Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) awareness and (b) compliance with Rule 215 of The Highway Code.

The Government's flagship road safety campaign, THINK!, aims to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. The THINK! Campaign plays an important role in raising awareness of, and encouraging compliance with, new road safety legislation. This has included changes made to The Highway Code in 2022, which aimed to improve road safety for people walking, cycling and horse riding – including advice on safely passing horse riders in Rule 215.

Over £2.4 million has been spent on media to raise awareness of and encourage compliance with the changes, utilising channels such as radio, digital audio, video on demand and social media advertising.

Enforcement of the law is a matter for the police who will decide on the evidence of each individual case, whether an offence has been committed and the appropriate action to take.