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Highway Code

Highway Code, Traffic signs (part 1)

Traffic signs. Advisory guidance you are expected to follow.

  • Traffic signs
  • Advisory rule
  • OGL v3.0

What the rule says

Advisory

Although The Highway Code shows many of the signs commonly in use, a comprehensive explanation of our signing system is given in the Department’s booklet Know Your Traffic Signs, which is on sale at booksellers. The booklet also illustrates and explains the vast majority of signs the road user is likely to encounter. The signs illustrated in The Highway Code are not all drawn to the same scale. In Wales, bilingual versions of some signs are used including Welsh and English versions of place names. Some older designs of signs may still be seen on the roads. Download ‘Traffic signs’ (PDF, 821KB)

Signs giving orders

Signs with red circles are mostly prohibitive. Plates below signs qualify their message. Entry to 20 mph zone End of 20 mph zone Maximum speed National speed limit applies School crossing patrol Stop and give way Give way to traffic on major road Manually operated temporary STOP and GO signs Manually operated temporary STOP and GO signs No entry for vehicular traffic No vehicles except bicycles being pushed No cycling No motor vehicles No buses (over 8 passenger seats) No overtaking No towed caravans No vehicles carrying explosives No vehicle or combination of vehicles over length shown No vehicles over height shown No vehicles over width shown Give priority to vehicles from opposite direction No right turn No left turn No U-turns No goods vehicles over maximum gross weight shown (in tonnes) except for loading and unloading No vehicles over maximum gross weight shown (in tonnes) Parking restricted to permit holders No stopping during period indicated except for buses No stopping during times shown except for as long as necessary to set down or pick up passengers No waiting No stopping (Clearway)

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: although The Highway Code shows many of the signs commonly in use, a comprehensive explanation of our signing system is given in the Department’s booklet Know Your Traffic Signs, which is on sale at… 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 traffic signs 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 traffic signs 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 traffic signs 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, Traffic signs (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 Traffic signs

Related Highway Code rules

Highway Code, Traffic signs (part 1), your questions

Although The Highway Code shows many of the signs commonly in use, a comprehensive explanation of our signing system is given in the Department’s booklet Know Your Traffic Signs, which is on sale at… 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).