The essentials, in plain English

Speed limits (cars, unless signs say otherwise)

• Built-up area: 30 mph
• Single carriageway: 60 mph
• Dual carriageway: 70 mph
• Motorway: 70 mph

Lower limits apply when towing. Always obey the signed limit.

Sign shapes at a glance

• Circles give orders (red = prohibition, blue = mandatory).
• Triangles warn of hazards.
• Rectangles give information (blue on motorways, green on primary routes).
• Octagon (STOP) and inverted triangle (GIVE WAY) are unique shapes for emphasis.

Stopping distances (rule of thumb, dry road)

• 20 mph: ~12 m (3 car lengths)
• 30 mph: ~23 m (6 car lengths)
• 40 mph: ~36 m (9 car lengths)
• 50 mph: ~53 m (13 car lengths)
• 60 mph: ~73 m (18 car lengths)
• 70 mph: ~96 m (24 car lengths)

Double in the wet, multiply by ten on ice.

Following distance

• Dry roads: at least a two-second gap.
• Wet roads: at least four seconds.
• Icy roads: as much as ten times the dry distance.

Pick a fixed point ahead, count "only a fool breaks the two-second rule".

Lights

• Headlights on when visibility is seriously reduced (generally under 100 m).
• Fog lights off when conditions improve — they dazzle others.
• Dipped beam in built-up areas at night.
• Hazard lights only when stationary as a warning, or briefly on a motorway/dual carriageway to warn of a hazard ahead.

Motorway basics

• Keep left unless overtaking.
• No learners (unless with an approved instructor in a dual-controlled car), no pedestrians, no slow vehicles.
• Use the hard shoulder for genuine emergencies only.
• Obey signs and lane signals overhead — a red X means the lane is closed.