Changes to the Highway Code have become law in Hucknall and of course, across the rest of the UK today (Saturday 29 January).

However, the vast majority of motorists are unaware of the changes.

The changes centre around the hierarchy of road users and placing greater responsibility on the users at the bottom of the list.

Pedestrians are at the top, followed by horse riders, cyclists, horse drawn vehicles and motorcyclists.

Whilst at the bottom, are people driving large goods vehicles, with people driving vans and minibuses next, followed by car and taxi drivers.

In the new rules, cyclists are given clear priority over cars, which must leave at least 1.5 metres room when passing bicycles and bikes must remain at least 50cm from the pavement.

In slow moving traffic, bikes must now ride in the centre of the road rather than to the left, and guidance also suggests that cyclists could ride two abreast to further protect themselves.

Cyclists are also now given priority at roundabouts.

Other important changes to the law include drivers turning into a road now being required to give way to pedestrians crossing the road or waiting to cross. Previously, drivers had right of way.

A further change is making it illegal to cut across cyclists or horses when turning into or out of a junction.

Drivers are now being asked to change the way they exit their vehicles. They are being asked to use 'The Dutch Reach' technique to reduce the risk of opening a car door into the path of a cyclist. This involves using the hand on the opposite side to the door, as that will lead to people looking over their shoulder into the road behind them before they open the door.

The government has been criticised for not publicising the changes sufficiently. A survey by the AA found that a third of motorists said that they did not know the Highway Code was being updated.

Further information on the new rules can be found here.