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Highway Code is 80
Published: 11 Apr 2011

EIGHTY years ago this week the Highway Code was born.
The original 1931 edition urged road users to be careful and considerate towards others, putting safety first.
But mirror, signal, manoeuvre was not the order of the day - just a jolly good PARP on the horn, old chap.

And a healthy respect for the Old Bill's hand signals to drivers.
The Highway Code handbook
Updated ... how the handbook looks these days

The code pre-dated compulsory driving tests, which began four years later, and did not feature in the tests until after the Second World War.

Maybe that helped explain the scary road fatality count. There were some two million motors in 1931, as against 30million-plus today, yet more than 7,000 DEATHS a year compared with around 2,200 nowadays.

The first Highway Code cost just one old penny. The latest is £2.50 and sells more than a million a year, most to learner drivers swotting for tests.

Here, TIM SPANTON samples some wit and wisdom from the 1931 code:
"As a responsible citizen you have a duty not to endanger others in their lawful use of the King's Highway."
"When you overtake, sound a horn."
"Show special consideration to horse-drawn vehicles."
"Subject to local provision, tramcars may be overtaken on either side."
Good indication ... page shows how to stop and turn safely

Motorcyclists are advised:
"Sudden and noisy acceleration is unnecessary and disturbing."

Cyclists are asked:
"Do not wobble about the road but ride as steadily as possible."

And pedestrians are told:
"Do not stand about in the road, especially in groups, at blind corners."

A 1946 revision of the code serves notice to motorists:
"Give way to pedestrians about to get on or off a tramcar."

Motorcyclists are reminded:
"You must not carry more than one passenger on a two-wheeled machine."

Cyclists are warned:
"If you fall, you may be run over."
"You must not ride furiously so as to endanger life or limb."

And pedestrians are served notice:
"Before you cross a road, stop, look right, left, and right again, then cross at right-angles."

There, that's you told!

This little book is essential reading for all road users, not just for learners. It remains a best-seller and has become a fixture of bookshelves the nation over.

Despite the huge increase in traffic on our roads in the past 80 years and the technological advances that the industry has experienced, the overriding message of The Highway Code has remained the same. The very first edition in 1931 urged all road users to be careful and considerate towards others, putting safety first, and this advice is still relevant today.
To mark the 80th anniversary, we are publishing a replica of the 1931 edition for a limited time only – see details below.

Test your road knowledge now with our Highway Code quiz – challenge your friends and colleagues to see who knows their stuff and who could do with a refresh. If you’ve not read The Highway Code for several years, now is the perfect time to brush up!

Know Your Traffic Signs is the perfect companion, containing practically every road sign you might encounter.