Brake

Last year (2023) the road law changed in the UK giving pedestrians and cyclists priorities when they are most vulnerable. But don't count on it. On Wednesday (20/11/24), at midday, I was nearly hit crossing the road at the end of a double roundabout. I was looking left right left right and started to cross, then a car came quite fast onto the second roundabout and I looked right again then left and realised it was coming straight at me only metres away and accelerating. I was wearing my work yellow hi vis!

I was already three quarters across and leapt for the kerb and the car just missed me with no attempt to deccelerate. Despite the law, despite the give way lines, despite it all I conclude there are some murderous bastards out there who give not a shit about anyone else on the road who is not in a vehicle bigger than theirs.

I've had other experiences on our narrow country lanes here in which some drivers pass a foot from pedestrians far too fast and with no change in engine note that would indicate they are at least covering the brake, in the event a walker stumbles or moves out further into the road. And then there was the one where I was walking up the lane to home and a car came all the way across the road to my side and I pushed myself in the hedge to avoid it, he was not looking at me or the road but was looking down - texting probably. And repeatedly I see cars passing pedestrians who are walking near the kerb and they make zero effort to steer to the right away from the kerb. Not to mention the artic that pushed me over the kerb overtaking my bicycle on the A465, I don't ride on main roads anymore, learned that lesson. When pedestrians are killed this is rarely an 'accident' it is careless, reckless, and predictable.

Despite increases in road safety the rate of pedestrians being mown down has not decreased similarly for decades. A minority of drivers pay no attention to any road hazards that would not directly threaten them. They will kill you and they will make an excuse that you should not have been there and will suffer very little punishment. They even claim that it was low visibility and they could not see you - the basic principle about driving at a speed where you can stop in the distance you can see doesn't seem to apply when it is pedestrians that need to be seen. Don't assume anything when out walking on the road, apart from assuming that the next driver to come along will run you down as they would a pheasant. It's a minority who behave like this, but you don't know which one it will be. I don't know what's to be done about it despite doing a masters dissertation on hazard perception and working on hazard perception testing systems. Most of us watch for pedestrians as much as we watch for other vehicles and take preparatory actions and are ready to stop. Some drivers couldn't care less.

https://www.brake.org.uk/ "Our vision is a world with zero road death and injury, where we can all move in a safe and healthy way, whoever we are and however we travel. Until our vision becomes a reality, we are working to stop crashes on our roads, reduce harm when a crash happens, and help every road victim get the support they need, for as long as they need it."