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Highway Code

Highway Code, Annex 1. You and your bicycle

Annex 1. You and your bicycle. A legal requirement (MUST / MUST NOT).

  • Annex 1. You and your bicycle
  • Legal requirement
  • OGL v3.0

What the rule says

Law · MUST

You and your bicycle

Make sure that you feel confident of your ability to ride safely on the road. Be sure that

  • you have the right size and type of cycle for your comfort and safety
  • the lights and reflectors are kept clean and in good working order
  • the tyres are in good condition and inflated to the pressure shown on the tyre
  • the wheels spin freely
  • the gears are working correctly
  • the chain is properly adjusted and oiled
  • the saddle and handlebars are adjusted to the correct height. You should fit a bell to your cycle. You MUST
  • ensure your brakes are efficient
  • have white front and red rear lights lit when cycling at night. Laws PCUR regs 6 & 10 & RVLR reg 18 Cycle training: If you are an inexperienced cyclist or have not ridden for a while, consider taking a cycle training course. Some councils offer national standard cycle training such as Bikeability and in certain areas, this is free of charge. It can help build up your skills and confidence. There are three levels to Bikeability, starting with the basics of balancing, stopping and starting safely, through to handling complex and busy junctions. You will also learn about traffic signs and the rules of the road, planning routes, safe road positioning and signalling (particularly at junctions) and basic cycle maintenance. For more information, see www.bikeability.org.uk and www.cycling.scot.

Rule text reproduced verbatim from the official Highway Code (Crown copyright) under the Open Government Licence v3.0, see the attribution at the foot of this page.

In plain English

Stripped of the formal wording, this guidance comes down to one idea: make sure that you feel confident of your ability to ride safely on the road. Because it is written with “MUST” or “MUST NOT”, it carries the force of law, ignore it and you are committing an offence, not simply driving badly.

It belongs to the annex 1. you and your bicycle part of the Code, the habits a confident, considerate driver builds until they are automatic. The aim is not to memorise the sentence word for word, but to understand the hazard it protects you from, so you apply it without having to think when it counts.

If you are learning, treat this rule as one piece of a connected set rather than an isolated fact. The related rules below sit in the same section and reinforce each other, reading them together is how the annex 1. you and your bicycle part of the Code starts to feel like common sense rather than a list to revise.

Because this is a legal rule, the consequences of ignoring it reach beyond the test: a “MUST” or “MUST NOT” breach can mean a fixed penalty, points on your licence, or in serious cases prosecution. Either way, the safe move is to build the habit early, while a driving instructor can correct it, rather than relearning it under test pressure. That is exactly what the practice routes and coaching in the DriveRoutes app are designed to help with, turning the rules below into the way you naturally drive.

Why this rule matters on the road

Following this rule keeps your driving predictable and safe, which is what every other road user is relying on. It is one small part of the habit-set that, taken together, prevents the everyday mistakes that cause collisions.

Common faults examiners record

In the annex 1. you and your bicycle part of the Code, the faults most often written on the marking sheet tend to be the same handful. Knowing them in advance is the quickest way to drive them out of your own habits:

  • Acting too late because the situation was read close rather than early.
  • Incomplete observation before committing to a manoeuvre.
  • An unsuitable speed for the road, the traffic or the conditions.

On the day

On the day, applying Highway Code, Annex 1. You and your bicycle is about doing the safe, deliberate thing slightly earlier than feels necessary: read the situation in good time, observe fully, and act smoothly. The examiner is looking for planned driving, not perfection, and good habits formed in lessons carry you through.

Quick checklist

  • Read the situation early and plan your response.
  • Observe fully before you commit to anything.
  • Keep your speed suitable for the road and conditions.

Highway Code, Annex 1. You and your bicycle, your questions

Make sure that you feel confident of your ability to ride safely on the road. It is a legal requirement, it uses “MUST” or “MUST NOT”, so breaking it is a criminal offence that can mean a fine, penalty points, or disqualification.

DriveRoutes is an independent study aid and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).