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Highway Code

Highway Code, Annex 8. Safety code for new drivers (part 1)

Annex 8. Safety code for new drivers. Advisory guidance you are expected to follow.

  • Annex 8. Safety code for new drivers
  • Advisory rule
  • OGL v3.0

What the rule says

Advisory

Once you have passed the driving test you will be able to drive on your own. This will provide you with lots of opportunities but you need to remain safe. Even though you have shown you have the skills you need to drive safely, many newly qualified drivers lack experience. You need to continue to develop your skills, especially anticipating other road users’ behaviour to avoid having a collision. As many as one new driver in five has some kind of collision in their first year of driving. This code provides advice to help you get through the first 12 months after passing the driving test, when you are most vulnerable, as safely as possible.

The safety code

  • Many of the worst collisions happen at night. Between midnight and 6 am is a time of high risk for new drivers. Avoid driving then unless it’s really necessary.
  • If you are driving with passengers, you are responsible for their safety. Don’t let them distract you or encourage you to take risks. Tell your passengers that you need to concentrate if you are to get to your destination safely.
  • Never show off or try to compete with other drivers, particularly if they are driving badly.
  • Don’t drive if you have consumed any alcohol or taken drugs. Even over-the-counter medicines can affect your ability to drive safely - read the label to see if they may affect your driving.
  • Make sure everyone in the car is wearing a seat belt throughout the journey.
  • Keep your speed down - many serious collisions happen because the driver loses control, particularly on bends.
  • Most new drivers have no experience of driving high-powered or sporty cars. Unless you have learnt to drive in such a vehicle you need to get plenty of experience driving on your own before driving a more powerful car.
  • Driving while uninsured is an offence. See Motor vehicle documentation and learner driver requirements for information on types of insurance cover.

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: once you have passed the driving test you will be able to drive on your own. It is advice rather than law, but examiners and the courts still treat it as the expected standard of safe driving.

It belongs to the annex 8. safety code for new drivers 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 8. safety code for new drivers part of the Code starts to feel like common sense rather than a list to revise.

Because this is advisory rather than legal, no one will fine you for the rule alone, but ignoring it can still count against you in a careless-driving case, and it will cost you faults on the test. 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 8. safety code for new drivers 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 8. Safety code for new drivers (part 1) 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.

More from Annex 8. Safety code for new drivers

Related Highway Code rules

Highway Code, Annex 8. Safety code for new drivers (part 1), your questions

Once you have passed the driving test you will be able to drive on your own. It is advisory guidance rather than law, but you are still expected to follow it and an examiner can mark a fault if you do not.

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