New Rules Aimed At Making Cyclists Safer

Many road users, regardless of how they’re moving, will be familiar with cyclists openly violating the rules of the Highway Code in passing red traffic lights, sometimes even riding through pedestrian crossings whilst people are walking across them. Whilst cyclists tend to deflect away from this behaviour by talking about how many car drivers you see doing things they shouldn’t, the problem has been growing over recent years as cycling has gained in popularity and the government has recently taken action to address the issue

It was a few years ago when I first read on social media, whilst reading through arguments between cyclists and other road users underneath a video of somebody doing something they shouldn’t, the comment “fun fact, cyclists aren’t governed by the Highway Code, because the road traffic act only applies to mechanically powered vehicles”

I read that with interest because, without being bothered to go and look it up, I was pretty sure that there was at least a note or two of truth in what the contributor was saying – all my dealings with the road traffic act had previously related to motor vehicles

I also noticed that many rules relating to cyclists that the government had, during a consultation exercise in 2022 that I took part in, proposed to be changed to include stronger wording along the lines of “as per other vehicular traffic” had not been modified as such in the final revision of the Highway Code when it was released in February 2023

It turns out that the situation was quite complex and tangled. Some bits of the Road Traffic Act applied and some didn’t. With speed limits for example, the road traffic act didn’t apply, but cyclists could always be charged with dangerous or careless cycling under various laws going back to 1861 with inconsistent success

In order to clear that all up, the incoming Crime and Policing Act 2026, aims to bring cycling into line with other road users with regards to punishments and penalties for breaching the various rules of the road. It received Royal Ascent at the end of April, will be including in the Kings Speech on 13^th May and will become enforceable from 29^th June 2026

That means that cyclists can be prosecuted and banned from driving if they’re caught cycling with a breath alcohol level in excess of the drink drive limit

It means that they can receive a fixed penalty notice for riding through red traffic lights or across pedestrian crossings when they’re being used by pedestrians

In fact, the majority of legally binding rules of the road will apply to cyclists after this modification to the law, with penalties being exactly the same for cyclists as would be applied to a driver of any other vehicle

Hopefully that will mean that we start to see those few (albeit a significant few) cyclists that give the majority a bad name becoming less in numbers now

Cyclists were responsible for 4 pedestrian fatalities and 185 serious injuries in 2023. The figures seem very small in comparison to KSI figures for UK roads in general but it is believed that they are very much the tip of the iceberg and that the relatively low weight, momentum and speed of cycles in comparison to motor vehicles goes a long way towards minimising hospitalisations. The true picture of UK’s roads is believed to include more significant numbers of near misses, minor injuries and complaints and it is this that the government hopes to address with this new legislation 

Nick Heath Driver Training helps people of all levels and abilities with their driving. Established in 2005 and based on the South Cheshire / North Staffordshire border in the UK, I can help you to obtain a licence, become a driving instructor, regain your driving confidence or reduce your road risk for work purposes. I am a regular contributor to local and national radio when driving items come up in the news and am willing to contribute to the wider driver training conversation

Anyone wanting more information should call 0800 8 20 2038