Travel like you know them – what does it mean?
Changes were made to the Highway Code in January 2022 to help improve road safety for cyclists, pedestrians, and horse-riders. The main part of these changes was the Hierarchy of Road Users.
To make people more aware of the changes, the DVSA launched a campaign in 2022 called ‘Travel like you know them’, which focussed on those who have a greater responsibility to reduce the risk that they may pose to others. Its aim was to offer an insight into the lives of everyday road users, to help people understand each other and see more than just vehicles on the road.
The campaign is being relaunched this August.
Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde
It’s a fact that many people seem to adopt an alter ego when they take to the road. The manners that we show in everyday life no longer matter. If we were to accidentally bump into another pedestrian in the street most of us would instantly apologise. But bump into another driver with your car and the gloves come off!
Drivers are often much more aggressive behind the wheel than they are in normal life. They want to claim their space on the road and get angry when someone else invades it. Some get angry when being overtaking as though it’s a kind of insult deserving of retaliation. Yet do we get angry when a faster walker passes on the street?
Us v Them
We also seem to set ourselves apart from other groups. Drivers, motorcyclists, pedestrians, cyclists – yes we don’yt always behave like we should but whatever the mode of transport its still a person at the helm.
So what if you knew that other person? Would you cut in front of them at the traffic lights? If they made a mistake would you shout at them or give them the ‘V’ sign? We would all behave differently if the people we shared the roads with were friends and relatives; and this is the purpose of the campaign. Instead of treating fellow road users as competitors and rivals – travel like you know them. It would make all of our journey safer and much more pleasant.