Summary
The Highway Code is essential reading for all road users, including pedestrians, mobility scooter users, cyclists, horse riders, drivers and motorcyclists.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
You can:
- online
- buy a copy from most high street bookshops
To stay up to date:
- when the rules change
This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).
Contents
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Who The Highway Code is for, how it's worded, the consequences of not following the rules, self-driving vehicles, and the hierarchy of road users (Rules H1 to H3).
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Rules for pedestrians, including general guidance, crossing the road, crossings, and situations needing extra care.
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Rules for powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters, including on pavements and on the road.
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Rules about animals, including horse-drawn vehicles, horse riders and other animals.
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Rules for cyclists, including an overview, road junctions, roundabouts and crossing the road.
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Rules for motorcyclists, including helmets, carrying passengers, daylight riding and riding in the dark.
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Rules for drivers and motorcyclists, including vehicle condition, fitness to drive, alcohol and drugs, what to do before setting off, vehicle towing and loading, and seat belts and child restraints.
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Signals, stopping procedures, lighting, control of the vehicle, speed limits, stopping distances, lines and lane markings and multi-lane carriageways, smoking, mobile phones and sat nav.
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Rules for using the road, including general rules, overtaking, road junctions, roundabouts, pedestrian crossings and reversing.
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Rules for road users requiring extra care, including pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists, other road users and other vehicles.
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Rules for driving in adverse weather conditions, including wet weather, icy and snowy weather, windy weather, fog and hot weather.
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Rules for waiting and parking, including rules on parking at night and decriminalised parking enforcement.
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Rules for motorways, including rules for signals, joining the motorway, driving on the motorway, lane discipline, overtaking, stopping and leaving the motorway. A number of the rules for motorways also apply to other high-speed roads.
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Rules for breakdowns and incidents, including rules for motorways, obstructions, incidents, incidents involving dangerous goods and documents.
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Rules for road works (including on motorways and other high-speed roads), level crossings and tramways.
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Light signals used to control traffic, including traffic light signals, flashing red lights, motorway signals and lane control signals.
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Signals used to other road users, including direction indicator signals, brake light signals, reversing light signals and arm signals.
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Signals used by authorised persons, including police officers, arm signals to persons controlling traffic, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency officers and traffic officers and school crossing patrols.
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Traffic signs used, including signs giving orders, warning signs, direction signs, information signs and road works signs.
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Road markings used, including those across the carriageway, along the carriageway, along the edge of the carriageway, on the kerb or at the edge of the carriageway and other road markings.
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Vehicle markings used, including large goods vehicle rear markings, hazard warning plates, projection markers and other markings.
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Information and rules about you and your bicycle.
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Information and rules about motorcycle licence requirements.
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Information and rules about motor vehicle documentation and learner driver requirements.
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Information about the road user and the law, including acts and regulations.
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Information and rules about penalties, including points and disqualification, a penalty table, new drivers and other consequences of offending.
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Information and rules about vehicle maintenance, safety and security.
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Information about first aid on the road, including dealing with danger, getting help, helping those involved, and providing emergency care.
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Information about the safety code for new drivers, including the New Drivers Act and further training.
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Metric conversions, useful websites, further reading, the blue badge scheme and code of practice horse-drawn vehicles.
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An A to Z index of topics covered by The Highway Code.