New Highway Code Rules Name HGV Drivers as the Biggest Danger on the Road
The Highway Code has been updated, meaning new rules for cars, cyclists and HGVs. However, lack of campaigns and clarity for everyday road users such as commuters and HGV drivers often means that these new rules are ignored, forgotten or misinterpreted. As a leading driver agency in Southampton, Drive Personnel is here to answer your questions about the Highway Code and explain how the new rules will affect us all.
Many road users won’t have seen a copy of the Highway Code since their driver training, and publicity is not expected from the Department of Transport regarding the rule changes until Spring, after the rules have been implemented for several months.
New rules including changes to the Hierarchy of Road Users now name HGV drivers and drivers of other large vehicles as those with the most responsibility to reduce danger to other road users. Although this is common sense, it places emphasis on HGV drivers to take more notice of other road users and could affect the legal outcome in the event of a collision.
The Hierarchy of Road Users is a concept which places road users most at risk in the event of a collision at the top of the hierarchy. Road users most likely to be injured in the event of a collision are pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and motorcyclists, and those with the most responsibility to take care and reduce the danger posed to other users include drivers of large goods vehicles. The updated rules maintain that this hierarchy doesn’t detract from the responsibility of all road users to have a regard for the safety of themselves and other road users.
The updated Hierarchy of Road Users now looks like this:
- Pedestrians
- Cyclists
- Horse riders
- Motorcyclists
- Cars/taxis
- Vans/minibuses
- Heavy goods vehicles/large passenger vehicles
As you can see from the above, road users such as cyclists and horse riders still have a responsibility to reduce danger to pedestrians and mutual respect is expected between all road users, but with HGV drivers placed at the bottom of the list, the weight of responsibility is heavy for drivers who have experienced pressure from other road users and for logistics companies who have already been affected by road transport legislation such as Clean Air Zones.
About Drive Personnel
Drive Personnel is a specialist driver recruitment agency based in Southampton. We support our drivers and help them maximise their earning potential by providing training and professional development including further HGV Driver Training, Driver CPC Training, ADR, Moffett, HIAB and other advanced training. The team at Drive Personnel are experts in placing drivers in a range of temporary and permanent roles throughout Eastleigh, Southampton, Portsmouth, Fareham and Winchester. If you’re a driver looking for work or a client looking for a driver agency that can provide top-quality logistics staff, contact us today.