Although professional drivers realise the importance of keeping up to date with the rules of the road, getting the Highway Code from the page to the road can be a challenge.
Based on research undertaken with people who use The Highway Code, DVSA has made it easier to use and share from GOV.UK. This will improve people's knowledge and change their behaviour on the road for the better and, hopefully, for life.
What we found out
Our research found that, as a result of using the Highway Code:
- over 80% improved their knowledge
- over 60% have used the road differently
- nearly all would recommend the service to family and friends
Making changes based on the results
Using the results of the survey, we made changes so that you can:
- link directly to any rule or other part of the code you like
- search the code specifically, and not just the web site
- see what’s changed, and when, and subscribe to alerts about updates
- follow the Highway Code on Twitter, Facebook or via email news and alerts with a click from the first page
- link straight to the legislation behind the MUST/MUST NOT rules
- print hard copies of sections for reference offline
These changes will not just help learners, but will also ensure existing drivers, operators, instructors and trainers can keep their knowledge up to date.
Our research also helped to define and develop a new 'manual' style for government web pages that helps you see the contents of longer documents and expand the bits you need, as you need them.
Improvements like these are beginning to make a difference. Just by using the services the way you want to, you're contributing to that.
For life, not just for learners
Keeping informed of updates is now almost effortless, so you can encourage your drivers, operators and colleagues to keep informed of any changes to the Highway Code. Some of the changes made in the past year include:
- speed limits for HGVs over 7.5 tonnes travelling on single and dual carriageways were increased in April 2015
- smoking in cars with under 18 year olds was banned
- lower drink-drive limits were introduced in Scotland
To find out more, read our news story
To stay up to date:
- follow the Highway Code on Twitter and Facebook
- sign up to get email alerts