Our yard is on a busy main road and we
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are faced with the constant difficulty of reversing vehicles off this road to our loading bay.
We have had several near-misses and wonder whether any accessory manufacturer makes a reversing sign which is illuminated when reverse gear is engaged?
What is the legal position of a driver's mate if he walks into the road to hold up traffic while the vehicle reverses?
AWe have no details of a manufacturer
offering such equipment, though a reversing light might be adapted for the purpose. Really it should not be too difficult for an experienced electrician/handyman to carry out the necessary work within half a day per vehicle.
The legal position of a mate who walks into the road to hold up traffic while the vehicle reverses will depend entirely on the circumstances of each particular case. Certainly other drivers are under no obligation to stop. If there was an accident one would have to take into account how fast the vehicles involved were travelling, and whether the mate's signal was readily visible.
One case on the subject is Lidden v Stringer 1967 (Div CO,
At the end of its journey a bus reversed into a side road under the directions of the conductor standing to the rear on the nearside pavement. The bus knocked down a pedestrian. The driver's conviction, driving without due care and attention, imposed by a magistrates court, was upheld by Lord Parker L.C.J. -Where someone is using someone else as his eyes, he is under a duty to see that those eyes are in a position to see what they ought to see.