A number of changes have been made to the Highway Code this year, however experts say that not enough motorists know about them.
In particular older drivers appear to be the least aware of the changes, despite being the most experienced on the road, according to data from a new survey. While the new changes are fairly minor, not knowing about them could put people at risk.
This is because many of the rules that have been put in place are there for other road users such as cyclists and horse riders. For example, a major change sees cyclists given more room when a car is overtaking.
The alarming research found that 52 percent of drivers have either never read the Highway Code, have not read it since they passed their test, or can’t remember it at all, according to the Express.
The situation appears to be worse in older motorists with just 22 percent of drivers over the age of 50 having read the Highway Code since it was last revised in January 2022. Five percent of these are between 55 and 64 years old, while eight percent are over the age of 75.
Age Co, the organisation that conducted the survey, said it was a “concerning result” considering 75 percent of people drive multiple times a week, or some even daily. Some of the most commonly misunderstood rules included the Dutch Reach rule, towing and electric vehicles.
In January, one of the largest updates was introduced, with the Dutch Reach being one of the most contentious new additions.
Carolyn Hector, Director of Marketing, Brand and Product Development at Age Co, said: “We conducted this research to uncover drivers' knowledge of the new Highway Code.
“While many of us think we are perfectly safe and good drivers, not knowing the latest regulations puts us, and others, at risk.
“It’s a real concern that many drivers could be making illegal driving decisions, completely unaware.”
A surprising finding was that 80 percent of respondents believe they need to leave a gap of just half a metre between their car and a cyclist when overtaking. Historically, no guidance was provided other than to leave at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car.
However, the revised Highway Code actually requires drivers to leave at least three times this amount - around 1.5 metres or five feet.
Men over the age of 50 were found to be more aware of the changes than women, although of those that could recall specific changes, women were more aware. When it comes to areas with the best drivers based on knowledge of the current Highway Code, Bristol came out on top with 37.8 percent of drivers aware of the changes, compared to only 6.2 percent of drivers in Southampton.
Glasgow and Norwich also made the top three, whereas Birmingham and Sheffield sat at the bottom of the list. The latest version of the Highway Code, which was , provides new guidance around cyclists and self-driving cars, to name a few changes.
Since its release, less than 20 percent of respondents have read the Highway Code, with Age Co saying that it shows “the majority of us are way out of date on our knowledge”.
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