The Highway Code, rule by rule

All 307 rules, paraphrased from the official Code and sorted by chapter. Filter by chapter, pull out the legal requirements, or search the lot.

Every rule in the Code is here — all 307 of them, from pedestrians through to tramways. 110 of those are legal requirements rather than advice, and they're marked as such wherever they appear.

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Showing 40 of 307 rules
Rule 1

Use the pavement

Use pavements where provided, avoid walking with your back to traffic, and look both ways before stepping into the road.

Rule 2

No pavement available

Keep to the right so you can see oncoming traffic, walk single file on narrow roads, and consider crossing before a blind bend.

Rule 3

Help yourself be seen

Wear bright or light-coloured clothing in poor daylight, and reflective materials at night — visible up to three times further away.

Rule 4

Young children

Never leave young children alone near traffic. Hold hands firmly, and don't push a buggy into the road just to check it's clear.

Rule 5

Organised walks

Large groups walking along a road should use the pavement, or keep left with lit look-outs front and back if walking at night.

Rule 6MUST

Motorways

Pedestrians must not be on motorways or slip roads except in a genuine emergency.

Rule 7

The Green Cross Code

Find a safe place, stop at the kerb, look and listen all around, wait for a safe gap, then cross without running.

Rule 8

At a junction

Once you've started crossing at a junction, traffic turning in should give way to you.

Rule 9

Safety barriers

Cross only at the gaps provided in pedestrian barriers — never climb over them or walk between the barrier and the road.

Rule 10

Tactile paving

Raised studs or bars underfoot warn blind or partially sighted pedestrians of crossings and other hazards.

Rule 11

One-way streets

Check which way traffic is actually moving — bus and cycle lanes can run the opposite way to everything else.

Rule 12

Bus & cycle lanes

Take extra care crossing these — traffic can be moving faster, or against the main flow.

Rule 13

Routes shared with cyclists

Stick to your marked side where paths are split, and take care not to obstruct cyclists on shared, unmarked routes.

Rule 14

Parked vehicles

If crossing between parked cars, treat their outside edges as the kerb — and never cross in front of or behind one with its engine running.

Rule 15

Reversing vehicles

Never cross behind a vehicle that's reversing, showing reversing lights, or sounding a warning.

Rule 16MUST

Moving vehicles

You must not get onto or hold onto a moving vehicle.

Rule 17

At night

Wear something reflective, and cross near a street light if there's no nearby crossing.

Rule 18MUST

At all crossings

Check traffic has actually stopped, cross between the markings, and never loiter on a crossing — that part's a legal requirement.

Rule 19MUST

Zebra crossings

Give traffic time to see and stop before you start, and keep checking both ways even once it has.

Rule 20

Zebra with central island

Treat each half as a separate crossing — wait on the island and reassess before continuing.

Rule 21

At traffic-light crossings

Only start crossing on the green figure. If it goes out mid-crossing, you should still have time to finish safely.

Rule 22

Pelican crossings

Push-button operated. Don't start crossing once the green figure begins flashing — but finish if you've already started.

Rule 23

Puffin crossings

Signals show on your side of the road, with no flashing green phase — press and wait for the steady green figure.

Rule 24

Congested traffic

Traffic on your side may stop for other reasons even on green — still wait for your own crossing signal.

Rule 25

Toucan crossings

Shared by pedestrians and cyclists, crossing together on the same green signal.

Rule 26

Accessible signals

Some crossings add a bleeping sound, voice signal or tactile signal for blind, partially sighted or deafblind pedestrians.

Rule 27

Equestrian crossings

Built for horse riders — wider crossing space and higher control panels.

Rule 28

Staggered crossings

Crossings either side of a central island that aren't in line count as two separate crossings — press again on the island.

Rule 29

Crossings controlled by a person

Only cross when signalled by a police officer, traffic warden or school crossing patrol — and always cross in front of them.

Rule 30

No controlled crossing nearby

Use a central island and the Green Cross Code for each half of the road in turn.

Rule 31

Emergency vehicles

Keep off the road when an ambulance, fire engine, police or other emergency vehicle approaches with lights or sirens active.

Rule 32

Buses

Only get on or off once the bus has stopped, and never cross directly in front of or behind one.

Rule 33

Tramways

Trams move quietly and can't steer around you — look both ways along the track, and never walk along it.

Rule 34MUST

Railway level crossings

You must not cross when red lights show, an alarm is sounding, or barriers are being lowered.

Rule 35

Pavement repairs

Take extra care if a closed pavement means you're directed to walk in, or cross, the road.

Rule 36

Two classes

Class 2 (pavement only, 4mph max) and Class 3 (also road-legal, 8mph max) — the class determines where you can go.

Rule 37

Which rules apply

Follow vehicle rules on the road, and pedestrian rules on the pavement.

Rule 38

On pavements

Pavements are safer — use them when available, and give pedestrians priority at all times.

Rule 39MUST

Pavement speed limit

Powered wheelchairs and scooters must not exceed 4mph on pavements or in pedestrian areas.

Rule 40

Moving onto the road

Look round before joining traffic, and use a dropped kerb wherever possible, even if it means going further to find one.

Why some cards say MUSTRules marked MUST are legal requirements — breaking them is a criminal offence, and each one rests on a specific piece of legislation named on GOV.UK. Every other card is a "should" rule: still examinable, still important, but not an offence on its own.

Rules paraphrased from the official Highway Code published at gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code, Crown copyright, reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These are summaries in our own words for quick reference — the rule text itself, including exact legal wording and referenced legislation, is on GOV.UK and is the authoritative version your test is based on. The MUST markings here are taken directly from the official pages rather than assigned by hand.