The Highway Code: 1931 Anniversary Edition

Author: Department for Transport (DfT)/Driving Standards Agency (DSA)

Publisher: TSO (The Stationery Office)

To celebrate the 80th anniversary of The Highway Code, this replica of the very first edition, 'The Highway Code: 1931 Anniversary Edition', which originally published in 1931 is available for a limited time only.

Despite the number of motor vehicles on Great Britain's roads increasing from just 2.3 million in 1931 to over 34 million today, the overriding message of The Highway Code has remained the same. The very first edition urged all road users to be careful and considerate towards others, putting safety first, and this advice is still relevant today.

However, other aspects have changed considerably. For example, in the 1931 edition mirrors are not even mentioned and drivers are advised to sound their horn when overtaking. Nowadays, advice on how to cross the road fills a whole chapter, but originally it only merited a paragraph.

Much of this guide is given over to hand signals, considered to be the primary issue for road users in the days before indicators were universal, and there is also a section devoted to horse-drawn vehicles, including advice on how to rotate a whip above your head to indicate which direction the vehicle is about to turn.

A must-have for all driving enthusiasts this slice of motoring history makes for interesting reading!