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"Rule" 170 of the highway code

Yesterday I was turning left into a side road and shortly beforehand some pedestrians walked into the road from the other side from where I was but when they were a quarter of the way across they saw me and stopped. Because they had stopped, I continued but perhaps should have given way to them. Could I be done for careless driving?

What really annoys me in general is when people start doing something but then stop. If the pedestrians hadn't stopped I would of course have given way to them but by stopping they were wasting everyones' time if I then gave way to them.

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Reply 1
Avatar for TheDE
TheDE
13
Original post by maths42
Yesterday I was turning left into a side road and shortly beforehand some pedestrians walked into the road from the other side from where I was but when they were a quarter of the way across they saw me and stopped. Because they had stopped, I continued but perhaps should have given way to them. Could I be done for careless driving?

What really annoys me in general is when people start doing something but then stop. If the pedestrians hadn't stopped I would of course have given way to them but by stopping they were wasting everyones' time if I then gave way to them.

No you wouldn’t be ‘done’ for careless driving in this instance, and yes you should have stopped the HC makes that very clear. More careless perhaps is your annoyance, they don’t know you’re going to stop do they? So they’re not wasting your time, they’re potentially saving their lives and saving you time. Would you rather they keep sauntering across therefore wasting more of your time than they did? 😂 Realistically 99% of pedestrians either stop crossing or run across before you would reach them. Speaking as a DE and occasional pedestrian I would ALWAYS stop to see what a cars intentions are before continuing.

https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/magistrates-court/item/careless-driving-drive-without-due-care-and-attention-revised-2017/
You won't be. The law is kind to motorists. I cannot imagine them complaining to the police in any case.
Reply 3
Avatar for Zarek
Zarek
21
Sounds like they decided to allow you right of way. This is a common side road junction interaction. You did the right thing being cautious till this was clear. The Highway Code favours the pedestrian in this shared and unpredictable space, which is prudent to protect the more vulnerable party
C'mon, don't be a twunt, you're getting all mouthy and road ragey because someone paused in the road for a second?

The amount of outright stupid driving mistakes you make while insisting you're right. you don't get to complain about people stopping to stay out your way. :smile:
i m online tuitor
Reply 6
Avatar for TheDE
TheDE
13
Original post by bint e mir
i m online tuitor

Hopefully not an English tutor
Reply 7
Avatar for FRS500
FRS500
20
Original post by bint e mir
i m online tuitor

I am boy

Boy is me.
Original post by maths42
Yesterday I was turning left into a side road and shortly beforehand some pedestrians walked into the road from the other side from where I was but when they were a quarter of the way across they saw me and stopped. Because they had stopped, I continued but perhaps should have given way to them. Could I be done for careless driving?

What really annoys me in general is when people start doing something but then stop. If the pedestrians hadn't stopped I would of course have given way to them but by stopping they were wasting everyones' time if I then gave way to them.

Having been driving for more years than I care to remember - pedestrians are the stupidest people on the road. The older they get, the dafter they become. It is an everyday occurence to see a person of a certain age just step into the road regardless of the ton of metal hurtling towards them.

My instructor always said to me - treat everyone and I mean everyone else as an idiot.
Reply 9
Avatar for maths42
maths42
OP
13
Original post by squeakysquirrel
Having been driving for more years than I care to remember - pedestrians are the stupidest people on the road. The older they get, the dafter they become. It is an everyday occurence to see a person of a certain age just step into the road regardless of the ton of metal hurtling towards them.

My instructor always said to me - treat everyone and I mean everyone else as an idiot.

Yes I am fed up of there being people in the road all the time when I drive. And when I'm waiting for a gap to pull out at a junction, it makes it so stressful if there's a pedestrian waiting to cross the road too and I have the feeling that they might step into the road at any time.

On the flipside, once I was running along a pavement and approaching a side road and a taxi was driving past me and about to turn into the side road. The driver honked at me and I felt so insulted that he assumed that I wasn't going to stop when I got to the road. Perhaps what he did was a good idea though.

An on a similar vein, does it piss anyone else off when someone puts their supermarket trolley in the space next to their car to unload it without thinking that maybe someone might want to park there?
Original post by TheDE
Hopefully not an English tutor


Hopefully not. :laugh:
Original post by maths42
Yes I am fed up of there being people in the road all the time when I drive. And when I'm waiting for a gap to pull out at a junction, it makes it so stressful if there's a pedestrian waiting to cross the road too and I have the feeling that they might step into the road at any time.

On the flipside, once I was running along a pavement and approaching a side road and a taxi was driving past me and about to turn into the side road. The driver honked at me and I felt so insulted that he assumed that I wasn't going to stop when I got to the road. Perhaps what he did was a good idea though.

An on a similar vein, does it piss anyone else off when someone puts their supermarket trolley in the space next to their car to unload it without thinking that maybe someone might want to park there?

Oh now you have me started - I love my car and always try to park away from other cars - yet as sure as the sun comes up, when I get back to the car there is some idiot parked next to me despite there being millions of other spaces
Original post by squeakysquirrel
Having been driving for more years than I care to remember - pedestrians are the stupidest people on the road. The older they get, the dafter they become. It is an everyday occurence to see a person of a certain age just step into the road regardless of the ton of metal hurtling towards them.

My instructor always said to me - treat everyone and I mean everyone else as an idiot.

I must dispute and bring your attention to the fact that OP got their car stuck in a ditch, was offered a tow out by a good samaritan, then ignorantly smashed into their car and blamed them for all of it. I'll take my chances with the pedestrians. :tongue:
Reply 13
Avatar for TheDE
TheDE
13
Original post by StriderHort
I must dispute and bring your attention to the fact that OP got their car stuck in a ditch, was offered a tow out by a good samaritan, then ignorantly smashed into their car and blamed them for all of it. I'll take my chances with the pedestrians. :tongue:

This is hilarious 😂
Reply 14
Avatar for maths42
maths42
OP
13
Original post by StriderHort
I must dispute and bring your attention to the fact that OP got their car stuck in a ditch, was offered a tow out by a good samaritan, then ignorantly smashed into their car and blamed them for all of it. I'll take my chances with the pedestrians. :tongue:

I only got stuck because I didn't realise there was a ditch as it was dark and I thought it was a puddle. I thought that the "good Samaritan" was in control of my vehicle and the reason for the crash was that HE suddenly stopped when towing me so my car hit his. It's so annoying that I have to declare it to my insurers because I was honest but he never made a claim or got in touch with me!
Reply 15
Avatar for IWMTom
IWMTom
20
Original post by StriderHort
I must dispute and bring your attention to the fact that OP got their car stuck in a ditch, was offered a tow out by a good samaritan, then ignorantly smashed into their car and blamed them for all of it. I'll take my chances with the pedestrians. :tongue:


I forgot about that :laugh:
Reply 16
Avatar for TheDE
TheDE
13
Original post by maths42
I only got stuck because I didn't realise there was a ditch as it was dark and I thought it was a puddle. I thought that the "good Samaritan" was in control of my vehicle and the reason for the crash was that HE suddenly stopped when towing me so my car hit his. It's so annoying that I have to declare it to my insurers because I was honest but he never made a claim or got in touch with me!

Was the Good Samaritan both towing your car and in your car steering it then? I fail to see how they could have been in control of your vehicle 😂
Original post by TheDE
Was the Good Samaritan both towing your car and in your car steering it then? I fail to see how they could have been in control of your vehicle 😂

Many similar questions were asked at the time...

Was this technically my fault? Someone crashed my car but I was in the driver's seat.
Original post by StriderHort
I must dispute and bring your attention to the fact that OP got their car stuck in a ditch, was offered a tow out by a good samaritan, then ignorantly smashed into their car and blamed them for all of it. I'll take my chances with the pedestrians. :tongue:

Oooh, it's them again...
(Shtstirring +1)

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