The driver is obliged not to obstruct pedestrians

Explanation

In both cases alike, turning left and turning right.

The picture shows a junction with pedestrian crossings marked on both of its sides and pedestrians crossing; the yellow diamond sign also says you are on the priority road.

The key point is that being on the priority road gives you no priority whatever over a pedestrian. Priority-road precedence means something only against vehicles on the minor road. When you turn — whether left or right — you enter a carriageway that a pedestrian is crossing, and in both cases you must let him finish crossing.

Safety reason: a large proportion of pedestrian accidents happen precisely during a turn, because the driver's attention is on the crossing vehicles and on finding a suitable gap, and at that very moment he does not see the crossing ahead of him. In a right turn, the car's front pillar can also completely conceal a moving pedestrian for several seconds.

Worth memorising: every time you turn the wheel, take a separate, conscious look at the crossing before entering the new carriageway. That look must become a habit, not a reaction.

• A left turn seems longer and more hazardous, and that is what makes it the only one that sticks in the mind; but the duty towards pedestrians does not depend on the direction of the turn. • A right turn is short and the driver supposes he meets a crossing only there; whereas at the end of a left turn there is also a crossing ahead of you.

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