Changes to road regulations

[Cyclone]

Hazards are not standard lights for reversing. If HGV drivers are using them, then they are NOT following the highway code as it stands.

 

What's your point re:headlights? Changing the requirements won't alter that people still put them on depending on their own judgement.

Write what you like in the HC, people will still need to apply judgement won't they, and I'm personally not capable of knowing when I am 30 mins BEFORE sunset everyday, particularly if it's cloudy. So I will likely turn them on earlier, when I deem it to require them.

[El Cid]

Hazards are not standard lights for reversing. If HGV drivers are using them, then they are NOT following the highway code as it stands.

 

 

The same applie to drivers flashing other motorists, but its the norm.

 

 

What's your point re:headlights?

 

One of the main causes of acidents is not seeing the other vehicle, this could be down to a number of reasons, the correct lighting is one of them.

So I think it should be an issue, which is why Maggie Thatcher brought in dim dip headlights; but it didnt work because it wasnt backed by the EU.

[DT Ralge]

I don't think the three you've said would be on my list at all.

 

Hazards for reversing? Confusing.

We already have daylight driving lamps on newer cars. And how exactly is anyone supposed to judge 30 minutes before and after sunrise/sunset?

The highway code isn't law, it's not meant to be enforceable like law.

 

Revise speed limits, on smart motorways allow up as well as down depending on conditions.

Update breaking distances, they are just a nonsense in the HC at the moment.

Better enforcement of lane discipline, using highway patrol cars.

Explain merge in turn better, many people don't get it.

Periodic retesting of drivers, 5 or 10 year intervals, this would make a massive difference to driving standards I think.

 

How would revising a table of some figures in the HC make any difference?

- no-one knows them (apart from a few sad souls like me)

- Few are any good at working out where x metres/feet/car lengths ahead is and still fewer could be accurate in their assessment of distance in front whilst moving

- modern cars may well stop quicker than the Ford Anglia but how many pedestrians planning to make a rash move off the pavement or from between parked cars make a rational decision not to move (today) because it's a Ford Anglia or to move whenever they fancy because it's a Ferrari with brakes the size of a planet?

- it is still the case that the young and the old are less able to judge relative approach speeds

- how many know what is ABS is (in their modern car), what it can and can't do and have had any training in its use?

- how many could genuinely expect their modern car to stop optimally (when did they last check and adjust tyre pressures)

- how many have any idea what tread they have on all four corners, what function tread performs and when it stops working quite so well, ABS or not.

I'm with you on everything else but the HC table is quite irrelevant and despite its irrelevance any suggestion that it's out-of-date co-exists dangerously with the notion that our speed limits could do with upgrading along with our cars' technology.

Edited February 12, 2015 by DT Ralge

[Guest]

I want all vehicles in this country to display the same lights, hazards on for reversing a large vehicle is the norm. If it works for large vehicles, why not cars?

I looked at other vehicles at 3.30pm today, I would ay that around 40% had headlights on and 10% side light, so that ones with bright headlights were noticed firt, and the one with no lights on, last. I turned headlights on at 3.45pm, because I used the motorway at that time, those without headlight were less visible.

 

You've failed to answer any of my questions.

 

How many pedestrians have read the highway code? Most know what a reversing light is. How are you going to educate everyone on the change and also how are you going to implement this across all vehicles on the road in the UK and implement a change to all vehicles manufacturered everywhere? Afaik all countries use a reversing light.

 

Why do you want us to be different? Cars would be more expensive for a start due to changes manufacturers would have to make specifically for cars being sold into the UK.

 

You've not really thought through this change. It's not as simple as just changing some wording in the highway code and it all magically works as you expect.

[Cyclone]

How would revising a table of some figures in the HC make any difference?

Why have a table of figures if it doesn't matter?

If it does matter, at least make it reasonably accurate.

- no-one knows them (apart from a few sad souls like me)

- Few are any good at working out where x metres/feet/car lengths ahead is and still fewer could be accurate in their assessment of distance in front whilst moving

- modern cars may well stop quicker than the Ford Anglia but how many pedestrians planning to make a rash move off the pavement or from between parked cars make a rational decision not to move (today) because it's a Ford Anglia or to move whenever they fancy because it's a Ferrari with brakes the size of a planet?

None, but I'm not sure why this would be an argument to have incorrect figures.

- it is still the case that the young and the old are less able to judge relative approach speeds

- how many know what is ABS is (in their modern car), what it can and can't do and have had any training in its use?

Add it to driver training and the test then. Although hopefully most people know what it is, how it works and how to use it.

- how many could genuinely expect their modern car to stop optimally (when did they last check and adjust tyre pressures)

- how many have any idea what tread they have on all four corners, what function tread performs and when it stops working quite so well, ABS or not.

I'm with you on everything else but the HC table is quite irrelevant and despite its irrelevance any suggestion that it's out-of-date co-exists dangerously with the notion that our speed limits could do with upgrading along with our cars' technology.

It's either wrong and should be fixed, or it's irrelevant and should be removed.

There's no possible argument for including incorrect information in the HC.

 

---------- Post added 12-02-2015 at 09:36 ----------

 

The same applie to drivers flashing other motorists, but its the norm.

What's your point? Your proposal increases the potential for confusing by making one light sequence multi-purpose.

 

One of the main causes of acidents is not seeing the other vehicle, this could be down to a number of reasons, the correct lighting is one of them.

So I think it should be an issue, which is why Maggie Thatcher brought in dim dip headlights; but it didnt work because it wasnt backed by the EU.

 

Not when reversing though.

 

I'm unfamiliar with what she changed? Didn't cars have headlights before the 80's? I'm fairly sure they did.

[El Cid]

How many pedestrians have read the highway code? Most know what a reversing light is.

 

If they havnt read the highway code and know what reversing lights are, they will soon pick up new rules regarding hazard lights, we all understand what HGVs are doing when their hazards are on. Vehicles reversing are a hazard, not much more to understand.

The highway code does say its ok to use hazards on a motorway or unrestricted dual carriageway, even tho the vehicle is not stationary, to warn others behind.

[Guest]

If they havnt read the highway code and know what reversing lights are, they will soon pick up new rules regarding hazard lights, we all understand what HGVs are doing when their hazards are on. Vehicles reversing are a hazard, not much more to understand.

The highway code does say its ok to use hazards on a motorway or unrestricted dual carriageway, even tho the vehicle is not stationary, to warn others behind.

 

Except hazards are for stationary vehicles. Well, you gave it a try but no success.

 

Still various unaddressed points:

 

Why do you want us to be different? Cars would be more expensive for a start due to changes manufacturers would have to make specifically for cars being sold into the UK.

 

You've not really thought through this change. It's not as simple as just changing some wording in the highway code and it all magically works as you expect.

[Cyclone]

If they havnt read the highway code and know what reversing lights are, they will soon pick up new rules regarding hazard lights, we all understand what HGVs are doing when their hazards are on. Vehicles reversing are a hazard, not much more to understand.

The highway code does say its ok to use hazards on a motorway or unrestricted dual carriageway, even tho the vehicle is not stationary, to warn others behind.

 

You're argument for changing the HC to make it more confusing, is that we somehow magically know what hazards are being misused for on HGV's? As opposed to reversing lights, which we don't understand? Despite them only having 1 purpose?

[vwkittie]

Hazards for reversing is a terrible idea. It'd just distract from the proper reversing warning (the already existing reversing light), and possibly make people think a slowly reversing vehicle is perhaps broken down and stationary. It'd probably cause accidents rather than solving anything and personally I've never had a problem discerning when a vehicle is reversing and never heard any else complain of this as an issue either, other than when their reversing light is broken.

[El Cid]

I'm unfamiliar with what she changed? Didn't cars have headlights before the 80's? I'm fairly sure they did.

 

Dim-dip was a UK requirement introduced on cars first used on or after 1987; they were intended for use instead of normal headlights in built up areas with 30mph limits and streetlights during the hours of darkness.

 

While headlamps consume 110 watts of power, dim dip headlights reduced this by around 50 watts, new LEDs will consume less than 10 watts, any new rules would need to take LEDs into account.

 

Almost half of all traffic-related fatalities occur in the dark, despite only 25% of traffic travelling during darkness.

I would be interested if anyone has any other suggestions, to reduce this acident rate.

Edited February 12, 2015 by El Cid