That as well, but @cstross really is talking about the test that motorists have to pass.
https://gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/signals-to-other-road-users#armsignals
It's in the theory test nowadays.
#HighwayCode
Manchester Evening News: Number one for news, opinion, sport & celebrity newsmanchestereveningnews.co.uk@web.brid.gy
2026-02-07Driving instructor shares top tips to tackling roundabouts for learner drivers
I was thinking, whilst driving the relative around, of writing an amused comment about nature's own 20 mph National Speed Limit …
… but my mood was spoiled by the dangerous fool who decided that the safe distance to keep behind me, in this weather, on an unlit country A road, was 1 car length.
Most people were driving slowly, but few were *also* extending their safe distances from the vehicles in front in order to account for the conditions, and I passed one accident scene.
At least one person hadn't thought what a hazard freshly-snowed-upon speed bumps can be, too.
Must-know winter road rules to avoid £2,500 fines
Wet leaves, icy conditions and reduced visibility pose serious threats, and car insurance experts from Quotezone.co.uk are warning motorists they could be fined up to £2,500 for not knowing or disobeying the rules.
The Highway Code includes a number of weather-specific rules, which motorists must take note of as wet, cold weather takes over much of the country.
Motorists are being urged to adjust driving habits, including cleaning number plates, avoiding pre-heating their car, increasing stopping distances and using fog lights appropriately.
Greg Wilson, CEO and car insurance expert at Quotezone.co.uk said:
“Many drivers don’t realise that some Highway Code rules become even more critical in the colder months, and breaking them could result in serious fines, penalty points, or even invalidated insurance. These aren’t just safety recommendations; they’re legal requirements designed to protect all road users.
“From clearing snow and ice from your windows and number plates, to avoiding idling and using fog lights correctly, every action contributes to safer winter driving.
“Insurers expect motorists to take reasonable care of their vehicles, so if you’re involved in an accident while driving with obscured visibility or worn tyres, you could find your claim denied.
“Taking just a few extra minutes before setting off to check your car, clear your view and adjust your driving for the conditions could make all the difference.”
Here are the essential Highway Code rules to be aware of this winter:
Dirty number plates – Rule 229
Your car registration plates must be clear at all times. Winter conditions make it much harder to keep your vehicle squeaky clean, but it’s important to ensure any mud, leaves, snow or ice are cleared from your number plates, as they must be completely visible and legible from a minimum distance of 20 metres. Failure to follow this rule could land motorists with a fine of up to £2,500.
Increased stopping distances – Rule 234
When driving in wet conditions this winter, your stopping distances will be at least double those required for dry roads. Rain on roads lowers tyre grip, meaning your car will travel further before the friction brings the vehicle to a stop.
Use fog lights appropriately – Rule 236
During the colder months it’s very important to understand when you should and shouldn’t be using your fog lights. You must not use your rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced. This is because they could dazzle other drivers or even obscure your brake lights. If you are driving and the visibility improves, you must turn them off, so it’s important to be aware of the conditions and your surroundings.
Pre-heating your car – Rule 123
While it can be tempting to pre-heat your car or leave it running quickly while you nip somewhere, you could end up facing a fine. Highway Code rule 123 states you must not leave a parked vehicle unattended with the engine running, this is because car idling is a major source of air pollution. It also leaves your car vulnerable to theft that is unlikely to be covered by your insurance.
Snow on your car – Rule 229
This winter, it’s important to make sure you remove any snow on the roof of your car before taking to the road. Driving with snow on your roof is dangerous as it could slide onto your windscreen and impair visibility. If you are in an accident or stopped by the police, it could be viewed as using a motor vehicle in a dangerous condition.
Carry cold weather essentials – Rule 228
The Highway Code advises all motorists to avoid driving in severe weather if possible, but if your journey is essential then make sure you are fully equipped with cold weather essentials in case of emergency. It is advised to carry a de-icer, ice scraper, torch, boots, first-aid kit, jump leads and warm clothing when driving in turbulent weather conditions.
If conditions deteriorate to a red weather warning, you may be advised not to drive unless it’s essential, so make sure to keep up to speed with the weather and any public safety announcements, as it could make claiming off your car insurance a challenge if you’re going against safety recommendations.
As a price comparison site, Quotezone helps millions of drivers every year, compare and find savings on their car insurance.
#highwayCode #motoring #Quotezone
Enjoy 75 PACS §3543 and §3544 (part of the #Pennsylvania Vehicle Code). Anywhere other than at a pedestrian crossing, all traffic has right of way over pedestrians crossing the road. There's no right to use the carriageway if there's a footway. And if there's no footway, pedestrians using the carriageway have to give way to everyone else.
https://palegis.us/statutes/consolidated/view-statute?txtType=HTM&ttl=75&div=0&chpt=35
The motorcar lobby pushed hard, name-calling pedestrians using roads "#jaywalking", to get laws like this enacted across the U.S.A..
Other interesting items of the PA Vehicle Code that are unlike the U.K.:
Ambulances have to obey the speed limit and stop at red lights, but funeral vehicles can go through red lights. Pedestrians, depending from city law, can be fined for disobeying their red lights at pedestrian crossings. Right-on-red is allowed. Cyclists are not permitted to pass stopped cars at pedestrian crossings, and must obey speed limits.
The subsequent plot development of the perpetrator burgling the victim's house (18 PACS §3502) was easily predictable. But I didn't predict the perpetrator getting a free bicycle repair.
In the meantime, the victim is suffering from brain trauma in the hospital, which clearly the perpetrator is not paying the hospital bill for (which begs the question of why the hospital's accounts department isn't trying to track this person's identity down).
I've just reached the part of the movie where the victim instead outright talks about paying the perpetrator for her trouble. I kid you not.
We all already know what the plot twist is going to be, by the way.
This is the idealized world of U.S.A. romantic fiction. Vehicular assault (18 PACS §2701 ?) gets you free stuff. Hey ho. No-one has been shot yet, at least. But there is half of the movie yet to go for that to happen.
#MelissaHill #ChristmasMovies #HighwayCode #USLaw #cycling #Pennsylvania
The motorcar lobby has really done a number on Americans when it comes to the idea of "jaywalking".
I'm watching A Gift For Christmas (2017). The female protagonist is #cycling furiously and not watching the road ahead and runs over the male protagonist who is using what appears to be a pedestrian crossing in #Philadelphia.
The "#jaywalking is bad" culture is so ingrained that it is presented as perfectly normal that not only do the police allow the careless speeding rider to get off scott free, they even let the rider claim the victim pedestrian's personal effects (including keys) and hand the perpetrator the victim's pet without blinking.
Is #MelissaHill's A Gift To Remember just as steeped in anti-pedestrian thinking?
Reading Title 75 Chapter 35 of the #Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, it appears that this isn't merely a fictional conceit. The law really is this bad.
The cyclist might be liable for a $10 fine (sic!) under §3502.
Short video about the H2 Highway Code rule and I like this rule particularly when I can use it as a driver to slow down and stop for pedestrians and annoy traffic behind me that wants me to turn down side roads and get out of their way.
Quite tricky to legally and safely navigate around that ambulance.
I wonder how many drivers quietly said "Sod it!" to themselves and went around the illegal side of the pedestrian island.
@szakib @mattpedals @robpumphrey
I was about to say the same. Highway Code rule 167 is about overtaking any type of road user.
That ice cream van parked outside of a polling station was probably lost from following all of these new fake road signs. (-:
#ReformUKLtd #JosephBoam #graffiti #HighwayCode #vandalism #IceCream #Leicestershire #UKPolitics
Survey finds strong public support for UK‑wide pavement parking ban
A survey of 1,000 adults by motoring site Tiger.co.uk found 68% backed a national ban, while one in five admitted they didn’t realise it is already illegal in London and Scotland.
Pavement parking is seen by campaigners as a safety risk, potentially forcing pedestrians, wheelchair users, those with visual impairments and parents with prams into the road. It can also cause access problems for emergency vehicles.
At present, drivers in London face fines of up to £130 for parking on pavements, while in Scotland the penalty is up to £100. Elsewhere in the UK the law is less clear: Highway Code Rule 244 advises against pavement parking unless signs permit it, but this is not underpinned by legislation. Another rule — Rule 242 — bans leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position or causing unnecessary obstruction, which can be enforced with a fixed penalty notice.
Tiger.co.uk managing director Ian Wilson said the findings highlighted confusion and the need for a consistent approach:
“Pavement parking can be incredibly dangerous for pedestrians, especially those with mobility issues or young children in prams. With two‑thirds of Brits calling for a UK‑wide ban, the issue appears to be of substantial concern. Increased awareness and larger fines for those in violation could improve road safety dramatically.”
The company is calling for clearer national guidance, stronger enforcement and tougher penalties to improve compliance.
Campaigners are also urging drivers to be mindful of where they park and avoid blocking pavements, particularly near schools, hospitals and care facilities.
Welsh Government proposals delayed
In Wales, ministers have previously signalled support for tighter controls on pavement parking, but plans to consult on new legislation have been pushed back.
Then Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters MS confirmed in April 2023 that the consultation — originally expected that year — would be delayed until 2024, citing the workload on local authorities as they prepared for the rollout of default 20 mph speed limits and bus franchising reforms2.
Under the proposals, councils could be given powers to fine pavement parkers up to £70. Walking charity Living Streets Cymru described the delay as “disappointing”, pointing to survey data showing that 87% of parents have had to step into the road because of vehicles blocking pavements2.
The Welsh Government has said it remains committed to tackling the issue, but wants to ensure local authorities have the capacity and resources to enforce any new rules effectively.
Manchester Evening News: Number one for news, opinion, sport & celebrity newsmanchestereveningnews.co.uk@web.brid.gy
2025-08-06Motorists who park on their own driveway are likely breaking this Highway Code rule
Manchester Evening News: Number one for news, opinion, sport & celebrity newsmanchestereveningnews.co.uk@web.brid.gy
2025-07-15National Highways issue urgent warning as 250 killed in UK over 'dangerous mistake'
Interesting. Some of the U.K. legislation on bicycles and highways is old enough that it could potentially have bled through into #CanadianLaw early on. Some of the stuff about bicycles is from the Highway Act 1835, for example.
Looking at the Ontario Highway Traffic Act 1990, I regard you as fortunate that you have so much of your road legislation in one place, rather than in a mess of Acts going back centuries.
I particularly enjoyed the section on sleigh bells. Nothing like that in #UKLaw, to my knowledge, unless there's something in #ScottishLaw that I've overlooked.
Good to see that you've come down (or will be coming down) on the sensible side of the a-bicycle-with-a-motor-is-a-motorbike debate, too. (-:
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90h08#BK157
#cycling #sleighs #snow #Ontario #bells #OntarioLaw #Canada #HighwayCode
In the U.K., speed limits do not apply to non-motorized bicycles, and that cyclists (and equestrians and pedestrians) cannot be prosecuted for speeding (but can be for "furious cycling") is one of those factoids that does the rounds every so often.
You've made me wonder how #CanadianLaw specifies things. These limits are imposed by the province and not by the city, yes?
Your occasional reminder that the overwhelming majority of drivers have *no* idea what the #HighwayCode actually says, as they've not opened it since passing their test.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:d6hgtena453f3tpskdrprvyr/post/3lrupi5dmgc24
TIL
I didn't know we had all these different ones
I knew pelican and zebra.
Pegasus is smart naming
Only 2 of those. The law about not parking on the footway is not U.K.-wide. The laws underlying rule 244 of the #HighwayCode only apply to (Greater) London and Scotland.
But you can make up for it with rule 243 if that junction is less than 10m away. (-:
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