Harrogate Borough Council
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Road Safety - Drivers
The Highway Code Says :-
You MUST NOT
- drive dangerously
- drive without due care and attention
- drive without reasonable consideration for other road users
You MUST NOT drive on or over a pavement, footpath or
bridleway except to gain lawful access to property.
Adapt your driving to the appropriate type and condition
of road you are on. In particular
- do not treat speed limits as a target. It is often not appropriate or safe to drive at the maximum speed limit
- take the road and traffic conditions into account. Be prepared for unexpected or difficult situations, for example, the road being blocked beyond a blind bend. Be prepared to adjust your speed as a precaution
- where there are junctions, be prepared for vehicles emerging
- in side roads and country lanes look out for unmarked junctions where nobody has priority
- try to anticipate what pedestrians and cyclists might do. If pedestrians, particularly children, are looking the other way, they may step out into the road without seeing you.
Be considerate. Be careful of and considerate towards
other road users. You should
- try to be understanding if other drivers cause problems; they may be inexperienced or not know the area well
- be patient; remember that anyone can make a mistake
- not allow yourself to become agitated or involved if someone is behaving badly on the road. This will only make the situation worse. Pull over, calm down and, when you feel relaxed, continue your journey
- slow down and hold back if a vehicle pulls out into your path at a junction. Allow it to get clear. Do not over-react by driving too close behind it.
Safe driving needs concentration. Avoid distractions
when driving such as
- loud music (this may mask other sounds)
- trying to read maps
- inserting a cassette or CD or tuning a radio
- arguing with your passengers or other road users
- eating and drinking
You MUST exercise proper control of your vehicle at all
times.
You MUST NOT use a hand-held mobile phone, or similar device,
when driving or when supervising a learner driver, except to call
999 or 112 in a genuine emergency when it is unsafe or impractical
to stop. Never use a hand-held microphone when driving.
There is a danger of driver distraction being caused by
in-vehicle systems such as route guidance and navigation systems,
congestion warning systems, PCs, multi-media, etc. Do not operate,
adjust or view any such system if it will distract your attention
while you are driving; you MUST exercise proper control of your
vehicle at all times. If necessary find a safe place to stop
first.
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In slow moving traffic
You should
- reduce the distance between you and the vehicle ahead to maintain traffic flow
- never get so close to the vehicle in front that you cannot stop safely
- leave enough space to be able to manoeuvre if the vehicle in front breaks down or an emergency vehicle needs to get past
- not change lanes to the left to overtake
Allow access into and from side roads, as blocking these will
add to congestion
Do not block access to a side road
Driving in built up areas
Narrow residential streets
You should drive slowly and carefully on streets where there are likely to be pedestrians, cyclists and parked cars. In some areas a 20 mph maximum speed limit may be in force. Look out for- vehicles emerging from junctions
- vehicles moving off
- car doors opening
- pedestrians
- children running out from between parked cars
- cyclists and motorcyclists.
Traffic calming measures
On some roads there are features such as road humps, chicanes
and narrowings which are intended to slow you down. When you
approach these features reduce your speed. Allow cyclists and
motorcyclists room to pass through them. Maintain a reduced speed
along the whole of the stretch of road within the calming measures.
Give way to oncoming traffic if directed to do so by signs. You
should not overtake other moving vehicles whilst in these
areas.
- Chicanes may be used t o slow traffic down. Do not park in passing places.
- When approaching a Crossing patrol, slow down and be prepared to STOP if requested to do so.
- When stopped by the patrol, please halt your vehicle an appropriate distance from the crossing point to allow pedestrians to cross. Do not creep forward or rev your engine as this could cause the pedestrians to panic or rush across the road.
- Do not STOP or Park your vehicle on or near to a patrol point, or on the yellow zig zag lines. This will obstruct the patrol's view of oncoming traffic and other drivers' view of the patrol.
- Please remember that failure to comply with the signal given by a crossing patrol is an offence which will be reported to the Police and can lead up to £1,000 and 3 penalty points on your licence.
Country roads
Take extra care on country roads and reduce your speed at
approaches to bends, which can be sharper than they appear, and at
minor junctions and turnings, which may be partially hidden. Be
prepared for pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists walking or
riding in the road. You should also reduce your speed where country
roads enter villages.
Single-track roads
These are only wide enough for one vehicle. They may have
special passing places. If you see a vehicle coming towards you, or
the driver behind wants to overtake, pull into a passing place on
your left, or wait opposite a passing place on your right. Give way
to vehicles coming uphill whenever you can. If necessary, reverse
until you reach a passing place to let the other vehicle
pass.
Stopping distances
Drive at a speed that will allow you to stop well within the
distance you can see to be clear. You should
- leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front so that you can pull up safely if it suddenly slows down or stops. The safe rule is never to get closer than the overall stopping distance
- allow at least a two-second gap between you and the vehicle in front on roads carrying fast traffic. The gap should be at least doubled on wet roads and increased still further on icy roads
Remember, large vehicles and motorcycles need a greater
distance to stop
Use a fixed point to help measure a two second gap
Typical Stopping Distances
