Settle a Highway Code related domestic dispute.

[Sara_H]

Yesterday I was driving along with OH in passenger seat. Tis a 30mph road (but traffic tends to move at about 40mph tbh).
It was very busy traffic in both directions. Up ahead I spotted a family of pedestrians who had crossed halfway and were stranded in the middle of the road, so I stopped to let them cross.
OH was very cross and said I'd put us at risk of a rear ending. I was very sure of my facts and told him that pedestrians who'd already started crossing had priority. OH claimed this was nonsense.
Stepson, who is 17 and has recently bought a moped assured me that he has a copy of the highway code that he's considering reading, and could confirm that I was nothing but a very stupid woman, and his father (who he usually never agrees with on anything) was indeed correct.
14 year old step son who had never even heard of the highway code, confirmed that his dad and brother were both right and I was indeed very stupid and wrong.
Quite a family argument broke out, which ended with me shouting quite loudly that I'm a modern, independant woman and how dare they all question my superior knowledge etc. I have this evening looked up the highway code to show them all how very wrong they are and found this:

170
Take extra care at junctions. You should

• watch out for pedestrians crossing a road into which you are turning. If they have started to cross they have priority, so give way

Pedestrians have priority at junctions. But it says nothing about pedestrians stranded in the middle road.

Am I completely wrong?

 

[stephec]

If you had someone wedged up the back of you trying to make you go faster then it makes sense to stop just to wind them up.

 

[midliferider]

As a principle, I do not get involved in domestics

 

[London Female]

I don't know what the highway code says but I would also have stopped to let them continue across the road. As for the danger of being rear ended, isn't that what break lights are for?

 

[fossyant]

Nothing like sharing the road. I would have slowed.

 

[srw]

You're wrong according to the highway code, but morally absolutely right. And if anyone rear-ends you it's (almost always) their fault - they're driving too close to you.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

It's never a good idea to allow yourself to be driven by the traffic behind.

 

[the_mikey]

If there are pedestrians already making progress across the road then I would stop and allow them to cross keeping a safe distance , also pedestrians crossing at a junction have priority over vehicles turning into the junction, vehicles must stop and allow pedestrians to cross.

See rules 170 and 187.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

I'm with you on this one. There comes a point where common sense and courtesy have to come into play. From the description, they were in a dangerous position. Squeezing past would have been the wrong thing to do and if you'd been rear-ended the driver behind would have been entirely at fault as they are supposed to follow at a distance in which they can stop if necessary.

 

[annedonnelly]

Were the pedestrians on an island in the middle of the road? If so, I think it has to be treated as two separate roads to be crossed.
However, morally you did the right thing - I'd have done the same. I may also have pulled over and suggested that the back-seat drivers get out and walk if they didn't like my driving style

 

[Alun]

You're wrong according to the highway code, but morally absolutely right. And if anyone rear-ends you it's (almost always) their fault - they're driving too close to you.

Where does it say in the highway code that Sara_H was wrong for stopping?

 

[Sara_H]

Were the pedestrians on an island in the middle of the road? If so, I think it has to be treated as two separate roads to be crossed.
However, morally you did the right thing - I'd have done the same. I may also have pulled over and suggested that the back-seat drivers get out and walk if they didn't like my driving style

No, just in the middle of the road. No island.

 

[steve52]

slow and stop if safe to do so

 

[roadrash]

sarah , you are surrounded by a trio of tools , you did the right thing in my book.

 

[mark st1]

I can't really believe anybody would argue you'd done the wrong thing, whatever the Highway Code says. Would your OH make the same argument if you and your son were the ones stranded in the middle of the road?

That's the same way i always look at. Treat others how you want to be treated etc.