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Highway Code

Highway Code, Road markings (part 1)

Road markings. Advisory guidance you are expected to follow.

  • Road markings
  • Advisory rule
  • OGL v3.0

What the rule says

Advisory

Download ‘Road markings’ (PDF, 715KB)

Across the carriageway

Stop line at signals or police control Stop line at ‘Stop’ sign Stop line for pedestrians at a level crossing Give way to traffic on major road (can also be used at mini roundabouts) Give way to traffic from the right at a roundabout Give way to traffic from the right at a mini-roundabout

Along the carriageway

Edge line Centre line See Rule 127 Hazard warning line See Rule 127 Double white lines See Rules 128 and 129 Double white lines See Rules 128 and 129 See Rule 130 Lane line See Rule 131

Along the edge of the carriageway

Waiting restrictions

Waiting restrictions indicated by yellow lines apply to the carriageway, pavement and verge. You may stop to load or unload (unless there are also loading restrictions as described below) or while passengers board or alight. Double yellow lines mean no waiting at any time, unless there are signs that specifically indicate seasonal restrictions. The times at which the restrictions apply for other road markings are shown on nearby plates or on entry signs to controlled parking zones. If no days are shown on the signs, the restrictions are in force every day including Sundays and Bank Holidays. White bay markings and upright signs (see below) indicate where parking is allowed. No waiting at any time No waiting during times shown on sign Waiting is limited to the duration specified during the days and times shown

Red Route stopping controls

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: download ‘Road markings’ (PDF, 715KB) Stop line at signals or police control Stop line at ‘Stop’ sign Stop line for pedestrians at a level crossing Give way to traffic on major road (can also be used… 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 road markings 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 road markings 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

Signs, signals and markings are the shared language of the road. Reading them accurately and signalling clearly is how drivers coordinate without ever speaking, miss the message and the coordination breaks down.

Common faults examiners record

In the road markings 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:

  • Signalling too late, too early, or when no signal is needed.
  • Missing a sign or road marking and acting on the wrong information.
  • Failing to cancel a signal after a manoeuvre.

On the day

Imagine a sign appearing on the approach to a junction. Applying Highway Code, Road markings (part 1) means reading it early, acting on it in good time, lane, speed, signal, and cancelling any signal once the manoeuvre is complete. The examiner notes whether you respond to the information or miss it.

Quick checklist

  • Read signs and markings early and act in good time.
  • Signal clearly, only when it helps someone.
  • Cancel the signal once the manoeuvre is done.

More from Road markings

Related Highway Code rules

Highway Code, Road markings (part 1), your questions

Download ‘Road markings’ (PDF, 715KB) Stop line at signals or police control Stop line at ‘Stop’ sign Stop line for pedestrians at a level crossing Give way to traffic on major road (can also be used… 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.

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