Tag Archives: rules of the road

State-sponsored child abuse?

A boy of 11 is killed trying to cross the road. Was it an accident? Or was it an avoidable event contrived by the rules of the road, combined with the power imbalance the rules impose, and the mindset they instil? … Continue reading

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Transfiguration

I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again. To transform road safety and transfigure the public realm, we need to reverse the balance of power in favour of the vulnerable. Supported by legal reform, the new hierarchy would make … Continue reading

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Dysfunctional system promotes delinquency

I was halfway across a High Street junction on foot, and got hooted at by a driver turning right. The Highway Code says drivers should give way to pedestrians at junctions. But the driver had a green light, so he … Continue reading

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We are victims of obsessive officialdom

Driving through Barnstaple yesterday (on electric), I think I surprised the driver behind me. At a pedestrian crossing where the lights had just changed against the people on foot, I waited at green for them to cross. They waved in … Continue reading

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Enforcement or education?

Retrospective enforcement (apparently supported by Brake!), or preventative education? The government proposes stiffer sentences for drivers who kill. As is usual in the illiterate field of traffic policy, this is a case of shutting the stable door after the horse … Continue reading

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Walkers v drivers

Walkers and drivers can coexist in harmony. But not under the current system. Why do we allow drivers to own the road and intimidate walkers? Why must children learn traditional road safety drill, and why should adults observe it? Vehicles are the killing … Continue reading

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Deference be damned

The 1960s were supposed to have seen off doff-capping class deference, but deference on the road – people on foot deferring to people in vehicles (even waiting for permission to cross at zebra crossings) – persists to this day. The … Continue reading

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Lethal traffic contol

Snuffed out in Leicester yesterday: the lives of two toddlers in an “accident” at traffic lights. The police are studying CCTV footage to ascertain responsibility. Will they question the rules or design of the road? Do pigs fly? The dead toddlers, the bereaved … Continue reading

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