Highway Code

The Highway Code is the official road safety manual for Great Britain.[1] In Northern Ireland the Highway Code for Northern Ireland applies.[2] It contains 307 numbered rules and 9 annexes covering pedestrians, animals, cyclists, motorcyclists and drivers. As well as the rules and annexes, there is information on road signs, road markings and vehicle markings. The annexes contain information on vehicle maintenance, license requirements, documentation, penalties and vehicle security.

Certain rules in the Highway Code represent various road traffic laws and must be obeyed. Others are not compulsory, but advisable. The Road Traffic Act 1988 says. The latest edition of the Highway Code was released in September 2007 and contained new advice such as the risk of smoking while driving and information for novice drivers.

Road Traffic Safety

Road traffic safety aims to reduce the harm (deaths, injuries, and property damage) resulting from crashes of road vehicles. Harm from road traffic crashes is greater than that from all other transportation modes (air, sea, space, off-terrain, etc.) combined.

Road traffic safety deals exclusively with road traffic crashes – how to reduce their number and their consequences. A road traffic crash is an event involving a road vehicle that results in harm. For reasons of clear data collection, only harm involving a road vehicle is included. A person tripping with fatal consequences on a public road is not included as a road-traffic fatality. To be counted a pedestrian fatality, the victim must be struck by a road vehicle.

Sleep Deprived Driving

Sleep deprived driving is the operation of a motor vehicle while being cognitively impaired by a lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation is a major cause of motor vehicle accidents, and it can impair the human brain as much as alcohol can. According to a 1998 survey, 23% of adults have fallen asleep while driving. According to the United States Department of Transportation, male drivers admit to have fallen asleep while driving twice as much as female drivers.

Numerous studies have found that sleep deprivation can affect driving as much, and sometimes more, than alcohol. British researchers have found that driving after 17 to 18 hours of being awake is as harmful as driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.05%, the legal limit in many European countries. Men under 30 are more likely to be in an accident caused by sleep deprivation.

Graduated driver

Graduated driver licensing systems are designed to provide new drivers of motor vehicles with driving experience and skills gradually over time in low-risk environments. There are typically three steps or stages through which new drivers pass. They begin by acquiring a learner’s permit, progress to a restricted or probationary license, followed by receipt of a full license.

Acquiring a learner’s permit typically requires a minimum age, passing vision and knowledge tests, and parental or guardian permission if below a specified age. Those who hold a learner’s permit must generally drive under the supervision of a licensed driver, have a limited number of passengers in the vehicle, and be free of moving violations and at-fault accidents or crashes for a minimum period of time before moving to the next stage.

Those who receive an intermediate or probationary license may drive without supervision, although driving at certain times, (typically after midnight until around sunrise), may require supervision. Drivers typically are restricted in the number of passengers they may carry and must remain free of moving violations and at-fault accidents for a specified period of time. In some places, drivers with these licenses must have no alcohol in their blood while they are driving.

Receipt of a full license typically requires a specific minimum age, a minimum time period of driving experience, and the passing of a final road test of driving skills.