Jeremy Clarkson jokes Highway Code changes were dreamed up at a Downing Street partyTop Gear legend Jeremy Clarkson says the new changes to the Highway Code 'could only have been thought up by someone who was drunk'.
The changes came into force today and include a hierarchy of road users designed to keep the most vulnerable safe, reports Oxfordshire Live.
It means larger vehicles, such as cars and lorries, will need to give way to horses, pedestrians and cyclists in certain situations.
Other key amendments include clearer guidance for drivers to leave a distance of at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists, and instructing drivers turning into a road to give way to pedestrians waiting to cross.
There will also be a recommendation for car users to reduce the risk of opening a door into the path of a cyclist by using the hand on the opposite side to the door, as that will often lead to them looking over their shoulder.
But motoring journalist and TV presenter Clarkson took aim at the new rules in his latest column for The Sun, joking Boris Johnson may have come up with them at a lockdown party.
He said: "It's been claimed that when Boris sat down with his colleagues to share a few lockdown wines, they were “working”.
"Really? What on? Well, by the looks of it, the new Highway Code – which could only have been dreamed up by someone after 14 proseccos and six pints."
The new rules cover situations including when a driver wishes to turn at a junction but a cyclist wishes to continue straight.
It also states on country roads cyclists should drive in the middle of their lane, not at the edge.
This change has infuriated Clarkson, who said he intends to drive his tractor slowly, "holding them all up".
The disgruntled columnist also voiced his contempt for the increased number of cycle lanes across the country, adding: "Sometimes I wonder if that’s the real reason we had the lockdowns. So that we wouldn’t notice the roads were being stolen from right under our noses."
Taking aim at the Conservative Party, Clarkson also said that not only were the Tories no longer the party of the farmers but they "aren’t really the motorist’s friend either".
