You will have come across Zebra Crossings as a pedestrian many times, but dealing with him as a driver is obviously very different.
In this blog I’ll eplain to you exactly how to approach and drive through Zebra Crossings, in order to keep pedestrians safe and demonstrate good driving skills.
You’ll also learn how to answer any theory question about zebra crossings.
A Zebra Crossing is an uncontrolled crossing, meaning it is a crossing that is not controlled by traffic lights.
This type of crossing is marked by black and white stripes painted on the road. It also has a belisha beacon at either side of the road, This is an orange ball with a flashing light mounted on a striped post,
Zebra Crossings also have zig zag lines painted on the road near the curb leading up to the zebra crossing.
These Zig zag lines, black and white stripes on the road, and the belisha beacons make the Zebra Crossings easy to spot.
As you approach a Zebra Crossing, check your mirrors and then slow your approach. You should be looking for pedestrians at the crossing and approaching the crossing.
You must not overtake a moving vehicle as you approach a Zebra Crossing, and you must never park on the zig zag lines. Doing this can block the view of the road for pedestrians and block the view of the pavement for drivers.
A pedestrian who wants to cross the road has priority and vehicles must stop for them. If you have to stop, you must stop behind the give way lines
Make sure you allow the pedestrian to fully cross the road before you set off again.
At some Zebra Crossings you’ll notice there is a central island splitting the Zebra Crossing into two smaller Zebra Crossings. These are normally on wider sections of the road. This is 2 separate crossings so you may not need to stop if there is a person waiting to cross on the other side of the road to where you are driving.
If you are at a crossing and a pedestrian is waiting to cross, but they do not start to cross, you must not wave them across the road. You must leave it up to the pedestrian to decide for themselves if they want to cross. There may be a vehicle approaching the crossing that you cannot see, and you could be beckoning the pedestrian into danger.
Before setting off again make sure that you allow the pedestrian to fully cross the road, this will put the pedestrian at ease.
I hope the information in this blog was useful to you.
As a driver it is important to realise and remember that pedestrians can cross anywhere. They may not cross in between the studs and on the black and white markings as they should, but near to the crossing. If you are aware of this and expecting it to happen then you are able to keep pedestrians safe.
For more help and advice and crossings, driving or the theory of driving, see my YouTube channel or my online courses.
www.youtube.com/spotondrivingschool