In a new initiative from the Department for Transport (DfT), proposals are being drawn up for additional and new laws designed to provide additional protection for cyclists and pedestrians.
The DOT review could see the introduction of new laws to address ‘intimidatory driving’, driving too close to cyclists, not giving cyclists who are going straight ahead priority at right-hand turns priority and stopping in cycle stop boxes at traffic lights. The review comes after recently published 2016 accident statistics showed that 102 cyclists and 448 pedestrians were killed on our road network, with 8,537 being seriously injured.
The DfT is already trying to promote cycling as the ‘natural choice’ for short journeys and will consider all evidence as part of its review before proposing new laws, particularly covering safe passing distances and ‘car dooring’ (where inattentive drivers or passengers open a vehicle door into the path of a cyclist). The Highway Code currently recommends to leave ‘plenty of room’ when passing a cyclist.
The DfT is also considering additional safety improvements including a possible graduated driving licence scheme for new or young drivers, the possibility of making helmet use compulsory for all cyclists, and also the introduction of a new offence of ‘death by dangerous cycling’.
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