it comes to absolute braindead idiots.

We've created a society with too many safety nets, and this is the result. There's no incentive for people to be alert as they're constantly being told that they'll be fine, until they're in hospital eating through a straw and wondering where it all went wrong.

Just a thought, but perhaps we should stop mollycoddling everyone and show them some proper, real world consequences of not paying attention. But we can't because people will get offended and tweet about it and then we're all ******

 

[Dis86]

I don’t think anyone has ever read the Highway Code and thought, “Great, I’ll walk out into the road without looking now!”.

People are idiots, some of those idiots walk into the road without looking. I’ve not noticed any increase since the rules changed.

Definitely seen a change and actually had an argument with a ****** who did it once.

 

[Resident]

As someone on the road a fair bit I've seen a huge rise in this kind of behaviour ever since things started to get back to normal from the pandemic, before the highway code changes, and I have no idea why. For instance see loads of people walking in the road 2 abreast approaching the inside of a blind bend, or walking in the road with their head down, earphones in, looking at their phone with their back to oncoming traffic, etc. as well as all the people just stepping out without a glance at traffic to cross the road.

Literally just had a post on our driver's FB page. One of our drivers has been involved in a bus vs pedestrian early this morning. Driver is ok and no on-board injuries. The pedestrian, a young woman, however took the full force of a 9ton bus at ~20mph as she walked straight into the road from behind a parked van as the bus was passing. Luckily there was an ambulance passing in the other direction so medical care was immediate. She's alive and stable as this particular model bus has a windscreen that starts about thigh-high on most adults so it cushioned the impact.

The ped, on her phone, earphones in and not paying any attention to her surroundings.

 

[sja360]

I think the local secondary school kids have caught on to this. Seen them messing about at pelican crossing etc nearby.
I think the OP has a point but at the same time diddums is also right. I'd say its a mixture of both.

 

[hurfdurf]

It comes across to me like a more of a I don’t give a damn attitude and what you going to do about it. People appear to becoming much more ignorant and rude as time goes by.

What are you going to do about it though?

Lots of people are rightfully upset about how we as a society have mollycoddled car owners, who need to learn that they are bottom of the rung when it comes to transportation in many ways.

 

[Rroff]

What are you going to do about it though?

Lots of people are rightfully upset about how we as a society have mollycoddled car owners, who need to learn that they are bottom of the rung when it comes to transportation in many ways.

I'm not sure what you mean by mollycoddled car owners but that perspective seems very detached from the realities of the roads.

 

[hurfdurf]

I'm not sure what you mean by mollycoddled car owners but that perspective seems very detached from the realities of the roads.

Car owners expect the government to provide a full road network that utterly demolishes the use of outside space for any other use. Most expect to be able to park and store their cars, for free, on land they don’t own, outside their house. Most think they own the roads and shouldn’t have the share them with other forms of transportation. And to top it all off, most car drivers think they are invincible and powerful in their metal box and will have that attitude to others that they would never have outside of it, only to absolutely melt down and wilt when faced with reality when pulled out of the safety of their cars.

Most car drivers are the worst and should accept they need to respect other more viable forms of transportation. If a pedestrian wants to cross the road in a city centre, or a cyclist wants to ride safely, a car driver should facilitate this.

I say this as someone who drives everywhere.