Fuel Card News Motoring Updates: Zebra crossing faces extinction

Sixty years after its introduction, the zebra crossing is now facing extinction, due to safety fears.

The iconic crossing is being phased out and replaced by more sophisticated substitutes with lights and flashing signs. More than 1,000 zebras have gone in the past five years.

Road safety experts have long argued that zebra crossings give priority to pedestrians but do not slow vehicles down creating an accident risk.  

Andrew Howard, head of road safety at the AA, said: “Essentially, drivers don't take as much notice of zebra crossings as they should because there's no red light telling them to stop, and pedestrians don't feel as safe as they do with a signal telling them when to cross.

“I suspect zebra crossings will continue to have a role in some busy town centres where they can be effective at helping people cross without constantly stopping the traffic.”

Howard expects zebra crossings will eventually become extinct in villages and towns within the next few years.

The Government introduced zebra crossings in 1951 as road traffic fatalities were mounting. They experimented with different pedestrian crossing markings to help improve visibility and considered both blue and yellow stripes and even red and white stripes.

In other news, a petition calling for cheaper petrol and diesel will be debated on 15 November in the main chamber of the House of Commons, FairFuelUK has confirmed.

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