Major Highway Code changes needed to 'take into account the latest risks from electric and hybrid cars'
One road safety expert has called for new guidance relating to electric vehicle 'risks'
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Experts are calling for new driving law changes to be introduced to ensure they motorists, cyclists and pedestrians are safe from the "latest risks" seen on roads.
The Highway Code was updated two years ago to highlight new dangers on roads and make the most dangerous forms of transport more responsible for their actions.
This included giving guidance to cyclists to remind them that they can ride in the centre of the lane on quiet roads, as well as informing drivers that they should give way when people are crossing or waiting to cross at a junction.
Speaking to GB News, John Kushnick, legal operations director at National Accident Helpline, highlighted the need to increase safety on roads across the UK.
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More than £2billion has been invested to support walking and cycling
PAHe said: "Transport in Britain is devolved, and England’s previous road safety strategy lapsed in 2019, leaving it the only country in the G7 without one.
"To ensure that safety is preventative, rather than an afterthought, the Government should prioritise a more inclusive road safety reform, one that is updated to take into account the latest risks, such as electric and hybrid cars.
"These are faster and heavier, meaning a longer stopping distance and yet are quieter so we don’t hear them, resulting in pedestrians being less likely to hear them coming."
Highway Code changes included in the 2022 update related to electric vehicles only applied to when drivers are using a charge point which could cause a trip hazard.
There is no guidance relating to the sound of electric vehicles, with all road users urged to be aware of their surroundings at all times.
The Highway Code has not seen a significant update to its guidance since 2022, although a handful of motoring experts have called for new rules to support all road users.
Kushnick added: "Additionally, there’s more work to be done to make the streets safer in terms of education for drivers on speed limits and reforms to increasing the drink-drive limit.
"Not only will this help to improve the health of the nation, crucial at a time when the NHS is under pressure but will prove effective in tackling economic inequalities linked to car dependency too."
He continued, saying that by ensuring roads are safer for all road users, more Britons would be encouraged to cycle and use other active travel measures.
According to the latest data from the Department for Transport's National Travel Survey 2023, trip rates for walking and cycling have remained similar in 2023 compared to 2022.
On average, the average cycling trip was 22 minutes. This is compared to 21 minutes per car driver trip and 18 minutes per walking trip in 2023.
The second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy outlined that the Government was pledging £2billion of funding for active travel between 2020 and 2025.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The latest significant Highway Code change was introduced two years ago
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As part of this, 55 per cent of primary school-aged children to walk to school by 2025, as well as ensuring that the natural choice for shorter journeys is to walk or cycle.
A longer-term aim for the Department for Transport is to make walking and cycling the first choice for longer journeys by 2040.