What should a driver do when someone is waiting to cross at a zebra crossing in Northern Ireland?

A driver should slow down and be prepared to stop when someone is waiting at a zebra crossing, even though the strict duty to give way applies once they are on the crossing.

Good anticipation is especially important in wet weather because stopping distance increases.

For “What should a driver do when someone is waiting to cross at a zebra crossing in Northern Ireland?”, the wider Northern Ireland context is this: This is a vulnerable-road-user question, so the Northern Ireland Highway Code expects drivers to plan for people who may be harder to see, slower to react or more easily injured. The Code repeatedly stresses lower speed, wider clearance, observation and patience around pedestrians, cyclists, children and horse riders rather than treating priority as a licence to press on.

For this exact question — “What should a driver do when someone is waiting to cross at a zebra crossing in Northern Ireland?” — the practical point is: Do not accelerate through because the pedestrian has not yet stepped out; make your intentions obvious and allow a safe crossing. The answer should be applied to the actual signs, conditions, licence wording or parking rules in force at the time, because temporary restrictions and individual DVA decisions can change the ordinary position.

This Northern Ireland-specific page on “What should a driver do when someone is waiting to cross at a zebra crossing in Northern Ireland?” was checked against the attached official sources before publication, with nidirect/DVA and the Northern Ireland Highway Code used ahead of generic UK motoring articles. If the rule, road layout or personal licence condition changes, those primary sources are the ones to re-check.