The Official Highway Code for Northern Ireland

ISBN 9780337088865

Author: Department of the Environment (Road Safety Division). Publisher TSO

For over 75 years The Highway Code has been the official guide to using the roads safely and legally. It has contributed enormously to road safety and reliable road transport. However every month, on average, around ten people are killed and around 100 are seriously injured in road collisions. So it is as important as ever that all road users, including drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians, should update their knowledge of The Highway Code.

The new edition (last revision 2003) includes:

• 29 additional rules compared with the previous edition.
• A new section on rules for users of powered wheelchairs and powered scooters.
• A Safety Code for New Drivers, giving advice to help newly qualified drivers get through the first twelve months after passing their driving test - when they are most vulnerable - as safely as possible.
• New legislation that has been introduced on subjects such as vehicle emissions and smoking in vehicles that are workplaces.
• New stopping / directing powers that have been given to Driver and Vehicle Agency Enforcement Officers. New road initiatives of which people might not be aware, such as High-occupancy Vehicle Lanes, Home Zones and Quiet Lanes, and Active Traffic Management Schemes.
• More emphasis has been placed throughout the Code with regard to courtesy, attitude, awareness, and consideration of other road users, particularly those more vulnerable.
• Elsewhere in the code, existing advice has been increased, rewritten or enhanced to make things much clearer for all road users on how they should act or react in a variety of situations.

Much of the advice in The Highway Code has changed and evolved over time by necessity. The basic advice in a Highway Code of 30 years ago may not be applicable today due to various factors, including: increased traffic volumes; larger, faster vehicles; more complex road layouts; and updated / new road signage and markings. All road users have a responsibility to ensure that their knowledge is up-to-date in order to adjust their awareness and actions appropriately for the benefit of others and for their own safety. Cutting the number of deaths and injuries that occur on our roads every day is a responsibility we all share.