Pedestrians: give way, anticipate, protect
⏱️ 3 min read
On a moped, you are more vulnerable than a car driver — but next to a pedestrian, you are the faster and heavier one. The highway code therefore puts you on the side of those who must give way, slow down and anticipate. Here is exactly what the exam expects.
✨ Key takeaways
- Give way to a pedestrian already on or about to step onto a crossing.
- Never overtake a vehicle that has stopped or is slowing down in front of a pedestrian crossing.
- When you turn at a junction, the pedestrian crossing your new street has priority.
- White or yellow cane = you must stop to let them cross.
- Pushing your moped by hand = you are treated as a pedestrian.
The pedestrian is the most vulnerable road user: no bodywork, no helmet. Every driver — and on a moped, you are a driver in your own right — must take extra care around them: adapt your speed, stay in control of your vehicle and be ready to stop. This obligation is even stronger where pedestrians may appear suddenly: schools, bus stops, shopping areas, rows of parked cars.
The pedestrian crossing
The pedestrian crossing is the set of wide white stripes parallel to the axis of the road. You must give way to a pedestrian who is already on it or who is about to step onto it. In practice: as you approach a crossing, you slow down and, if necessary, you stop to let them cross.
Another classic situation: you are turning at a junction. The pedestrian crossing (or about to cross) the street you are turning into has priority over you. Look at the pavement before you turn, not just at the cars.
Maximum vigilance: children, the elderly, white cane
- Children: unpredictable, they dart out between two cars or run after a ball. Near schools and playgrounds, ease off the throttle and cover your brakes.
- Elderly people: slower, they misjudge your speed. Let them finish crossing without rushing them.
- People with reduced mobility (wheelchair, walking frame): patience and a wide safety margin.
- The white cane (or yellow) indicates a blind or visually impaired person: when they show the intention to cross, you must stop to let them pass.
Where do pedestrians walk?
Knowing where pedestrians walk helps you anticipate where they may come from — especially if you ride a class A moped on the cycle path, right next to them.
- As a rule: on the pavement, or failing that on a usable verge.
- No pavement or verge? The pedestrian may use the carriageway, as close as possible to the edge; outside built-up areas, they walk in principle on the left, facing the traffic.
- To cross, they must use the pedestrian crossing if there is one within roughly 30 metres.
A car stops in front of a pedestrian crossing. You see no one crossing. Can you overtake it?