Learning hub / Prepare for your test
Highway Code highlights
These are the topics that catch people on test. They are a starting point, not a replacement for the Code. The full rules, the apps and the book are on GOV.UK.
PassNear is not the DVSA and this is not official advice. For the rules that count on test day, use GOV.UK.
Rules 184–190
Roundabouts
- Give way to traffic already on the roundabout coming from your right, unless signs or markings say otherwise.
- Signal left as you pass the exit before the one you want. Check the left mirror before you leave.
- Turning right or going full circle: keep to the right-hand lane on the approach when it is safe, and don’t cut across other lanes on the way off.
Rules 170–183
Junctions
- Mirror, signal, position, speed, look. Emerging is where most test faults live.
- Look right, left and right again before you go. Don’t edge out so far that you block the road you are joining.
- Yellow box junctions: do not enter unless your exit is clear. You may wait in the box if you are turning right and only oncoming traffic stops you.
Rules 191–199 and 18–30
Pedestrians and crossings
- People waiting at a zebra, or already on any crossing, come before your hurry. Slow early so you are not braking at the line.
- At a zebra, give way once a pedestrian has moved onto the crossing. At light-controlled crossings, stop on red and don’t move off while people are still crossing.
- Watch the pavement as well as the lights: children, people with pushchairs, and anyone stepping out from between parked cars.
Rules 124–126
Speed
- The national limits for a car are 30 mph in a built-up area, 60 on a single carriageway, and 70 on a dual carriageway or motorway — unless signs say lower.
- The limit is a ceiling, not a target. Rain, schools, parked cars and a narrow street all mean slower.
- Leave enough space to stop. On a dry road, a two-second gap is the usual guide. Double it in the wet.
Traffic signs
Signs that bite on test
- A red circle is an order: you must, or must not. A triangle warns you. A blue circle tells you what to do.
- Stop means stop — the octagon is not a give-way. Give way means let others go; you do not always have to stop if the way is clear.
- Lane arrows, bus lanes and yellow lines are instructions too. If you are unsure, the official sign pages are the source, not a screenshot.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. PassNear does not replace the Highway Code.