The history of the Highway Code

Which book is ever-present on the best-seller lists – yet can also claim to have saved thousands of lives?

Yes, it’s the Highway Code, that indispensable bible on British road use, which turned 90 this year. As we'll see, the differences between the original 1931 edition and its 2021 counterpart are legion, reflecting the very different state of Britain's roads today: however, the book's essential ethos – the promotion of safe, considerate road behaviour by all users – remains the same.

Beginnings: standardising driver behaviour

The Code's origins can, in fact, be traced back even further than 1931. We can rewind as far back as 1920 to find an announcement by the Departmental Committee on the Regulation of Motor Vehicles, to the effect that "a compulsory and uniform code of signals for all road vehicles is to be brought into operation".

There was already an informal system of driver behaviour in place – at least in London, where drivers had developed their own system of arm signals to warn of a right turn or a stop. The London system was recognised as highly effective, and the Committee recommended its adoption across the country.

Out of these discussions came a prototype guide, 1923's Traffic Signals to be used by the Police and Drivers of Vehicles. Published by His Majesty's Stationery Office and priced one penny, the booklet was a product of discussions between the Police and the Automobile Association (AA), itself already 18 years old in 1923.

The first edition of the Highway Code came out on 14th April 1931, published by the UK Government. Herbert Morrison, the Minister of Transport, hoped that the Code would act as "a supplementary guide to the proper use of the highway" and "a code of good manners to be observed by all courteous and considerate persons". Quite so.

The Highway Code was itself a product of the previous year's Road Traffic Act, which for the first time had made careless driving an offence – and also obliged motorists to carry third-party insurance. The 1930 Act also introduced driving offences for dangerous and reckless driving and for taking to the road while under the influence of drink or drugs.

There were around 2.3 million motor vehicles on the UK's roads in 1930 (compared to 38.6 million in 2020). Even with those small numbers, though, over 7,000 people were killed in road accidents each year, compared to a typical 1,850 annual deaths today. That disproportionate number can be put down to both drivers' and other road users' lack of a common protocol of road behaviour (and to many people still being relatively unfamiliar with the motor car as part of the landscape) – hence the need for a universal code of rules.

Another factor adding to the risk landscape was that drivers were still not obliged to take any kind of test to show their competency behind the wheel: the UK driving test was just over the horizon, making its debut in 1935.

The first Code: ads, illustrations… and correct use of the whip

The inaugural Highway Code of 1931 had just 21 pages. It tackled various road situations and advised users on how to handle them: sections included 'Special Duties towards Pedestrians, Cyclists and Animals' and 'Use of the Motor Horn'.

Fascinating period pieces include the illustrated advice to drivers of horse-drawn vehicles, who should "rotate the whip above the head; then incline the whip to the right or left to show the direction in which the turn is to be made". Other advice included the arm signals to be given by drivers and police officers controlling traffic. Or this, to convey to the police constable in front of you that you wish to continue straight ahead: "Raise the hand towards the shoulder and move the forearm well forwards and then back in a vertical plane, making the movement sufficiently pronounced to be easily seen by the constable." For clarity, some instructions came accompanied with illustrations.

The Code also carried adverts for the AA and RAC, BP, Castrol Motor Oil, Motor Union Insurance and the magazines The Autocar and The Motorcycle.

The next generations: road signs, colour pictures, and the new motorways

The second, considerably expanded edition of the Highway Code appeared in 1934. This new version introduced diagrams of 10 common road signs: it also carried a warning about the dangers of driving when affected by alcohol or fatigue. The second edition also prompted the Ministry of Transport to consult with the Pedestrians' Association (now the charity Living Streets UK) and to listen to their concerns.

The third edition, published just after the Second World War in 1946, saw a first appearance for stopping distances, as well as new sections giving advice on driving and cycling. There was also that eternally relevant piece of advice: "allow for other people doing something silly at any minute". And, by extension, ensure that your classic car insurance is up to date, we might add!

Its successor, 1954's fourth edition, featured brand new colour illustrations. The back cover was dedicated to some basic first aid guidance, while the traffic signs section was bolstered by some of the new triangular warning signs. This edition was also the last, for some time, to feature advice on driving near trams, which began to disappear from many British cities around this time. Interestingly, with modern tram systems returning to some cities, the 1994 Code reinstated the trams section.

If some of these changes seem trifling, the fifth edition of 1959 had bigger fish to fry. Priced 6d, this new edition reflected the recent arrival of motorways on the British motoring landscape. The very first section of British motorway, the Preston Bypass (now part of the M6 motorway) had opened on 5th December 1958; 1959 itself saw the opening of the M1, Britain's first complete motorway.

This enormous and highly distinct new addition to Britain's roads needed to be addressed in the Code: and the new section on motorway driving featured detailed instructions on how to use exit slip roads, as well as advice to drivers to combat tiredness at the wheel by stopping for some fresh air at the new service areas.

Motorways were a brand new discipline for everyone to learn, and the 1959 Code included such exhortations as Rule 74: "Do not reverse or turn in the carriageway or cross the central reservation" (still here today, folks: now Rule 263).

The modern era: from the level crossing to the digital edition

The Highway Code's sixth edition of 1968 introduced both photographs and 3D illustrations to help clarify the growing number of rules and regulations that applied to Britain's increasingly complex road network. This increase in production levels was reflected in the price, which rose from 6 old pence to one shilling and three pence (and six new pence when the edition was republished, post-decimalisation, in 1974).

This edition used Matchbox and Corgi die-cast miniatures to illustrate some of the road scenarios within. The 1968 version also unveiled the ‘mirror-signal-manoeuvre’ routine for overtaking, a driving-lesson constant to this day. There was even advice around level crossings with automatic barriers (the first such crossing appeared in Britain in 1961) and pelican crossings.

With mounting pedestrian casualties, the 1978 edition introduced the Green Cross Code to educate pedestrians about road safety. The Green Cross Man, meanwhile, was a superhero used to introduce pedestrian safety to children. ‘Think, Stop, Use Your Eyes and Ears, Wait Until It Is Safe to Cross, Look and Listen, Arrive Alive,’ went the message.

Fast forward to today's version: 152 pages, £2-£2.50 from bookshops or online, the modern Highway Code is prepared by the Department for Transport (like all its predecessors), now in partnership with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. It's published by The Stationery Office in both printed and electronic form: a Highway Code app appeared in 2012.

Today's Code is a comprehensive rundown of all road traffic scenarios and how to go about them safely: it applies to all road users from pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists to drivers and motorcyclists. As well as information on road signs, road markings and vehicle markings, it contains all you need to know about licence requirements, documentation, looking after your vehicle (something about which owners of a classic car, and some good classic car insurance, will need little instruction), and penalties you can incur on the road.

Adapting to a changing road network

Some elements of the Code have changed relatively little over its nine decades. The very first edition asked everyone using Britain's roads to be careful and considerate towards others, and to put safety above all other considerations: and that advice still features today.

Other aspects, however, have changed beyond recognition. The 1931 Code features no mention of using mirrors, for example, while drivers were advised to use their horn when overtaking.

A telling change is the section advising pedestrians on how to cross the road, which was dispensed in a single paragraph in 1931 but which gets a whole chapter of its own today. Conversely, the first Code featured around eight pages of hand signals, while – thanks to the ubiquity of indicators on modern cars – the subject gets a single page in the modern guide.

Interestingly, a recent survey found that today's Highway Code could still do more to reflect the state of Britain's roads in 2021. When, in May 2021, the AA asked over 14,000 members for their views on the Code, almost three quarters (72%) replied that they would like to see more advice on using smart motorways; 62% wanted more guidance on electric vehicles (EVs, regarding both current charging infrastructure and EV-specific signage); and three fifths wanted more instruction on how to behave around vulnerable road users such as electric scooters (schemes for which are now in operation in several English cities) and cyclists.

Do other countries have their own code?

There are indeed Highway Code equivalents in other countries. Malta has its own Highway Code, published in both English and Maltese; in the United States, each state publishes its own Driver's Manual, with rules and guidance that are broadly similar but which reflect each state's own particular motoring legislation (did you know that New Hampshire is the only state that does not require all front-seat occupants to wear seatbelts?). Ireland has the Rules of the Road, while the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic is an international treaty aimed at increasing road safety via a set of standardised traffic rules.

Is the Highway Code law?

An interesting question. While the Highway Code is not itself law, many of its rules are backed up with corresponding laws – you can recognise these using the words ‘must’ or ‘must not’.

Examples include Rule 92 ('You must be able to read a vehicle number plate, in good daylight, from a distance of 20 metres') and Rule 96 ('You must not drive under the influence of drugs or medicine'). Failure to comply with these rules could land you a caution or, in worse cases, penalty points, a fine, a driving ban or even imprisonment.

Other rules are classed as 'advisory', and replace 'must' and 'must not' with 'should' and 'should not' (or 'do' and 'do not'). Breaking these rules won't, by itself, get you a prosecution, but they can be used in court to establish liability.

What we can say, though, is that a full understanding of the Highway Code, and a careful day-to-day application of its many sound rules and recommendations, will go a long way towards ensuring a safe, stress-free life on the road.

We'd go further, in fact, and put knowledge of the Code alongside careful maintenance of your vehicle and, of course, some robust classic car insurance.

Get a classic car insurance quote

The Highway Code is designed to make safe, responsible road users of us all. We imagine that, as an owner of a treasured classic automobile, you're already a careful and considerate driver. Sensible, thoughtful driving is just another way to protect your beloved investment – alongside specialist classic car insurance.

The benefits of classic car insurance through Lancaster can include:

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Give your classic car the protection it deserves and contact us for a quote today.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.