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13th Oct 2024

Brits who learned to drive before 2022 warned about new law that has £5,000 fine

Harry Warner

Don’t get caught out!

Brits who learned to drive before 2022 are now being warned about a new law that carries a £5,000 fine.

In fact it’s not just this new rule but a multitude of laws that people are being warned about after major changes were made to the highway code two years ago.

A recent study has found that not only are many drivers unaware of these changes, a significant percentage do not believe that these changes have happened – an excuse unlikely to stand up in a court of law.

Notably, for drivers who passed their tests back in the 20th century, it is likely they may be unfamiliar with much of the updated rules of the road.

One of these laws is that pedestrians have the right of way when waiting to cross at junctions, even if they are crossing away from a specifically designated area.

This could certainly anger drivers if a pedestrian did indeed step out in front of their vehicle especially with little notice.

Many motorists still believe they hold priority under these kind of scenarios, which would be an incorrect assumption.

Of course, while it is best practice for a pedestrian to cross a road sensibly, it is not always going to happen, and motorists could find themselves in trouble if they were to hit a pedestrian and found to be at fault.

Ultimately they could be charged for driving without due care and attention, receive a potential driving ban and be fined up to £5,000.

While you would imagine, carrying such heavy consequences, that motorists would be knowledgeable in the highway code, however, a study by the AA found that 30 percent of drivers were not aware of the rule change, while 12 percent flat-out refused to accept that this change was even real.

The managing director of AA Accident Assist, Tim Rankin, has noted that enough driver were up to date with changes made to the Highway Code.

He said: “While the majority of drivers can recall important updates to the Highway Code, the flagship change that puts more responsibility on those behind the wheel remains unknown by too many drivers. Three in 10 drivers admit they haven’t looked at the Highway Code since they passed their test.”

He added: “New drivers and those learning to drive will be the ones most aware of the update but it is long-standing motorists that need to be contacted to ensure they know the rules. It’s vital that we keep reminding drivers of these changes, which can make our roads safer and reduces crashes.”

The law concerning pedestrians was not the only one to change back in 2022 with other amendments being made.

One of these was that pedestrians waiting to step onto a zebra crossing have right of way, not just those already stepping on it.

With another being a technique for opening doors known as the Dutch Reach which suggests people use their arm furthest from the door to pull the handle as it allows greater rotation of the torso to check for cyclists.