In 2022 the Highway Code added one idea that ties this whole topic together: the hierarchy of road users. It sounds grand, but it's beautifully simple. The more harm your vehicle could do, the more responsibility you have to look after everyone who could be harmed.
So a lorry driver looks out for car drivers, car drivers look out for cyclists and motorcyclists, and everyone looks out for pedestrians — who sit at the top, with the most protection and the least blame. It doesn't let anyone off being careless. It just decides where the duty of care sits: with the one who could do the most damage.
For you, in a car, this means you carry real responsibility for cyclists, motorcyclists and people on foot — and you can expect lorries and buses to carry that same responsibility for you. It isn't about fault. It's about who has the power to keep things safe.
The bits that matter
- The bigger the vehicle, the greater the responsibility to protect others.
- Pedestrians get the most protection, especially children and older people.
- It doesn't excuse risky behaviour by anyone — it decides who carries the care.
Memory anchor
More metal, more duty
The more metal you're wrapped in, the more duty of care you carry. A pedestrian has none, so they're protected most. You in your car have a fair bit, so you protect those with less — and the lorry beside you is looking out for you in turn.
Out on the road
Pulling up to a zebra crossing
Someone's waiting at a zebra crossing, half-stepping forward, unsure. Under the hierarchy, the responsibility to make this safe is yours, not theirs — so you slow early, stop clearly, and let them cross with a calm, patient pause. They cross knowing exactly where they stand. That's the hierarchy working.
The mistake everyone makes
Thinking right of way cancels the duty of care
A driver might think "I had priority, so it wasn't my job to look out for them." The hierarchy says otherwise: having right of way never removes your responsibility to avoid harming someone more vulnerable. If you could have prevented it, the duty was still yours — green light or not.