Introduced with the 2022 Highway Code update, the hierarchy of road users is a guiding principle rather than a single numbered rule, and it shapes how several other sections should be read. The idea is straightforward: those in charge of vehicles that could cause the most harm in a collision — lorries, vans, cars, motorcycles — carry the greatest responsibility to reduce risk to those more at risk, such as cyclists, pedestrians, and horse riders.
This concept turns up regularly in theory test questions, particularly around junction priority, overtaking distances, and pedestrian crossing situations, because several specific rules were rewritten around this hierarchy in 2022. Learners who studied an older edition sometimes answer these questions using outdated assumptions.
What the hierarchy actually changed
The hierarchy doesn't remove any road user's need to act responsibly, and pedestrians, cyclists, and horse riders still have to take care for their own and others' safety. What it changed is the emphasis drivers should place on protecting people who would come off worse in a collision, which reshaped rules on junction priority for pedestrians and safe passing distances for cyclists and horse riders.
Priority at junctions since 2022
One of the clearest practical outcomes is that at a junction, drivers and riders should give way to pedestrians who are crossing or waiting to cross a road they're turning into, even without a marked crossing there. This applies whether the vehicle is turning left or right, and it's a frequent theory test trap for anyone still thinking in terms of the old give-way assumptions.
Why the order runs the way it does
The broad ranking places pedestrians, and particularly children, older people, and disabled people, at the top of the priority for protection, followed by cyclists, horse riders, motorcyclists, and then progressively larger and faster vehicles. It's not a legal ranking of who has right of way in every scenario, but a reminder of who needs the greatest consideration.
How this affects your driving style
In practice it means slowing earlier around schools and shared spaces, giving generous room when overtaking anyone smaller or slower than your vehicle, and never asserting priority just because you're bigger or moving faster. Mock test scenario questions often reward the answer that shows patience and space over the technically fastest route through a situation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the hierarchy of road users in the Highway Code?
It's the principle that road users who could cause the most harm in a collision, such as drivers of larger vehicles, have the greatest responsibility to reduce risk to those more vulnerable, like pedestrians and cyclists. It was introduced in the 2022 Highway Code update.
Does the hierarchy mean pedestrians always have right of way?
Not in every situation, but it does mean drivers must give way to pedestrians already crossing or waiting to cross a side road they're turning into. Pedestrians still need to take reasonable care for their own safety.
Why do theory test questions sometimes seem to contradict older Highway Code editions?
Because several rules, especially around junction priority and overtaking distances, were rewritten in 2022 to reflect the hierarchy of road users. If you learned from an older source, some priority answers will now be different.
Does the hierarchy remove responsibility from cyclists and pedestrians?
No, everyone is still expected to behave considerately and look out for their own safety. The hierarchy simply places greater responsibility on those who could cause more harm, not none on anyone else.
How does the hierarchy affect overtaking rules?
It reinforces why drivers must leave more space when passing cyclists, horse riders, and pedestrians than they would for another car, since a driver has far greater capacity to cause serious harm. This underpins the specific overtaking distances now given in the Highway Code.