New law and bad weather cause chaos on roads
The first few days of 2001 have not been good ones on the Czech roads, both for drivers and pedestrians. The latest bout of freezing cold weather to hit the country has led to hundreds of car accidents and two deaths since Tuesday. If this were not bad enough, the situation has been further compounded by a new highway law, which came into effect on January 1st. The new law includes a ban on the use of mobile phones whilst driving, unless drivers use headphones, and all children must wear seatbelts, no matter where they sit in cars. One of the biggest changes included in the new law is that for the first time Czech pedestrians now have the right of way at pedestrian crossings. Unfortunately, according to reports in the Czech press, this new law has been widely ignored. Drivers continuing to use mobile phones without headphones, and children are still not being strapped in. There have also been widespread reports that Czech drivers are still refusing to stop for people at pedestrian crossings. Earlier on, Nick Carey went out to find out if Czech drivers really are aware that pedestrians now have the right of way:
