THE OFFICIAL HIGHWAY CODE. A paperback book written by Department for Transport, published by Stationery Office Books

Essential Stats

Pages: 152
Published: Friday 28th September 2007
Edition: New edition
Dimensions: 21cm tall, 11cm wide, 1cm thick
Weight: 200 grams
ISBN: 0115528148
RRP: ~~£2.50~~
Availability at Amazon UK:
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- 108 used books from £0.01

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Reviews

Every driver, cyclist & pedestrian should read this on a regular basis. So many updates & very important information for all.

It's an essential piece of reading if you want to learn to drive - nothing more, nothing less.

Although the rules of the road can be a dry subject and not most peoples idea of an entertaining read the book is neatly and clearly laid out and gives you the ground rules in a clear, plain english manner so it actually does a pretty good job of giving you the information you need without boring or confusing you.

Even though most driving packages come with an electronic copy on the CD and there are also smartphone apps, it is much more comfortable and convienient to have a pocket-sized paper copy for less than the price of a good pint of beer.

...ive never been the type that can sit and concentrate on something so dull! its good value for money but i bought this in conjunction with the Driving Test Success dvd rom and it kept my interest a bit better than this book.

The rules and regulations of the UK roads are diverse and many of them change every couple of years.
It is a good idea to have an up-to-dated copy of the highway code and familiarise yourself with the new rules and changes.

I have been reading this book since I was at primary school a long, long time ago. It is interesting to see how the recommendations have changed over the years and what has changed.

Current drivers will be interested to know that when you turn at a junction, even if you have priority, you should give way to crossing pedestrians. Now, how many older drivers know that one and how often is it obeyed without a hoot?

It used to be the rule that if two cars could not pass each other when you were parked on a road then you should not park there at all. This one has been quietly dropped. My opinion is that it should have been kept, and would have made our roads far, far safer, especially in the hour before school leaving time.

What about the more controversial recommendations, such as giving way on a hill? The rule is that if you are going downhill, the road narrows (presumably because someone didn't obey the rule above) and someone is approaching coming uphill then you should give way even if you would have had priority otherwise (the car was parked on their side.) Why? The official reason is that it is harder to accelerate uphill than downhill. I can't argue with that fact, but might add that it is harder to brake going downhill than uphill too, so the car going uphill could easily stop and let you career past! I love these dilemmas!

There is an unofficial reason too, that it is harder to start your car again going uphill. Well, that is true if it is manual, but what about if it is automatic?

Then there is the controversial headlight flash. "Flashing headlights. Only flash your headlights to let other road users know that you are there. Do not flash your headlights to convey any other message or intimidate other road users." Who on the road obeys that one? Plus, in the situation above, where both cars are at a standstill, but not on a hill, how do you break the stalemate? And how do you say thank you if the other driver lets you through?

The way to approach this book is to read each rule and try to play devil's advocate with each one. Is there a valid argument against a rule? If so, is it superior or inferior to the argument for the rule? That way, those rules will be more likely to become part of your normal driving habits, since you will already have been through the pros and cons in your mind and will not have only seconds to react in an emergency.

When I first drove in the US I searched a major bookseller for any equivalent of this book and failed to find one. Controversial as it is, where would we be without our good old Highway Code? Even its name is redolent of pre-war Middle England! I just love it!

By the way, you can download the full Highway Code in PDF form for use on your computer.

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