- Pedestrians being put in danger by drivers at crossings
- Worrying new rise in pedestrian crossing offences
- Exclusive stats uncovered by Select Car Leasing
- Licence endorsements jumped 50% between 2022 and 2024
- New advice issued - the one thing you should never do at a pedestrian crossing
- Figures released to coincide with Road Safety Week 2025
More and more drivers are being prosecuted for pedestrian crossing offences, according to disturbing new stats.
And there's one mistake pedestrians should never make when they're waiting to cross - with the issue highlighted in time for Road Safety Week.
The Highway Code says pedestrians should always make sure that traffic has actually stopped before they start to cross.
That goes for all types of crossings, from zebra crossings without lights to signal-controlled pelican crossings.
The potentially life-saving importance of that advice has been highlighted by new driver prosecution stats revealed by the DVLA.
A Freedom of Information request submitted to the DVLA by Select Car Leasing found that pedestrian crossing offences increased by 50% between 2022 and 2024.
There were 2,419 licence endorsements for pedestrian crossing-related offences in 2022, which rose to 3,657 in 2024 - a jump of 51%.
Many of those offences involved a ‘moving vehicle’ - ie, a car running a red light or driving through a zebra crossing with pedestrians waiting to cross.
The typical fine is a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice for a pelican or zebra crossing contravention, as well as three penalty points on a licence, but fines can reach £1,000 if the case goes to court.
Graham Conway, Managing Director at Select Car Leasing, said pedestrians need to be switched-on to the dangers.
He said: “With thousands of drivers guilty of breaching crossing rules each year, it’s paramount that pedestrians take measures to protect themselves.
“No matter the type of crossing, never step into the road and expect traffic to stop for you.
“You can’t assume that a driver has seen you, they may not be able to stop in time, and they may not have even registered a red light.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say that taking a cautious approach at pedestrian crossings could be the difference between life and death.”
Number of UK driving licence holders with endorsements added to licences for pedestrian crossing-related offences, by year:
- 2022 - 2,419
- 2023 - 2,856
- 2024 - 3,657
- 2025 (up to Sept 13th) - 1,781 (so far)
Highway Code advice for all types of crossings state that pedestrians should ‘always check that the traffic has stopped before you start to cross or push a pram onto a crossing’.
You should also: “Always cross between the studs or over the zebra markings. Do not cross at the side of the crossing or on the zig-zag lines, as it can be dangerous.”
The Code also warns about the dangers of cars and riders that might even attempt to overtake a vehicle that has stopped for a pedestrian crossing.
There are specific rules for pedestrians.
It is an offence for a pedestrian to ‘loiter on any type of crossing’. A pedestrian could be prosecuted under Section 137 of the Highways Act 1980 for ‘obstructing’ the highway, with fines of up to £1,000 if the case goes to court.
There are also different rules for different types of pedestrian crossings. At a zebra crossing - where you’ll see marks on the road but which are not controlled by signals - you should make sure that traffic has stopped ‘in both directions’ before crossing.
At a signal-controlled pelican crossing, you should never cross when the red figure is illuminated. And if the green figure is lit but FLASHING you should also NOT start to cross, as it indicates that the lights are about to turn green for drivers.
The Select Car Leasing figures, uncovered via the FOI to the DVLA, also highlight some key UK hotspots when it comes to drivers breaking pedestrian crossing rules.
For ‘Contravention of pedestrian crossing regulations with moving vehicle’ offences (a so-called ‘PC20’ offence), motorists with a London postcode had the highest number of licence endorsements, followed by Leeds, Liverpool, Bradford and Ipswich.
Top 10 UK hotspots - Contravention of pedestrian crossing regulations with moving vehicle’ (between 2021 and Sept 2025):
- London - 335
- Leeds - 186
- Liverpool - 171
- Bradford - 159
- Ipswich - 95
- Birmingham - 82
- Glasgow - 79
- Norwich - 71
- Colchester - 60
- Nottingham - 54
Many offences involved a ‘stationary vehicle’ (a so-called PC30 offence), and saw drivers stopping, waiting, or parking on or near a pedestrian crossing.
Here motorists with a Glasgow postcode were the worst offenders, ahead of Birmingham, London and Manchester.
Top 10 UK hotspots - Contravention of pedestrian crossing regulations with stationary vehicle (between 2021 and Sept 2025):
- Glasgow - 600
- Birmingham - 558
- London - 532
- Manchester - 189
- Bristol - 165
- Coventry - 155
- Newcastle - 141
- Edinburgh - 139
- Liverpool - 136
- Bradford - 111
Select’s Mr Conway adds: “Traffic-enforcement camera technology is increasing in capability and scope, which could help to explain the recent increases we’ve seen in offences registered. Either way, pedestrians need to keep their wits about them at crossings and never take it for granted that traffic will stop when it’s supposed to.”
Note to editors;
Figures obtained via a Freedom of Information request sent by Select Car Leasing to the DVLA. Provides the number of GB driving licence holders, who had a PC10, PC20 or PC30 endorsement codes added to their driver record, in the calendar years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and up to and including 13 September 2025, broken down by post town of the licence holder’s registered address.
PC10 - Undefined contravention of pedestrian crossing regulations .
PC20 - Contravention of pedestrian crossing regulations with moving vehicle.
PC30 - Contravention of pedestrian crossing regulations with stationary vehicle.
Data is inclusive of drivers who have either full or provisional entitlement to drive, and non licence holders.
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