The Highway Code
The Highway Code is the rule book for the theory test and for every junction you drive. Lessons go further when you already know the rule your instructor is talking about.
Where the code sits in learning to drive
Car theory questions are based on the Highway Code, Know Your Traffic Signs, and the official driving skills guide. You can read the code free on GOV.UK. Read the Highway Code.
Paulos lessons use those rules on real roads in Newcastle upon Tyne, Leeds and Birmingham. A roundabout you have only read about is different from one you have driven with someone who can correct the lane and the signal while you are in it.
People on foot come first
The code’s hierarchy of road users puts the people most at risk, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, at the top. At a junction, drivers should give way to people crossing or waiting to cross the road they are turning into. That rule shows up in lessons as a pause and a look, not as a paragraph.
The exact rules are H1, H2 and H3 in the introduction. Check the current wording on GOV.UK, because the code is updated.
The parts learners meet every week
Speed limits, including the difference between a limit and a safe speed. Phones: you must not hold and use one while driving. Junctions, roundabouts and crossings. Lights, in the dark and in poor daytime visibility. Stopping distances, which grow in the wet.
Those topics are also in the theory test and in the 27 driving skills. Studying the code and taking lessons in the same weeks is the order Ready to Pass recommends.
More ways Paulos gets you ready
Learn it with an instructor, on your roads
Bring the Highway Code to the lesson, even the bits you are unsure of. A Paulos instructor would rather explain a rule on a quiet road than discover it on your test.
Paulos School of Motoring teaches one-to-one in Newcastle upon Tyne, Leeds and Birmingham. Lessons are with a DVSA-approved instructor, pickup is included in the neighbourhoods we list, and nothing is paid on this page. Tell us your area and we will match you with a local instructor.
Ready to start lessons?
Send an enquiry with your area and when you would like to begin. We will be in touch to confirm availability.