[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":4587},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-highway-code-hierarchy-of-road-users":3,"blog-related-highway-code-hierarchy-of-road-users":324},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"category":305,"date":306,"description":307,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":310,"imageAlt":311,"imageCredit":312,"imageCreditUrl":312,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":313,"navigation":314,"path":315,"readTime":316,"seo":317,"stem":318,"tags":319,"__hash__":323},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fhighway-code-hierarchy-of-road-users.md","The Highway Code changed, and most drivers never read it","The Milesheet Team",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":292},"minimark",[10,14,19,31,34,37,41,124,127,131,180,183,187,194,197,201,204,224,227,231,234,237,241,244,247,251,254,258,283,286],[11,12,13],"p",{},"The Highway Code was substantially revised in 2022. Unlike a speed limit change, nothing on the road looked different the next morning, so a great many drivers are still operating on the previous version.",[15,16,18],"h2",{"id":17},"the-hierarchy-of-road-users","The hierarchy of road users",[11,20,21,22,26,27,30],{},"The central idea: those who can do the ",[23,24,25],"strong",{},"greatest harm"," bear the ",[23,28,29],{},"greatest responsibility"," to reduce the danger they pose.",[11,32,33],{},"The order runs roughly pedestrians, then cyclists, then horse riders, then motorcyclists, then cars and vans, then large goods vehicles. It does not remove anyone's responsibility for their own safety, and it does not give anyone right of way by default. What it does is set the expectation of who should be looking out for whom.",[11,35,36],{},"If you drive a van for work, you are further up that hierarchy than you may have realised.",[15,38,40],{"id":39},"the-hierarchy-and-what-it-means-for-you","The hierarchy, and what it means for you",[42,43,44,60],"table",{},[45,46,47],"thead",{},[48,49,50,54,57],"tr",{},[51,52,53],"th",{},"Road user",[51,55,56],{},"Position",[51,58,59],{},"Responsibility toward others",[61,62,63,75,84,93,102,111],"tbody",{},[48,64,65,69,72],{},[66,67,68],"td",{},"Pedestrians",[66,70,71],{},"Most at risk",[66,73,74],{},"Least responsibility for others' safety",[48,76,77,80,82],{},[66,78,79],{},"Cyclists",[66,81],{},[66,83],{},[48,85,86,89,91],{},[66,87,88],{},"Horse riders",[66,90],{},[66,92],{},[48,94,95,98,100],{},[66,96,97],{},"Motorcyclists",[66,99],{},[66,101],{},[48,103,104,107,109],{},[66,105,106],{},"Cars and vans",[66,108],{},[66,110],{},[48,112,113,116,119],{},[66,114,115],{},"Large goods vehicles",[66,117,118],{},"Greatest potential to harm",[66,120,121],{},[23,122,123],{},"Greatest responsibility",[11,125,126],{},"It does not give anyone automatic right of way, and it does not remove anyone's responsibility for\ntheir own safety. It sets the expectation of who looks out for whom.",[15,128,130],{"id":129},"the-passing-distances","The passing distances",[42,132,133,146],{},[45,134,135],{},[48,136,137,140,143],{},[51,138,139],{},"Passing",[51,141,142],{},"Minimum space",[51,144,145],{},"Maximum speed",[61,147,148,159,170],{},[48,149,150,153,156],{},[66,151,152],{},"Cyclist",[66,154,155],{},"1.5 m",[66,157,158],{},"up to 30 mph; more space above that",[48,160,161,164,167],{},[66,162,163],{},"Horse rider",[66,165,166],{},"2 m",[66,168,169],{},"10 mph",[48,171,172,175,177],{},[66,173,174],{},"Pedestrian in the road",[66,176,166],{},[66,178,179],{},"Low speed",[11,181,182],{},"If the space is not there, wait behind.",[15,184,186],{"id":185},"priority-for-pedestrians-at-junctions","Priority for pedestrians at junctions",[11,188,189,190,193],{},"The change most likely to surprise: when turning into or out of a junction, you should ",[23,191,192],{},"give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross"," the road you are turning into.",[11,195,196],{},"Previously the guidance only covered pedestrians already crossing. Now it includes those waiting. This is the one that produces confusion at every side road in the country, because half the drivers know about it and half do not.",[15,198,200],{"id":199},"overtaking-cyclists-and-horses","Overtaking cyclists and horses",[11,202,203],{},"Clearer distances than the old \"give them plenty of room\":",[205,206,207,213,218],"ul",{},[208,209,210,212],"li",{},[23,211,79],{},": leave at least 1.5 metres at speeds up to 30 mph, and more above that",[208,214,215,217],{},[23,216,88],{},": pass at no more than 10 mph, leaving at least 2 metres",[208,219,220,223],{},[23,221,222],{},"Pedestrians walking in the road",": at least 2 metres, at low speed",[11,225,226],{},"You should wait behind rather than squeeze past if the space is not there.",[15,228,230],{"id":229},"cyclists-riding-in-the-centre-of-the-lane","Cyclists riding in the centre of the lane",[11,232,233],{},"The Code now positively advises cyclists to ride in the centre of the lane in certain situations — quiet roads, slow traffic, approaching junctions — for visibility and safety.",[11,235,236],{},"This is not a cyclist being obstructive. It is them following the guidance, and a driver who understands that gets less angry at junctions.",[15,238,240],{"id":239},"the-dutch-reach","The Dutch reach",[11,242,243],{},"Open the door with the hand furthest from it. That forces your shoulder round and your eyes over your shoulder, so you see the cyclist you were about to door.",[11,245,246],{},"It takes about a week to become automatic and it is the cheapest safety change on the list.",[15,248,250],{"id":249},"why-it-matters-if-you-drive-for-work","Why it matters if you drive for work",[11,252,253],{},"The Code is used to establish standards of conduct in prosecutions and in civil claims. \"I didn't know it had changed\" is not a position anybody wants to be arguing from — and someone who drives 20,000 miles a year is far more likely to end up in the situation where it matters.",[15,255,257],{"id":256},"sources","Sources",[205,259,260,269,276],{},[208,261,262],{},[263,264,268],"a",{"href":265,"rel":266},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fguidance\u002Fthe-highway-code",[267],"nofollow","The Highway Code",[208,270,271],{},[263,272,275],{"href":273,"rel":274},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fguidance\u002Fthe-highway-code\u002Fgeneral-rules-techniques-and-advice-for-all-drivers-and-riders-103-to-158",[267],"The Highway Code — General rules, techniques and advice for all drivers and riders (103 to 158)",[208,277,278],{},[263,279,282],{"href":280,"rel":281},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fbrowse\u002Fdriving\u002Fhighway-code-road-safety",[267],"GOV.UK — The Highway Code, road safety and vehicle rules",[284,285],"hr",{},[11,287,288],{},[289,290,291],"em",{},"General road safety information, not legal advice.",{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":295},"",2,[296,297,298,299,300,301,302,303,304],{"id":17,"depth":294,"text":18},{"id":39,"depth":294,"text":40},{"id":129,"depth":294,"text":130},{"id":185,"depth":294,"text":186},{"id":199,"depth":294,"text":200},{"id":229,"depth":294,"text":230},{"id":239,"depth":294,"text":240},{"id":249,"depth":294,"text":250},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"Driving & the law","2025-08-07","A hierarchy of road users, priority for pedestrians at junctions, and the Dutch reach. Three years on, the changes are still news to people.",false,"md","\u002Fblog\u002Fplaceholder.svg","Placeholder image",null,{},true,"\u002Fblog\u002Fhighway-code-hierarchy-of-road-users",3,{"title":5,"description":307},"blog\u002Fhighway-code-hierarchy-of-road-users",[320,321,322],"highway code","road safety","cyclists","G4qRinjRMci854T62WqfDSs7qZDuyKHmxFfHfdIR-0o",[325,617,1008,1323,1628,1838,2074,2373,2651,2881,3065,3312,3505,3727,3950,4155,4383],{"id":326,"title":327,"author":6,"body":328,"category":305,"date":604,"description":605,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":606,"imageAlt":607,"imageCredit":608,"imageCreditUrl":609,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":610,"navigation":314,"path":611,"readTime":316,"seo":612,"stem":613,"tags":614,"__hash__":616},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fsmart-motorways-what-the-rules-are.md","Smart motorways: what the rules actually are",{"type":8,"value":329,"toc":594},[330,333,337,343,349,355,362,366,430,433,437,502,506,509,512,516,519,523,526,532,538,544,548,551,554,557,559,587,589],[11,331,332],{},"The government halted the rollout of new smart motorway schemes in 2023, but the ones already built have not gone anywhere. Anyone driving for work in England will use them regularly, and the rules are not always obvious.",[15,334,336],{"id":335},"the-three-types","The three types",[11,338,339,342],{},[23,340,341],{},"All lane running (ALR)."," The hard shoulder has been permanently converted to a running lane. There is no hard shoulder at all, only emergency areas at intervals. This is the type that generated the controversy.",[11,344,345,348],{},[23,346,347],{},"Dynamic hard shoulder."," The hard shoulder opens as a running lane at busy times and closes otherwise. Whether you may use it depends entirely on the overhead signs.",[11,350,351,354],{},[23,352,353],{},"Controlled motorway."," The hard shoulder stays a hard shoulder, but variable speed limits apply. The least contentious version, and much the most common on approaches to cities.",[11,356,357,358,361],{},"The important consequence: ",[23,359,360],{},"you cannot tell which type you are on by looking at the road."," You have to read the signs.",[15,363,365],{"id":364},"telling-the-three-types-apart","Telling the three types apart",[42,367,368,384],{},[45,369,370],{},[48,371,372,375,378,381],{},[51,373,374],{},"Type",[51,376,377],{},"Hard shoulder",[51,379,380],{},"How you know",[51,382,383],{},"What to do if you stop",[61,385,386,400,414],{},[48,387,388,391,394,397],{},[66,389,390],{},"Controlled motorway",[66,392,393],{},"Kept as hard shoulder",[66,395,396],{},"Variable limits, hard shoulder present",[66,398,399],{},"Use the hard shoulder",[48,401,402,405,408,411],{},[66,403,404],{},"Dynamic hard shoulder",[66,406,407],{},"Open at busy times",[66,409,410],{},"Signs say whether lane 1 is open",[66,412,413],{},"Depends on whether it is running",[48,415,416,419,424,427],{},[66,417,418],{},"All lane running",[66,420,421],{},[23,422,423],{},"None",[66,425,426],{},"No hard shoulder anywhere; emergency areas only",[66,428,429],{},"Emergency area, or stay belted and call 999",[11,431,432],{},"You cannot tell which you are on from the road surface. The signs are the only reliable indicator.",[15,434,436],{"id":435},"what-the-signs-mean","What the signs mean",[42,438,439,452],{},[45,440,441],{},[48,442,443,446,449],{},[51,444,445],{},"Sign",[51,447,448],{},"Meaning",[51,450,451],{},"Enforceable?",[61,453,454,468,480,491],{},[48,455,456,459,462],{},[66,457,458],{},"Red X over a lane",[66,460,461],{},"Lane closed — do not drive in it",[66,463,464,467],{},[23,465,466],{},"Yes",", by camera",[48,469,470,473,476],{},[66,471,472],{},"Speed in a red ring",[66,474,475],{},"Mandatory limit",[66,477,478],{},[23,479,466],{},[48,481,482,485,488],{},[66,483,484],{},"Speed without a red ring",[66,486,487],{},"Advisory",[66,489,490],{},"No, but there is a reason for it",[48,492,493,496,499],{},[66,494,495],{},"Blank gantry",[66,497,498],{},"No restriction in force",[66,500,501],{},"—",[15,503,505],{"id":504},"the-red-x-is-not-advisory","The red X is not advisory",[11,507,508],{},"A red X above a lane means that lane is closed. Driving in it is an offence, enforced by camera, and the reason it is closed is frequently a stopped vehicle you cannot yet see.",[11,510,511],{},"Vehicles have been detected in closed lanes at very high rates on some stretches. Assume the sign knows something you do not.",[15,513,515],{"id":514},"speed-limits-on-gantries-are-mandatory","Speed limits on gantries are mandatory",[11,517,518],{},"A speed limit displayed in a red ring on a gantry is a legal limit, not a suggestion, and it is enforced. A limit without the red ring is advisory. Most drivers do not know there is a difference.",[15,520,522],{"id":521},"if-you-break-down","If you break down",[11,524,525],{},"This is the part worth reading before you need it.",[11,527,528,531],{},[23,529,530],{},"If you can reach an emergency area or exit",", do so, even on a flat tyre. Damage to a wheel is cheaper than the alternative.",[11,533,534,537],{},[23,535,536],{},"If you can get to the left verge",", do that, exit the vehicle by the left-hand doors, and get behind the barrier.",[11,539,540,543],{},[23,541,542],{},"If you cannot move and are in a live lane"," — hazard lights on, stay belted in with headrests up, and call 999. Getting out into a live lane is the most dangerous option available. This is the exact reverse of the advice for a traditional hard shoulder, and it is the bit that catches people who learned to drive before ALR existed.",[15,545,547],{"id":546},"what-it-means-if-you-drive-for-work","What it means if you drive for work",[11,549,550],{},"Two practical things.",[11,552,553],{},"Emergency areas on older ALR stretches can be a mile or more apart, though newer standards brought them closer. If a warning light appears, take the next exit rather than pressing on to the next services.",[11,555,556],{},"And keep the vehicle in a condition that makes a live-lane stop unlikely: tyres, fuel, oil, coolant. A breakdown on an ALR motorway is a much worse event than the same breakdown on a conventional one, which makes routine maintenance a safety measure rather than an expense.",[15,558,257],{"id":256},[205,560,561,568,573,580],{},[208,562,563],{},[263,564,567],{"href":565,"rel":566},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fguidance\u002Fthe-highway-code\u002Fmotorways-253-to-273",[267],"The Highway Code — Motorways (rules 253 to 273)",[208,569,570],{},[263,571,268],{"href":265,"rel":572},[267],[208,574,575],{},[263,576,579],{"href":577,"rel":578},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fguidance\u002Fthe-highway-code\u002Fannex-6-vehicle-maintenance-safety-and-security",[267],"The Highway Code — Annex 6: vehicle maintenance, safety and security",[208,581,582],{},[263,583,586],{"href":584,"rel":585},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fspeed-limits",[267],"GOV.UK — Speed limits",[284,588],{},[11,590,591],{},[289,592,593],{},"General road safety information. Always follow the signs and signals in force at the time.",{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":595},[596,597,598,599,600,601,602,603],{"id":335,"depth":294,"text":336},{"id":364,"depth":294,"text":365},{"id":435,"depth":294,"text":436},{"id":504,"depth":294,"text":505},{"id":514,"depth":294,"text":515},{"id":521,"depth":294,"text":522},{"id":546,"depth":294,"text":547},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"2025-09-04","New schemes were cancelled, but hundreds of miles remain. What a red X means, where the refuges are, and what to do if you stop in a live lane.","\u002Fblog\u002Fsmart-motorways-what-the-rules-are.jpg","Overhead motorway gantry with signal heads","Photo by DeFacto, CC BY-SA","https:\u002F\u002Fcreativecommons.org\u002Flicenses\u002Fby-sa\u002F2.5\u002F",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fsmart-motorways-what-the-rules-are",{"title":327,"description":605},"blog\u002Fsmart-motorways-what-the-rules-are",[615,321,320],"smart motorways","K_I6Hqdf5E5NC6AqlPC5rGuJhIeNQImeAKKoRHibP3k",{"id":618,"title":619,"author":6,"body":620,"category":305,"date":997,"description":998,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":310,"imageAlt":311,"imageCredit":312,"imageCreditUrl":312,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":999,"navigation":314,"path":1000,"readTime":316,"seo":1001,"stem":1002,"tags":1003,"__hash__":1007},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fspeed-limits-vans-and-towing.md","Your van is not allowed to do 70 on that road",{"type":8,"value":621,"toc":987},[622,625,629,636,655,660,675,680,694,697,701,810,813,816,820,831,834,838,841,896,899,903,906,926,930,933,939,945,949,952,954,980,982],[11,623,624],{},"This is the most widely broken rule on British roads that almost nobody knows they are breaking.",[15,626,628],{"id":627},"the-national-speed-limits","The national speed limits",[11,630,631,632,635],{},"For a ",[23,633,634],{},"car or motorcycle",":",[205,637,638,644,650],{},[208,639,640,641],{},"Single carriageway: ",[23,642,643],{},"60 mph",[208,645,646,647],{},"Dual carriageway: ",[23,648,649],{},"70 mph",[208,651,652,653],{},"Motorway: ",[23,654,649],{},[11,656,631,657,635],{},[23,658,659],{},"car-derived van or goods vehicle up to 7.5 tonnes",[205,661,662,667,671],{},[208,663,640,664],{},[23,665,666],{},"50 mph",[208,668,646,669],{},[23,670,643],{},[208,672,652,673],{},[23,674,649],{},[11,676,631,677,635],{},[23,678,679],{},"car or van towing a trailer or caravan",[205,681,682,686,690],{},[208,683,640,684],{},[23,685,666],{},[208,687,646,688],{},[23,689,643],{},[208,691,652,692],{},[23,693,643],{},[11,695,696],{},"So a van on a national-speed-limit single carriageway is limited to 50, not 60. On a dual carriageway it is 60, not 70. Both are enforceable and both are routinely ignored by drivers who genuinely believe the derestricted sign means the same thing to them as to a car.",[15,698,700],{"id":699},"the-table-to-keep-in-your-head","The table to keep in your head",[42,702,703,722],{},[45,704,705],{},[48,706,707,710,713,716,719],{},[51,708,709],{},"Vehicle",[51,711,712],{},"Built-up area",[51,714,715],{},"Single carriageway",[51,717,718],{},"Dual carriageway",[51,720,721],{},"Motorway",[61,723,724,746,759,777,796],{},[48,725,726,729,732,737,742],{},[66,727,728],{},"Car or motorcycle",[66,730,731],{},"30",[66,733,734],{},[23,735,736],{},"60",[66,738,739],{},[23,740,741],{},"70",[66,743,744],{},[23,745,741],{},[48,747,748,751,753,755,757],{},[66,749,750],{},"Car-derived van",[66,752,731],{},[66,754,736],{},[66,756,741],{},[66,758,741],{},[48,760,761,764,766,771,775],{},[66,762,763],{},"Van or goods vehicle up to 7.5t",[66,765,731],{},[66,767,768],{},[23,769,770],{},"50",[66,772,773],{},[23,774,736],{},[66,776,741],{},[48,778,779,782,784,788,792],{},[66,780,781],{},"Car or van towing",[66,783,731],{},[66,785,786],{},[23,787,770],{},[66,789,790],{},[23,791,736],{},[66,793,794],{},[23,795,736],{},[48,797,798,801,803,806,808],{},[66,799,800],{},"Goods vehicle over 7.5t",[66,802,731],{},[66,804,805],{},"40",[66,807,770],{},[66,809,736],{},[11,811,812],{},"All figures in mph, and all assume the national speed limit applies. A posted limit always\noverrides them.",[11,814,815],{},"The rows that catch people are the two in the middle: a van on a derestricted single carriageway is\nlimited to 50, and towing anything drops you to 60 on the motorway.",[15,817,819],{"id":818},"the-car-derived-van-exception","The car-derived van exception",[11,821,822,823,826,827,830],{},"There is a distinction that catches people. A ",[23,824,825],{},"car-derived van"," — a vehicle based on a car, under two tonnes maximum laden weight — keeps ",[23,828,829],{},"car"," speed limits. A small panel van that looks similar but is not car-derived does not.",[11,832,833],{},"The V5C is the place to check. \"It's only a small van\" is not the test.",[15,835,837],{"id":836},"what-the-difference-costs-in-time","What the difference costs in time",[11,839,840],{},"A 150-mile single-carriageway run:",[42,842,843,858],{},[45,844,845],{},[48,846,847,849,852,855],{},[51,848,709],{},[51,850,851],{},"Limit",[51,853,854],{},"Journey time",[51,856,857],{},"Difference",[61,859,860,872,885],{},[48,861,862,865,867,870],{},[66,863,864],{},"Car",[66,866,643],{},[66,868,869],{},"2h 30m",[66,871,501],{},[48,873,874,877,879,882],{},[66,875,876],{},"Van",[66,878,666],{},[66,880,881],{},"3h 00m",[66,883,884],{},"+30 min",[48,886,887,890,892,894],{},[66,888,889],{},"Towing",[66,891,666],{},[66,893,881],{},[66,895,884],{},[11,897,898],{},"Half an hour on a long A-road run is a real cost to a working day, and it is the reason the limit is\nso widely ignored. It is still the limit.",[15,900,902],{"id":901},"towing-the-extra-rules","Towing: the extra rules",[11,904,905],{},"Beyond the speed limits, towing brings others that are easy to fall foul of:",[205,907,908,914,920],{},[208,909,910,913],{},[23,911,912],{},"No towing in the outside lane"," of a motorway with three or more lanes, except where lanes are closed",[208,915,916,919],{},[23,917,918],{},"Licence entitlement"," depends on when you passed your test and the weight of the combination",[208,921,922,925],{},[23,923,924],{},"Noseweight and maximum towing limits"," for your specific vehicle, which are on the V5C and the towbar plate",[15,927,929],{"id":928},"why-this-matters-more-if-you-drive-for-work","Why this matters more if you drive for work",[11,931,932],{},"Two reasons beyond the fine.",[11,934,935,938],{},[23,936,937],{},"Points affect your job."," Drivers who need a licence for work — trades, deliveries, anyone with a company vehicle — are at more risk from accumulating points than the average motorist, because they are on the road far more.",[11,940,941,944],{},[23,942,943],{},"Insurance and employer liability."," A speeding conviction while driving for work involves your employer as well as you, and can affect the business's insurance.",[15,946,948],{"id":947},"the-dull-but-effective-answer","The dull but effective answer",[11,950,951],{},"Know your vehicle's category, and check the V5C rather than guessing from the shape of the bodywork. Then treat a derestricted sign on a single carriageway as 50 in a van, not 60 — which is exactly the situation where everyone behind you will be certain you are wrong.",[15,953,257],{"id":256},[205,955,956,961,968,973],{},[208,957,958],{},[263,959,586],{"href":584,"rel":960},[267],[208,962,963],{},[263,964,967],{"href":965,"rel":966},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Ftowing-with-car",[267],"GOV.UK — Towing with a car",[208,969,970],{},[263,971,268],{"href":265,"rel":972},[267],[208,974,975],{},[263,976,979],{"href":977,"rel":978},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fpenalty-points-endorsements",[267],"GOV.UK — Penalty points (endorsements)",[284,981],{},[11,983,984],{},[289,985,986],{},"General road safety information, not legal advice. Check your vehicle's classification on its V5C.",{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":988},[989,990,991,992,993,994,995,996],{"id":627,"depth":294,"text":628},{"id":699,"depth":294,"text":700},{"id":818,"depth":294,"text":819},{"id":836,"depth":294,"text":837},{"id":901,"depth":294,"text":902},{"id":928,"depth":294,"text":929},{"id":947,"depth":294,"text":948},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"2025-08-28","Vans and cars towing have lower national speed limits than cars, on single and dual carriageways. Most drivers have no idea.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fspeed-limits-vans-and-towing",{"title":619,"description":998},"blog\u002Fspeed-limits-vans-and-towing",[1004,1005,1006],"speed limits","vans","towing","HMBki-kjDz66hvyNWRAcxpPAbalHgv8L6NxGvNjamas",{"id":1009,"title":1010,"author":6,"body":1011,"category":305,"date":1313,"description":1314,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":310,"imageAlt":311,"imageCredit":312,"imageCreditUrl":312,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":1315,"navigation":314,"path":1316,"readTime":316,"seo":1317,"stem":1318,"tags":1319,"__hash__":1322},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fmobile-phone-law-driving.md","The phone rules are stricter than most drivers think",{"type":8,"value":1012,"toc":1303},[1013,1016,1020,1027,1034,1038,1044,1047,1051,1155,1159,1211,1215,1241,1244,1248,1251,1254,1258,1261,1264,1270,1276,1278,1297,1299],[11,1014,1015],{},"The law on handheld phones was tightened in 2022 to close a loophole, and the version most drivers carry in their heads is the old one.",[15,1017,1019],{"id":1018},"what-changed","What changed",[11,1021,1022,1023,1026],{},"Previously the offence was framed around ",[289,1024,1025],{},"interactive communication"," — calling, texting. That left a gap: drivers caught taking photographs or scrolling through stored files argued, sometimes successfully, that they were not communicating.",[11,1028,1029,1030,1033],{},"The law now covers using a handheld device for ",[23,1031,1032],{},"almost any purpose"," while driving. Taking a photo, changing a playlist, checking a stored file, unlocking it to look at something — all are caught.",[15,1035,1037],{"id":1036},"the-penalty","The penalty",[11,1039,1040,1043],{},[23,1041,1042],{},"Six penalty points and a fine",", or a court appearance for more serious cases.",[11,1045,1046],{},"For a driver within two years of passing their test, six points means the licence is revoked and the test must be taken again. For anyone else it is half of a twelve-point ban in one offence.",[15,1048,1050],{"id":1049},"what-counts-and-what-does-not","What counts, and what does not",[42,1052,1053,1063],{},[45,1054,1055],{},[48,1056,1057,1060],{},[51,1058,1059],{},"Action while driving",[51,1061,1062],{},"Legal?",[61,1064,1065,1075,1084,1093,1102,1111,1120,1127,1134,1141,1148],{},[48,1066,1067,1070],{},[66,1068,1069],{},"Holding the phone to call",[66,1071,1072],{},[23,1073,1074],{},"No",[48,1076,1077,1080],{},[66,1078,1079],{},"Holding it to text",[66,1081,1082],{},[23,1083,1074],{},[48,1085,1086,1089],{},[66,1087,1088],{},"Holding it to take a photo or video",[66,1090,1091],{},[23,1092,1074],{},[48,1094,1095,1098],{},[66,1096,1097],{},"Holding it to change a playlist",[66,1099,1100],{},[23,1101,1074],{},[48,1103,1104,1107],{},[66,1105,1106],{},"Holding it to check a stored file",[66,1108,1109],{},[23,1110,1074],{},[48,1112,1113,1116],{},[66,1114,1115],{},"Unlocking it while stationary in traffic",[66,1117,1118],{},[23,1119,1074],{},[48,1121,1122,1125],{},[66,1123,1124],{},"Phone in a cradle, used as a sat-nav",[66,1126,466],{},[48,1128,1129,1132],{},[66,1130,1131],{},"Hands-free call, phone in a cradle",[66,1133,466],{},[48,1135,1136,1139],{},[66,1137,1138],{},"Contactless payment, stationary, at a drive-through",[66,1140,466],{},[48,1142,1143,1146],{},[66,1144,1145],{},"Calling 999 where stopping is unsafe or impractical",[66,1147,466],{},[48,1149,1150,1153],{},[66,1151,1152],{},"Using it parked, with the engine off",[66,1154,466],{},[15,1156,1158],{"id":1157},"what-it-costs","What it costs",[42,1160,1161,1174],{},[45,1162,1163],{},[48,1164,1165,1168,1171],{},[51,1166,1167],{},"Driver",[51,1169,1170],{},"Penalty",[51,1172,1173],{},"Effect",[61,1175,1176,1187,1200],{},[48,1177,1178,1181,1184],{},[66,1179,1180],{},"Held licence over 2 years",[66,1182,1183],{},"6 points + fine",[66,1185,1186],{},"Half of a ban in one offence",[48,1188,1189,1192,1194],{},[66,1190,1191],{},"Within 2 years of passing",[66,1193,1183],{},[66,1195,1196,1199],{},[23,1197,1198],{},"Licence revoked",", test again",[48,1201,1202,1205,1208],{},[66,1203,1204],{},"Repeat or serious cases",[66,1206,1207],{},"Court",[66,1209,1210],{},"Disqualification possible",[15,1212,1214],{"id":1213},"what-is-still-allowed","What is still allowed",[205,1216,1217,1223,1229,1235],{},[208,1218,1219,1222],{},[23,1220,1221],{},"Hands-free",", provided the phone is in a cradle and you are not holding it",[208,1224,1225,1228],{},[23,1226,1227],{},"Using it as a sat-nav",", again secured in a holder rather than in your hand",[208,1230,1231,1234],{},[23,1232,1233],{},"Contactless payment"," while stationary, at a drive-through for example",[208,1236,1237,1240],{},[23,1238,1239],{},"Calling 999 or 112"," in a genuine emergency where it is unsafe or impractical to stop",[11,1242,1243],{},"Note the important caveat on hands-free: it is legal, but you can still be prosecuted for careless or dangerous driving if the call is what caused you to drive badly. Legal is not the same as safe.",[15,1245,1247],{"id":1246},"stopped-at-lights-is-not-an-exemption","\"Stopped at lights\" is not an exemption",[11,1249,1250],{},"The offence applies while driving, and being stationary in traffic with the engine running still counts. So does queuing, and so does sitting at a red light.",[11,1252,1253],{},"If you genuinely need to use the phone, you have to be parked with the engine off.",[15,1255,1257],{"id":1256},"why-this-bites-harder-if-you-drive-for-work","Why this bites harder if you drive for work",[11,1259,1260],{},"People who drive for a living are exposed to this more than anyone: more hours on the road, more calls, more pressure to respond, and often a genuine work reason to look at the phone.",[11,1262,1263],{},"Two practical defences:",[11,1265,1266,1269],{},[23,1267,1268],{},"Set it up before you move."," Navigation entered, playlist chosen, phone in the cradle, before the handbrake comes off.",[11,1271,1272,1275],{},[23,1273,1274],{},"Use an app that does not need you."," Anything that requires interaction while driving is a liability. Milesheet records journeys automatically once departure detection is on — it starts when you set off and stops when you park, without being touched. That is a deliberate design choice rather than a convenience: a mileage log that needs a button pressed at the start of every drive is a mileage log that invites you to pick up your phone.",[15,1277,257],{"id":256},[205,1279,1280,1287,1292],{},[208,1281,1282],{},[263,1283,1286],{"href":1284,"rel":1285},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fusing-mobile-phones-when-driving-the-law",[267],"GOV.UK — Using a phone, sat nav or other device when driving",[208,1288,1289],{},[263,1290,979],{"href":977,"rel":1291},[267],[208,1293,1294],{},[263,1295,268],{"href":265,"rel":1296},[267],[284,1298],{},[11,1300,1301],{},[289,1302,291],{},{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":1304},[1305,1306,1307,1308,1309,1310,1311,1312],{"id":1018,"depth":294,"text":1019},{"id":1036,"depth":294,"text":1037},{"id":1049,"depth":294,"text":1050},{"id":1157,"depth":294,"text":1158},{"id":1213,"depth":294,"text":1214},{"id":1246,"depth":294,"text":1247},{"id":1256,"depth":294,"text":1257},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"2025-08-21","Holding it at all is the offence now. Six points, and for newer drivers that is the licence.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fmobile-phone-law-driving",{"title":1010,"description":1314},"blog\u002Fmobile-phone-law-driving",[1320,1321,321],"mobile phones","penalty points","YMP5s-NHCPx8WkkSzCTbi7bC795X5JXOvJcqYHTlDrQ",{"id":1324,"title":1325,"author":6,"body":1326,"category":305,"date":1618,"description":1619,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":310,"imageAlt":311,"imageCredit":312,"imageCreditUrl":312,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":1620,"navigation":314,"path":1621,"readTime":316,"seo":1622,"stem":1623,"tags":1624,"__hash__":1627},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Ftyres-tread-and-the-law.md","Tyres: the legal minimum, and why it is not the sensible one",{"type":8,"value":1327,"toc":1607},[1328,1331,1335,1350,1353,1356,1360,1366,1369,1373,1376,1464,1468,1533,1537,1540,1546,1550,1553,1556,1560,1563,1566,1570,1573,1575,1601,1603],[11,1329,1330],{},"Tyres are the only part of a car touching the road, and the only safety component with a legal minimum most drivers can check in two minutes with a 20p coin.",[15,1332,1334],{"id":1333},"the-legal-requirement","The legal requirement",[11,1336,1337,1338,1341,1342,1345,1346,1349],{},"For cars, the tread must be at least ",[23,1339,1340],{},"1.6mm"," across the ",[23,1343,1344],{},"central three-quarters"," of the tread, around the ",[23,1347,1348],{},"entire circumference",".",[11,1351,1352],{},"Two details people miss. It is the central three-quarters, so healthy-looking outer edges do not save an illegal middle. And it is the whole circumference, so one bald patch fails the whole tyre.",[11,1354,1355],{},"Tyres must also be correctly inflated, free from dangerous cuts or bulges, and suitable for the use.",[15,1357,1359],{"id":1358},"the-penalty-is-per-tyre","The penalty is per tyre",[11,1361,1362,1363,1349],{},"This is the part that surprises people: it is ",[23,1364,1365],{},"three penalty points and a fine per illegal tyre",[11,1367,1368],{},"Four illegal tyres is twelve points, which is a ban, arrived at in one roadside stop without exceeding a single speed limit.",[15,1370,1372],{"id":1371},"what-the-tread-depth-actually-costs-you","What the tread depth actually costs you",[11,1374,1375],{},"Wet braking from 50 mph, indicative stopping distances:",[42,1377,1378,1391],{},[45,1379,1380],{},[48,1381,1382,1385,1388],{},[51,1383,1384],{},"Tread depth",[51,1386,1387],{},"Status",[51,1389,1390],{},"Relative wet stopping distance",[61,1392,1393,1404,1415,1428,1439,1451],{},[48,1394,1395,1398,1401],{},[66,1396,1397],{},"8mm (new)",[66,1399,1400],{},"New",[66,1402,1403],{},"Baseline",[48,1405,1406,1409,1412],{},[66,1407,1408],{},"5mm",[66,1410,1411],{},"Good",[66,1413,1414],{},"Slightly longer",[48,1416,1417,1420,1425],{},[66,1418,1419],{},"3mm",[66,1421,1422],{},[23,1423,1424],{},"Recommended change point",[66,1426,1427],{},"Noticeably longer",[48,1429,1430,1433,1436],{},[66,1431,1432],{},"2mm",[66,1434,1435],{},"Legal, poor",[66,1437,1438],{},"Considerably longer",[48,1440,1441,1443,1448],{},[66,1442,1340],{},[66,1444,1445],{},[23,1446,1447],{},"Legal minimum",[66,1449,1450],{},"Substantially longer",[48,1452,1453,1456,1461],{},[66,1454,1455],{},"Below 1.6mm",[66,1457,1458],{},[23,1459,1460],{},"Illegal",[66,1462,1463],{},"3 points and a fine, per tyre",[15,1465,1467],{"id":1466},"the-penalty-stacks","The penalty stacks",[42,1469,1470,1483],{},[45,1471,1472],{},[48,1473,1474,1477,1480],{},[51,1475,1476],{},"Illegal tyres",[51,1478,1479],{},"Penalty points",[51,1481,1482],{},"Consequence",[61,1484,1485,1496,1507,1517],{},[48,1486,1487,1490,1493],{},[66,1488,1489],{},"1",[66,1491,1492],{},"3",[66,1494,1495],{},"Fine",[48,1497,1498,1501,1504],{},[66,1499,1500],{},"2",[66,1502,1503],{},"6",[66,1505,1506],{},"Fine; licence revoked if within 2 years of passing",[48,1508,1509,1511,1514],{},[66,1510,1492],{},[66,1512,1513],{},"9",[66,1515,1516],{},"Close to a ban",[48,1518,1519,1522,1527],{},[66,1520,1521],{},"4",[66,1523,1524],{},[23,1525,1526],{},"12",[66,1528,1529,1532],{},[23,1530,1531],{},"Ban",", from a single roadside stop",[15,1534,1536],{"id":1535},"why-16mm-is-not-where-you-should-be-changing-them","Why 1.6mm is not where you should be changing them",[11,1538,1539],{},"The legal minimum is a floor, not a target. Wet braking performance falls off well before it — most testing shows meaningful deterioration below about 3mm, with stopping distances lengthening considerably by the time you reach the legal limit.",[11,1541,1542,1543,1545],{},"Many manufacturers and safety organisations recommend replacing at ",[23,1544,1419],{},". That is not an upsell so much as an acknowledgement that the legal minimum was set as an enforcement threshold, not as the point at which a tyre stops working well.",[15,1547,1549],{"id":1548},"the-20p-test","The 20p test",[11,1551,1552],{},"Insert a 20p coin into the main tread grooves. If the outer band of the coin is hidden, the tread is above roughly 1.6–1.8mm. If you can see the band, the tyre is at or near the limit and needs looking at properly with a depth gauge.",[11,1554,1555],{},"Do it at several points around the tyre and across its width, not once.",[15,1557,1559],{"id":1558},"pressure-which-costs-money-as-well-as-safety","Pressure, which costs money as well as safety",[11,1561,1562],{},"Under-inflated tyres wear faster at the edges, increase rolling resistance and cost fuel. Pressure drops naturally over time and falls further in cold weather — roughly 1–2 PSI for every 10°C.",[11,1564,1565],{},"Checking monthly is the single cheapest thing you can do for both safety and economy. If you keep a fill-up log, an unexplained dip in MPG across a couple of tanks is often exactly this.",[15,1567,1569],{"id":1568},"for-business-vehicles","For business vehicles",[11,1571,1572],{},"If you or your employees drive for work, tyre condition is part of the duty of care around work vehicles, not just an MOT question. A vehicle used for work is expected to be roadworthy every day, not on the day it was tested.",[15,1574,257],{"id":256},[205,1576,1577,1584,1589,1594],{},[208,1578,1579],{},[263,1580,1583],{"href":1581,"rel":1582},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fgetting-an-mot",[267],"GOV.UK — Getting an MOT",[208,1585,1586],{},[263,1587,579],{"href":577,"rel":1588},[267],[208,1590,1591],{},[263,1592,979],{"href":977,"rel":1593},[267],[208,1595,1596],{},[263,1597,1600],{"href":1598,"rel":1599},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fcheck-mot-history",[267],"GOV.UK — Check the MOT history of a vehicle",[284,1602],{},[11,1604,1605],{},[289,1606,291],{},{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":1608},[1609,1610,1611,1612,1613,1614,1615,1616,1617],{"id":1333,"depth":294,"text":1334},{"id":1358,"depth":294,"text":1359},{"id":1371,"depth":294,"text":1372},{"id":1466,"depth":294,"text":1467},{"id":1535,"depth":294,"text":1536},{"id":1548,"depth":294,"text":1549},{"id":1558,"depth":294,"text":1559},{"id":1568,"depth":294,"text":1569},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"2025-08-14","1.6mm is the law. Braking distances start deteriorating well before that, and four illegal tyres is twelve points.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Ftyres-tread-and-the-law",{"title":1325,"description":1619},"blog\u002Ftyres-tread-and-the-law",[1625,1626,321],"tyres","mot","pCRrE_nhnz8Maa_-x5-1FI_xNjag30b5uKAGf19OD9E",{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":1629,"category":305,"date":306,"description":307,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":310,"imageAlt":311,"imageCredit":312,"imageCreditUrl":312,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":1835,"navigation":314,"path":315,"readTime":316,"seo":1836,"stem":318,"tags":1837,"__hash__":323},{"type":8,"value":1630,"toc":1824},[1631,1633,1635,1641,1643,1645,1647,1711,1713,1715,1753,1755,1757,1761,1763,1765,1767,1781,1783,1785,1787,1789,1791,1793,1795,1797,1799,1801,1818,1820],[11,1632,13],{},[15,1634,18],{"id":17},[11,1636,21,1637,26,1639,30],{},[23,1638,25],{},[23,1640,29],{},[11,1642,33],{},[11,1644,36],{},[15,1646,40],{"id":39},[42,1648,1649,1659],{},[45,1650,1651],{},[48,1652,1653,1655,1657],{},[51,1654,53],{},[51,1656,56],{},[51,1658,59],{},[61,1660,1661,1669,1677,1685,1693,1701],{},[48,1662,1663,1665,1667],{},[66,1664,68],{},[66,1666,71],{},[66,1668,74],{},[48,1670,1671,1673,1675],{},[66,1672,79],{},[66,1674],{},[66,1676],{},[48,1678,1679,1681,1683],{},[66,1680,88],{},[66,1682],{},[66,1684],{},[48,1686,1687,1689,1691],{},[66,1688,97],{},[66,1690],{},[66,1692],{},[48,1694,1695,1697,1699],{},[66,1696,106],{},[66,1698],{},[66,1700],{},[48,1702,1703,1705,1707],{},[66,1704,115],{},[66,1706,118],{},[66,1708,1709],{},[23,1710,123],{},[11,1712,126],{},[15,1714,130],{"id":129},[42,1716,1717,1727],{},[45,1718,1719],{},[48,1720,1721,1723,1725],{},[51,1722,139],{},[51,1724,142],{},[51,1726,145],{},[61,1728,1729,1737,1745],{},[48,1730,1731,1733,1735],{},[66,1732,152],{},[66,1734,155],{},[66,1736,158],{},[48,1738,1739,1741,1743],{},[66,1740,163],{},[66,1742,166],{},[66,1744,169],{},[48,1746,1747,1749,1751],{},[66,1748,174],{},[66,1750,166],{},[66,1752,179],{},[11,1754,182],{},[15,1756,186],{"id":185},[11,1758,189,1759,193],{},[23,1760,192],{},[11,1762,196],{},[15,1764,200],{"id":199},[11,1766,203],{},[205,1768,1769,1773,1777],{},[208,1770,1771,212],{},[23,1772,79],{},[208,1774,1775,217],{},[23,1776,88],{},[208,1778,1779,223],{},[23,1780,222],{},[11,1782,226],{},[15,1784,230],{"id":229},[11,1786,233],{},[11,1788,236],{},[15,1790,240],{"id":239},[11,1792,243],{},[11,1794,246],{},[15,1796,250],{"id":249},[11,1798,253],{},[15,1800,257],{"id":256},[205,1802,1803,1808,1813],{},[208,1804,1805],{},[263,1806,268],{"href":265,"rel":1807},[267],[208,1809,1810],{},[263,1811,275],{"href":273,"rel":1812},[267],[208,1814,1815],{},[263,1816,282],{"href":280,"rel":1817},[267],[284,1819],{},[11,1821,1822],{},[289,1823,291],{},{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":1825},[1826,1827,1828,1829,1830,1831,1832,1833,1834],{"id":17,"depth":294,"text":18},{"id":39,"depth":294,"text":40},{"id":129,"depth":294,"text":130},{"id":185,"depth":294,"text":186},{"id":199,"depth":294,"text":200},{"id":229,"depth":294,"text":230},{"id":239,"depth":294,"text":240},{"id":249,"depth":294,"text":250},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},{},{"title":5,"description":307},[320,321,322],{"id":1839,"title":1840,"author":6,"body":1841,"category":305,"date":2065,"description":2066,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":310,"imageAlt":311,"imageCredit":312,"imageCreditUrl":312,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":2067,"navigation":314,"path":2068,"readTime":316,"seo":2069,"stem":2070,"tags":2071,"__hash__":2073},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fmot-and-roadworthiness-for-work-vehicles.md","An MOT is not proof your van was roadworthy",{"type":8,"value":1842,"toc":2056},[1843,1846,1850,1857,1860,1864,1867,1870,1874,1877,1888,1891,1895,1971,1974,1978,1981,2013,2017,2020,2023,2025,2049,2051],[11,1844,1845],{},"A valid MOT certificate proves a vehicle met the minimum standard on the day it was tested. It says nothing about the day you are driving it, which is the day that matters.",[15,1847,1849],{"id":1848},"what-the-test-is","What the test is",[11,1851,1852,1853,1856],{},"Cars, vans and most vehicles need their first MOT at ",[23,1854,1855],{},"three years old",", then annually. It checks the items on the test schedule — brakes, lights, tyres, suspension, emissions, structure, visibility — against a defined standard.",[11,1858,1859],{},"It is not a service, it does not check the engine's condition, and it does not predict anything.",[15,1861,1863],{"id":1862},"the-obligation-the-certificate-does-not-discharge","The obligation the certificate does not discharge",[11,1865,1866],{},"It is an offence to use a vehicle on a road in a dangerous or unroadworthy condition regardless of when it was tested. A certificate from eleven months ago is not a defence for a tyre that went below the limit last week.",[11,1868,1869],{},"For anyone driving for work this is the important half, because it is a continuing duty rather than an annual event.",[15,1871,1873],{"id":1872},"where-the-employer-comes-in","Where the employer comes in",[11,1875,1876],{},"If employees drive for work — their own vehicles included — the employer has duties around their safety while working. In practice that usually means being able to show:",[205,1878,1879,1882,1885],{},[208,1880,1881],{},"Vehicles used for work are maintained and roadworthy",[208,1883,1884],{},"Where employees use their own cars, there is a check that they are taxed, insured for business use and MOT'd",[208,1886,1887],{},"Drivers know they can report a defect without being penalised for the delay it causes",[11,1889,1890],{},"The grey-fleet case — staff using their own cars on company business — is the one most often overlooked, because nobody feels responsible for a vehicle they do not own.",[15,1892,1894],{"id":1893},"what-the-mot-does-and-does-not-cover","What the MOT does and does not cover",[42,1896,1897,1907],{},[45,1898,1899],{},[48,1900,1901,1904],{},[51,1902,1903],{},"Checked at MOT",[51,1905,1906],{},"Not checked at MOT",[61,1908,1909,1917,1925,1933,1941,1949,1957,1964],{},[48,1910,1911,1914],{},[66,1912,1913],{},"Brakes",[66,1915,1916],{},"Engine condition",[48,1918,1919,1922],{},[66,1920,1921],{},"Lights and indicators",[66,1923,1924],{},"Clutch and gearbox",[48,1926,1927,1930],{},[66,1928,1929],{},"Tyres and wheels",[66,1931,1932],{},"Oil and coolant level between services",[48,1934,1935,1938],{},[66,1936,1937],{},"Suspension",[66,1939,1940],{},"Cambelt",[48,1942,1943,1946],{},[66,1944,1945],{},"Steering",[66,1947,1948],{},"Air conditioning",[48,1950,1951,1954],{},[66,1952,1953],{},"Exhaust and emissions",[66,1955,1956],{},"Anything that fails the day after",[48,1958,1959,1962],{},[66,1960,1961],{},"Structure and corrosion",[66,1963],{},[48,1965,1966,1969],{},[66,1967,1968],{},"Visibility, wipers, washers",[66,1970],{},[11,1972,1973],{},"The right-hand column is why an MOT is not a service and not a guarantee.",[15,1975,1977],{"id":1976},"the-practical-routine","The practical routine",[11,1979,1980],{},"Daily or weekly walk-round checks catch nearly everything that matters and take two minutes:",[205,1982,1983,1989,1995,2001,2007],{},[208,1984,1985,1988],{},[23,1986,1987],{},"Tyres"," — pressure, tread, damage",[208,1990,1991,1994],{},[23,1992,1993],{},"Lights"," — all of them, which needs a second person or a reflective window",[208,1996,1997,2000],{},[23,1998,1999],{},"Fluids"," — oil, coolant, screenwash",[208,2002,2003,2006],{},[23,2004,2005],{},"Glass and mirrors"," — chips spread, and a chip in the swept area can fail an MOT",[208,2008,2009,2012],{},[23,2010,2011],{},"Wipers"," — smearing is a visibility defect, not an annoyance",[15,2014,2016],{"id":2015},"keeping-the-evidence","Keeping the evidence",[11,2018,2019],{},"If something does happen, the useful thing is a record showing the vehicle was being looked after, not a certificate showing it passed a test last spring.",[11,2021,2022],{},"That is the same argument as the mileage log, for the same reason: contemporaneous records of what actually happened beat reconstructions. If you are already recording journeys per vehicle, you have the usage history to go with the maintenance one — which between them describe how hard the vehicle has been worked and when it was last looked at.",[15,2024,257],{"id":256},[205,2026,2027,2032,2037,2044],{},[208,2028,2029],{},[263,2030,1583],{"href":1581,"rel":2031},[267],[208,2033,2034],{},[263,2035,1600],{"href":1598,"rel":2036},[267],[208,2038,2039],{},[263,2040,2043],{"href":2041,"rel":2042},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fmot-reminder",[267],"GOV.UK — Get an MOT reminder",[208,2045,2046],{},[263,2047,579],{"href":577,"rel":2048},[267],[284,2050],{},[11,2052,2053],{},[289,2054,2055],{},"General information, not legal advice. Employer duties around driving for work are detailed: take advice on your own obligations.",{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":2057},[2058,2059,2060,2061,2062,2063,2064],{"id":1848,"depth":294,"text":1849},{"id":1862,"depth":294,"text":1863},{"id":1872,"depth":294,"text":1873},{"id":1893,"depth":294,"text":1894},{"id":1976,"depth":294,"text":1977},{"id":2015,"depth":294,"text":2016},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"2025-07-31","The test is one day a year. The obligation is every day, and for work vehicles it reaches the employer too.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fmot-and-roadworthiness-for-work-vehicles",{"title":1840,"description":2066},"blog\u002Fmot-and-roadworthiness-for-work-vehicles",[1626,1005,2072],"business driving","4_jVJ0zWf_zVCAiKz6xIiFItCiEzRJkRPwlzZkLP_7Q",{"id":2075,"title":2076,"author":6,"body":2077,"category":305,"date":2362,"description":2363,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":310,"imageAlt":311,"imageCredit":312,"imageCreditUrl":312,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":2364,"navigation":314,"path":2365,"readTime":316,"seo":2366,"stem":2367,"tags":2368,"__hash__":2372},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdriving-in-america-uk-driver.md","What a British driver notices in America",{"type":8,"value":2078,"toc":2350},[2079,2082,2086,2089,2092,2096,2099,2103,2106,2109,2113,2116,2119,2123,2126,2129,2133,2246,2250,2253,2296,2300,2303,2306,2310,2313,2315,2343,2345],[11,2080,2081],{},"Driving in the United States is easier than most British drivers expect and strange in ways they do not anticipate. The wrong side of the road stops being the hard part after about an hour. Everything below takes longer.",[15,2083,2085],{"id":2084},"turning-right-on-a-red-light","Turning right on a red light",[11,2087,2088],{},"In most states you may turn right at a red light after stopping, unless a sign forbids it. There is no British equivalent and it feels illegal for about a week.",[11,2090,2091],{},"The corollary is that traffic behind you expects it. Sitting at a red waiting for green when the way is clear will produce a horn.",[15,2093,2095],{"id":2094},"four-way-stops","Four-way stops",[11,2097,2098],{},"An intersection where every approach has a stop sign. Priority goes to whoever arrived first; simultaneous arrivals yield to the right. It works on a shared understanding rather than signage, and it works remarkably well until a British driver arrives and waits to be waved through.",[15,2100,2102],{"id":2101},"undertaking-is-normal","Undertaking is normal",[11,2104,2105],{},"On a multi-lane freeway, passing on either side is generally permitted and universally practised. Lane discipline of the British \"keep left unless overtaking\" kind largely does not exist.",[11,2107,2108],{},"This is the single biggest adjustment. You must check both sides before changing lanes, every time, because someone will be there.",[15,2110,2112],{"id":2111},"the-speeds-are-lower-than-you-think","The speeds are lower than you think",[11,2114,2115],{},"Interstate limits are commonly 65–75 mph, higher in parts of the west. Enforcement varies enormously by state and by county, and radar is genuinely everywhere in some places.",[11,2117,2118],{},"Distances, though, are on another scale entirely. A drive that would cross England is an afternoon between two cities in Texas.",[15,2120,2122],{"id":2121},"fuel-is-cheap-and-the-cars-drink-it","Fuel is cheap and the cars drink it",[11,2124,2125],{},"Petrol — gasoline — is a fraction of the UK price, largely because the tax component is far smaller. That funds a fleet that is bigger and thirstier, and it makes MPG a much less emotive subject than it is here.",[11,2127,2128],{},"Note that US gallons are smaller than imperial ones: a US MPG figure is about 83% of the UK equivalent for the same car. A \"30 mpg\" American car is roughly 36 mpg in British terms.",[15,2130,2132],{"id":2131},"the-differences-that-catch-people","The differences that catch people",[42,2134,2135,2147],{},[45,2136,2137],{},[48,2138,2139,2141,2144],{},[51,2140],{},[51,2142,2143],{},"UK",[51,2145,2146],{},"US",[61,2148,2149,2162,2175,2186,2199,2209,2220,2233],{},[48,2150,2151,2154,2157],{},[66,2152,2153],{},"Turning right on red",[66,2155,2156],{},"Never",[66,2158,2159],{},[23,2160,2161],{},"Usually permitted after stopping",[48,2163,2164,2167,2170],{},[66,2165,2166],{},"Overtaking",[66,2168,2169],{},"Offside only, keep left",[66,2171,2172],{},[23,2173,2174],{},"Either side, normal practice",[48,2176,2177,2180,2183],{},[66,2178,2179],{},"Lane discipline",[66,2181,2182],{},"Keep left unless overtaking",[66,2184,2185],{},"Largely absent",[48,2187,2188,2191,2194],{},[66,2189,2190],{},"Unsignalled crossroads",[66,2192,2193],{},"Rare",[66,2195,2196],{},[23,2197,2198],{},"Four-way stops, first to arrive goes",[48,2200,2201,2204,2206],{},[66,2202,2203],{},"Motorway limits",[66,2205,649],{},[66,2207,2208],{},"65–75, higher in parts of the west",[48,2210,2211,2214,2217],{},[66,2212,2213],{},"Junction numbering",[66,2215,2216],{},"Sequential",[66,2218,2219],{},"By milepost",[48,2221,2222,2225,2228],{},[66,2223,2224],{},"Fuel price",[66,2226,2227],{},"High, mostly tax",[66,2229,2230],{},[23,2231,2232],{},"A fraction of UK prices",[48,2234,2235,2238,2241],{},[66,2236,2237],{},"Gallon",[66,2239,2240],{},"Imperial, 4.546 L",[66,2242,2243],{},[23,2244,2245],{},"US, 3.785 L",[15,2247,2249],{"id":2248},"converting-the-mpg-figures","Converting the MPG figures",[11,2251,2252],{},"A US gallon is smaller, so US MPG figures understate by about 17% in British terms:",[42,2254,2255,2265],{},[45,2256,2257],{},[48,2258,2259,2262],{},[51,2260,2261],{},"US MPG",[51,2263,2264],{},"Equivalent UK MPG",[61,2266,2267,2275,2282,2289],{},[48,2268,2269,2272],{},[66,2270,2271],{},"20",[66,2273,2274],{},"24",[48,2276,2277,2280],{},[66,2278,2279],{},"25",[66,2281,731],{},[48,2283,2284,2286],{},[66,2285,731],{},[66,2287,2288],{},"36",[48,2290,2291,2293],{},[66,2292,805],{},[66,2294,2295],{},"48",[15,2297,2299],{"id":2298},"the-roads-themselves-are-a-different-philosophy","The roads themselves are a different philosophy",[11,2301,2302],{},"The Interstate system was built to a consistent national standard, largely in open country, with long distances between exits and generous geometry. British motorways were retro-fitted into a small, densely populated island where the land was already spoken for.",[11,2304,2305],{},"That explains a great deal about both networks: why American exits are numbered by milepost and ours are numbered sequentially, why their junctions are enormous and ours are tight, and why we run smart motorways to add capacity where they would simply have added lanes.",[15,2307,2309],{"id":2308},"if-any-of-it-is-business-travel","If any of it is business travel",[11,2311,2312],{},"If you drive abroad on business in your own vehicle, the mileage is claimable at the same UK approved rates — a business mile is a business mile wherever it was driven. Hire cars are a different matter, as the cost of the hire is the expense rather than a per-mile rate.",[15,2314,257],{"id":256},[205,2316,2317,2324,2331,2338],{},[208,2318,2319],{},[263,2320,2323],{"href":2321,"rel":2322},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.fhwa.dot.gov\u002Finterstate\u002F",[267],"FHWA — The Interstate Highway System",[208,2325,2326],{},[263,2327,2330],{"href":2328,"rel":2329},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.irs.gov\u002Ftax-professionals\u002Fstandard-mileage-rates",[267],"IRS — Standard mileage rates",[208,2332,2333],{},[263,2334,2337],{"href":2335,"rel":2336},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fgovernment\u002Fpublications\u002Frates-and-allowances-travel-mileage-and-fuel-allowances\u002Ftravel-mileage-and-fuel-rates-and-allowances",[267],"HMRC — Travel, mileage and fuel rates and allowances",[208,2339,2340],{},[263,2341,268],{"href":265,"rel":2342},[267],[284,2344],{},[11,2346,2347],{},[289,2348,2349],{},"General information. Traffic law in the US varies by state: check the rules where you are driving.",{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":2351},[2352,2353,2354,2355,2356,2357,2358,2359,2360,2361],{"id":2084,"depth":294,"text":2085},{"id":2094,"depth":294,"text":2095},{"id":2101,"depth":294,"text":2102},{"id":2111,"depth":294,"text":2112},{"id":2121,"depth":294,"text":2122},{"id":2131,"depth":294,"text":2132},{"id":2248,"depth":294,"text":2249},{"id":2298,"depth":294,"text":2299},{"id":2308,"depth":294,"text":2309},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"2025-07-17","Right on red, four-way stops, undertaking as standard, and roads built on an entirely different assumption.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdriving-in-america-uk-driver",{"title":2076,"description":2363},"blog\u002Fdriving-in-america-uk-driver",[2369,2370,2371],"usa","comparison","driving abroad","dvSvtLxz5XHjs11tZPgPWwxOOmDbQX50f3e0k-jcNU4",{"id":2374,"title":2375,"author":6,"body":2376,"category":305,"date":2641,"description":2642,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":310,"imageAlt":311,"imageCredit":312,"imageCreditUrl":312,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":2643,"navigation":314,"path":2644,"readTime":316,"seo":2645,"stem":2646,"tags":2647,"__hash__":2650},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwhy-britain-barely-tolls-its-roads.md","Why Britain barely tolls its motorways",{"type":8,"value":2377,"toc":2631},[2378,2381,2385,2411,2414,2418,2491,2495,2552,2556,2559,2562,2566,2569,2572,2576,2579,2582,2586,2589,2592,2594,2624,2626],[11,2379,2380],{},"Britain has thousands of miles of motorway and almost none of it is tolled. That is unusual, and it is a deliberate choice rather than an accident.",[15,2382,2384],{"id":2383},"what-we-actually-charge-for","What we actually charge for",[205,2386,2387,2393,2399,2405],{},[208,2388,2389,2392],{},[23,2390,2391],{},"The M6 Toll"," — the country's only tolled motorway, a privately operated relief route around Birmingham",[208,2394,2395,2398],{},[23,2396,2397],{},"The Dartford Crossing"," — charged, but paid online or by account rather than at a barrier",[208,2400,2401,2404],{},[23,2402,2403],{},"A handful of estuarial crossings and tunnels",", generally locally operated",[208,2406,2407,2410],{},[23,2408,2409],{},"Congestion and clean air charges"," in cities, which are a different instrument entirely — they charge for entering an area, not for using a road",[11,2412,2413],{},"The Severn crossings were tolled for decades and the charges were removed in December 2018, which remains the largest single reduction in road charging the UK has seen.",[15,2415,2417],{"id":2416},"what-britain-actually-charges-for","What Britain actually charges for",[42,2419,2420,2432],{},[45,2421,2422],{},[48,2423,2424,2427,2429],{},[51,2425,2426],{},"Charge",[51,2428,374],{},[51,2430,2431],{},"Notes",[61,2433,2434,2445,2456,2467,2480],{},[48,2435,2436,2439,2442],{},[66,2437,2438],{},"M6 Toll",[66,2440,2441],{},"Tolled motorway",[66,2443,2444],{},"The only one",[48,2446,2447,2450,2453],{},[66,2448,2449],{},"Dartford Crossing",[66,2451,2452],{},"Crossing charge",[66,2454,2455],{},"Free-flow, pay by midnight the next day",[48,2457,2458,2461,2464],{},[66,2459,2460],{},"Various estuarial crossings and tunnels",[66,2462,2463],{},"Local",[66,2465,2466],{},"Operator-set",[48,2468,2469,2472,2477],{},[66,2470,2471],{},"Severn crossings",[66,2473,2474],{},[23,2475,2476],{},"Removed in December 2018",[66,2478,2479],{},"Previously tolled for decades",[48,2481,2482,2485,2488],{},[66,2483,2484],{},"Congestion charge, ULEZ, clean air zones",[66,2486,2487],{},"Area charges",[66,2489,2490],{},"Charge for entering an area, not using a road",[15,2492,2494],{"id":2493},"britain-and-america-compared","Britain and America compared",[42,2496,2497,2507],{},[45,2498,2499],{},[48,2500,2501,2503,2505],{},[51,2502],{},[51,2504,2143],{},[51,2506,2146],{},[61,2508,2509,2520,2531,2541],{},[48,2510,2511,2514,2517],{},[66,2512,2513],{},"Tolled motorway mileage",[66,2515,2516],{},"Almost none",[66,2518,2519],{},"Extensive, especially the northeast",[48,2521,2522,2525,2528],{},[66,2523,2524],{},"How roads are funded",[66,2526,2527],{},"General taxation, fuel duty, VED",[66,2529,2530],{},"Federal and state funds, plus toll bonds",[48,2532,2533,2536,2538],{},[66,2534,2535],{},"Per-journey decision to avoid a charge",[66,2537,2193],{},[66,2539,2540],{},"Common",[48,2542,2543,2546,2549],{},[66,2544,2545],{},"Transponder accounts",[66,2547,2548],{},"Minimal",[66,2550,2551],{},"Widespread",[15,2553,2555],{"id":2554},"how-the-roads-are-paid-for-instead","How the roads are paid for instead",[11,2557,2558],{},"Through general taxation, with vehicle excise duty and fuel duty raising revenue at national level. Fuel duty in particular means every mile driven contributes, without any of the infrastructure a toll requires.",[11,2560,2561],{},"The consequence: no barriers, no accounts, no queues, and no per-journey decision about whether to take the road. It is administratively cheap and politically settled.",[15,2563,2565],{"id":2564},"the-american-contrast","The American contrast",[11,2567,2568],{},"The US has an extensive network of tolled turnpikes, particularly in the northeast, often predating the Interstate system and funded by bonds serviced from the tolls themselves.",[11,2570,2571],{},"That model puts the cost on the users of a specific road rather than on drivers generally. It also produces electronic tolling accounts, transponders and the small industry that surrounds them — plus the genuine phenomenon of choosing a slower free route to avoid a charge, which barely exists in Britain.",[15,2573,2575],{"id":2574},"the-bit-that-is-quietly-changing","The bit that is quietly changing",[11,2577,2578],{},"Fuel duty is a per-litre tax, and electric vehicles do not buy litres. As the fleet electrifies, the revenue that funds the roads declines while the roads carry the same traffic.",[11,2580,2581],{},"Every serious discussion of how to replace it comes back to charging for road use in some form — which is why road pricing keeps reappearing in policy debate. Whatever replaces fuel duty is likely to be more like a toll than less.",[15,2583,2585],{"id":2584},"what-it-means-for-a-business-driver-today","What it means for a business driver today",[11,2587,2588],{},"The charges that do exist are claimable when the journey is business: crossings, tolls, congestion and clean air charges, all separately from the mileage rate, which covers running the vehicle rather than the right to drive it somewhere.",[11,2590,2591],{},"Keep them attached to the journey rather than as anonymous line items on a statement, because whether each one is claimable depends on where you were going.",[15,2593,257],{"id":256},[205,2595,2596,2603,2610,2617],{},[208,2597,2598],{},[263,2599,2602],{"href":2600,"rel":2601},"https:\u002F\u002Fnationalhighways.co.uk\u002F",[267],"National Highways",[208,2604,2605],{},[263,2606,2609],{"href":2607,"rel":2608},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fgovernment\u002Fcollections\u002Froad-investment-strategy",[267],"GOV.UK — Road Investment Strategy",[208,2611,2612],{},[263,2613,2616],{"href":2614,"rel":2615},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fvehicle-tax-rate-tables",[267],"DVLA — Vehicle tax rate tables",[208,2618,2619],{},[263,2620,2623],{"href":2621,"rel":2622},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fexpenses-if-youre-self-employed\u002Fvehicles",[267],"HMRC — Expenses if you're self-employed: vehicles",[284,2625],{},[11,2627,2628],{},[289,2629,2630],{},"General information, not tax advice.",{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":2632},[2633,2634,2635,2636,2637,2638,2639,2640],{"id":2383,"depth":294,"text":2384},{"id":2416,"depth":294,"text":2417},{"id":2493,"depth":294,"text":2494},{"id":2554,"depth":294,"text":2555},{"id":2564,"depth":294,"text":2565},{"id":2574,"depth":294,"text":2575},{"id":2584,"depth":294,"text":2585},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"2025-07-10","One tolled motorway, a handful of crossings, and a funding model completely unlike the American turnpike.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhy-britain-barely-tolls-its-roads",{"title":2375,"description":2642},"blog\u002Fwhy-britain-barely-tolls-its-roads",[2648,2649,2370],"tolls","roads","hXftdh72UdZyYzzpHDYTqYuRabxuFl6VHeBVFyp9WYQ",{"id":2652,"title":2653,"author":6,"body":2654,"category":305,"date":2871,"description":2872,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":310,"imageAlt":311,"imageCredit":312,"imageCreditUrl":312,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":2873,"navigation":314,"path":2874,"readTime":316,"seo":2875,"stem":2876,"tags":2877,"__hash__":2880},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwhy-uk-road-schemes-take-decades.md","Why a road scheme takes twenty years in Britain",{"type":8,"value":2655,"toc":2861},[2656,2659,2663,2670,2673,2677,2688,2691,2695,2783,2786,2790,2793,2796,2800,2803,2806,2810,2813,2816,2820,2823,2826,2828,2854,2856],[11,2657,2658],{},"Anyone who drives the same corridor for years watches the same bottleneck get discussed, consulted on, designed, challenged and deferred. Here is why that is structural rather than incompetence.",[15,2660,2662],{"id":2661},"how-major-roads-get-funded","How major roads get funded",[11,2664,2665,2666,2669],{},"England's strategic road network — motorways and major A roads — is run by National Highways and funded through ",[23,2667,2668],{},"Road Investment Strategies",": multi-year settlements setting out what will be built in a defined period.",[11,2671,2672],{},"That has an obvious upside: a pipeline with money attached rather than annual guesswork. It also means a scheme that misses a period waits for the next one, which is measured in years rather than months.",[15,2674,2676],{"id":2675},"then-the-consent-process","Then the consent process",[11,2678,2679,2680,2683,2684,2687],{},"A large road scheme is a ",[23,2681,2682],{},"Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project"," and needs a ",[23,2685,2686],{},"Development Consent Order"," rather than ordinary planning permission. That process involves statutory consultation, an examination, and a decision by the Secretary of State.",[11,2689,2690],{},"It is designed to be thorough, and it is. It also means a scheme can be consented and then challenged in the courts, quashed, reworked and re-decided — each round taking a year or more.",[15,2692,2694],{"id":2693},"where-the-years-actually-go","Where the years actually go",[42,2696,2697,2707],{},[45,2698,2699],{},[48,2700,2701,2704],{},[51,2702,2703],{},"Stage",[51,2705,2706],{},"Typically",[61,2708,2709,2717,2725,2733,2740,2747,2755,2763,2775],{},[48,2710,2711,2714],{},[66,2712,2713],{},"Identified as a problem",[66,2715,2716],{},"Years of local pressure",[48,2718,2719,2722],{},[66,2720,2721],{},"Included in a Road Investment Strategy",[66,2723,2724],{},"Waits for the next funding period",[48,2726,2727,2730],{},[66,2728,2729],{},"Options consultation",[66,2731,2732],{},"1–2 years",[48,2734,2735,2738],{},[66,2736,2737],{},"Preferred route announced",[66,2739,501],{},[48,2741,2742,2745],{},[66,2743,2744],{},"Statutory consultation and design",[66,2746,2732],{},[48,2748,2749,2752],{},[66,2750,2751],{},"Development Consent Order examination",[66,2753,2754],{},"~1 year",[48,2756,2757,2760],{},[66,2758,2759],{},"Decision by the Secretary of State",[66,2761,2762],{},"Months",[48,2764,2765,2770],{},[66,2766,2767],{},[23,2768,2769],{},"Legal challenge, if any",[66,2771,2772],{},[23,2773,2774],{},"Adds a year or more, possibly a redetermination",[48,2776,2777,2780],{},[66,2778,2779],{},"Construction",[66,2781,2782],{},"2–5 years for a major scheme",[11,2784,2785],{},"Almost none of that elapsed time is building. It is deciding exactly what to build and obtaining\npermission for it.",[15,2787,2789],{"id":2788},"the-a303-as-the-standard-example","The A303 as the standard example",[11,2791,2792],{},"The route past Stonehenge has been a recognised bottleneck for generations. Proposals to improve it — including a tunnel past the monument — have been made, consulted on, consented, challenged, redetermined and revisited over a period spanning decades.",[11,2794,2795],{},"The competing interests are genuine rather than procedural: a World Heritage Site, an internationally significant archaeological landscape, and a road that turns the south-west into a summer car park every year.",[15,2797,2799],{"id":2798},"the-lower-thames-crossing","The Lower Thames Crossing",[11,2801,2802],{},"The other perennial. The Dartford Crossing carries far more traffic than it was designed for, and a second crossing further east has been the proposed answer for a long time. It is one of the largest road proposals in the country and has been through years of consultation and consenting.",[11,2804,2805],{},"Both cases show the same pattern: the case for doing something is not seriously disputed, and almost all the elapsed time goes on deciding exactly what and getting permission for it.",[15,2807,2809],{"id":2808},"smart-motorways-as-the-alternative-that-was-tried","Smart motorways as the alternative that was tried",[11,2811,2812],{},"Part of the appeal of smart motorways was precisely that they added capacity within the existing footprint — no land acquisition, no consent for a new route, much faster to deliver.",[11,2814,2815],{},"That trade was reconsidered after safety concerns, and the rollout of new schemes was halted in 2023. Which puts the network back to the older options: build new, or manage demand.",[15,2817,2819],{"id":2818},"what-it-means-for-someone-who-drives-for-a-living","What it means for someone who drives for a living",[11,2821,2822],{},"Practically: the corridor that is congested today will probably still be congested in five years, so plan around it rather than waiting for it to be fixed.",[11,2824,2825],{},"And keep your own data. If a route consistently costs you an hour, that is worth knowing precisely — a year of recorded journeys tells you what a bottleneck actually costs your business, which is a better basis for changing how you work than a general sense of frustration.",[15,2827,257],{"id":256},[205,2829,2830,2835,2840,2847],{},[208,2831,2832],{},[263,2833,2609],{"href":2607,"rel":2834},[267],[208,2836,2837],{},[263,2838,2602],{"href":2600,"rel":2839},[267],[208,2841,2842],{},[263,2843,2846],{"href":2844,"rel":2845},"https:\u002F\u002Fnationalhighways.co.uk\u002Four-roads\u002F",[267],"National Highways — Our roads",[208,2848,2849],{},[263,2850,2853],{"href":2851,"rel":2852},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fgovernment\u002Forganisations\u002Fdepartment-for-transport",[267],"GOV.UK — Department for Transport",[284,2855],{},[11,2857,2858],{},[289,2859,2860],{},"General information on UK roads policy. Scheme status changes: check National Highways for the current position on any specific project.",{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":2862},[2863,2864,2865,2866,2867,2868,2869,2870],{"id":2661,"depth":294,"text":2662},{"id":2675,"depth":294,"text":2676},{"id":2693,"depth":294,"text":2694},{"id":2788,"depth":294,"text":2789},{"id":2798,"depth":294,"text":2799},{"id":2808,"depth":294,"text":2809},{"id":2818,"depth":294,"text":2819},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"2025-07-03","Road Investment Strategies, development consent, and the reason the A303 has been a plan for longer than most drivers have held a licence.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhy-uk-road-schemes-take-decades",{"title":2653,"description":2872},"blog\u002Fwhy-uk-road-schemes-take-decades",[2649,2878,2879],"infrastructure","policy","5CAg2fFeqURAKv6bF8HpXAyjltxl1sAwEBpSieozYgA",{"id":2882,"title":2883,"author":6,"body":2884,"category":305,"date":3052,"description":3053,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":3054,"imageAlt":3055,"imageCredit":3056,"imageCreditUrl":3057,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":3058,"navigation":314,"path":3059,"readTime":294,"seo":3060,"stem":3061,"tags":3062,"__hash__":3064},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdartford-crossing-and-dart-charge.md","The Dartford Crossing: how the charge works and what it costs a business",{"type":8,"value":2885,"toc":3042},[2886,2889,2893,2896,2902,2906,2909,2912,2916,2968,2972,2975,2978,2982,2985,2989,2996,2999,3002,3006,3009,3011,3035,3037],[11,2887,2888],{},"The Dartford Crossing is the busiest estuarial crossing in the country and the one most likely to generate an unexpected penalty for a business, because the way you pay for it is not obvious from the road.",[15,2890,2892],{"id":2891},"there-is-no-barrier","There is no barrier",[11,2894,2895],{},"The barriers were removed and replaced with free-flow charging. You drive through; cameras read the plate; you pay afterwards.",[11,2897,2898,2899],{},"That is a considerable improvement on queuing to hand over coins, and it introduces a failure mode that did not previously exist: ",[23,2900,2901],{},"it is entirely possible to use the crossing without realising you owe anything.",[15,2903,2905],{"id":2904},"the-deadline-is-the-trap","The deadline is the trap",[11,2907,2908],{},"The charge must be paid by midnight the day after you cross. Miss it and a penalty charge notice follows, which is an order of magnitude more than the crossing itself.",[11,2910,2911],{},"For someone who crosses occasionally this is a genuine risk — particularly a driver who used the crossing years ago when there were barriers and has no reason to think anything is owed.",[15,2913,2915],{"id":2914},"what-it-costs-to-get-it-wrong","What it costs to get it wrong",[42,2917,2918,2928],{},[45,2919,2920],{},[48,2921,2922,2925],{},[51,2923,2924],{},"Situation",[51,2926,2927],{},"Outcome",[61,2929,2930,2938,2949,2960],{},[48,2931,2932,2935],{},[66,2933,2934],{},"Paid by midnight the day after",[66,2936,2937],{},"Standard charge",[48,2939,2940,2943],{},[66,2941,2942],{},"Account holder",[66,2944,2945,2948],{},[23,2946,2947],{},"Lower"," rate, paid automatically",[48,2950,2951,2954],{},[66,2952,2953],{},"Not paid in time",[66,2955,2956,2959],{},[23,2957,2958],{},"Penalty charge notice",", many times the crossing",[48,2961,2962,2965],{},[66,2963,2964],{},"Repeated unpaid crossings",[66,2966,2967],{},"Multiple penalties, escalating",[15,2969,2971],{"id":2970},"the-fix-for-anyone-crossing-regularly","The fix, for anyone crossing regularly",[11,2973,2974],{},"Open an account. Payments come off automatically, the rate is lower than the one-off charge, and the failure mode disappears entirely.",[11,2976,2977],{},"If you run a fleet or several drivers, an account covering multiple vehicles removes the problem of a driver not knowing whether the crossing was paid for.",[15,2979,2981],{"id":2980},"charging-hours","Charging hours",[11,2983,2984],{},"The charge applies during defined hours and not overnight. That makes an early or late crossing genuinely free, which is worth knowing if your schedule is flexible — though the reason it is free overnight is the reason the crossing is bearable overnight.",[15,2986,2988],{"id":2987},"claiming-it","Claiming it",[11,2990,2991,2992,2995],{},"A Dartford charge incurred on a ",[23,2993,2994],{},"business journey"," is a claimable expense, separate from the mileage rate, exactly like a toll or a parking charge. The mileage rate covers running the vehicle, not the right to cross the river.",[11,2997,2998],{},"The same charge on a personal trip, or on a commute to a permanent workplace, is not claimable.",[11,3000,3001],{},"Because the charge is paid after the event and often in a batch, it arrives on a statement as a payment with a reference and no context. Attaching it to the journey it belongs to at the time — as a cost on that trip, with the confirmation — is what keeps it identifiable when you need to separate the business ones.",[15,3003,3005],{"id":3004},"and-the-longer-term-picture","And the longer-term picture",[11,3007,3008],{},"The crossing carries far more traffic than it was designed for, which is why a second crossing further east has been proposed and worked on for years. Nothing about that changes what you owe today.",[15,3010,257],{"id":256},[205,3012,3013,3018,3023,3028],{},[208,3014,3015],{},[263,3016,2602],{"href":2600,"rel":3017},[267],[208,3019,3020],{},[263,3021,2846],{"href":2844,"rel":3022},[267],[208,3024,3025],{},[263,3026,2623],{"href":2621,"rel":3027},[267],[208,3029,3030],{},[263,3031,3034],{"href":3032,"rel":3033},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fexpenses-and-benefits-business-travel-mileage",[267],"HMRC — Business travel mileage for employees' own vehicles",[284,3036],{},[11,3038,3039],{},[289,3040,3041],{},"General information, not tax advice. Charges and hours are set by the operator and change: check the current position before you travel.",{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":3043},[3044,3045,3046,3047,3048,3049,3050,3051],{"id":2891,"depth":294,"text":2892},{"id":2904,"depth":294,"text":2905},{"id":2914,"depth":294,"text":2915},{"id":2970,"depth":294,"text":2971},{"id":2980,"depth":294,"text":2981},{"id":2987,"depth":294,"text":2988},{"id":3004,"depth":294,"text":3005},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"2025-06-26","There is no barrier, the charge is not a toll booth, and missing the deadline turns £2.50 into a penalty.","\u002Fblog\u002Fdartford-crossing-and-dart-charge.jpg","A road bridge crossing a wide river","Photo by rpchmi, CC BY-SA","https:\u002F\u002Fcreativecommons.org\u002Flicenses\u002Fby-sa\u002F3.0\u002F",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdartford-crossing-and-dart-charge",{"title":2883,"description":3053},"blog\u002Fdartford-crossing-and-dart-charge",[3063,2648,2072],"dartford","yP4n1p1j0GBRmt1GaZoTN7RQFl22vfva0vCCzdslW5o",{"id":3066,"title":3067,"author":6,"body":3068,"category":305,"date":3298,"description":3299,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":3300,"imageAlt":3301,"imageCredit":3302,"imageCreditUrl":3057,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":3303,"navigation":314,"path":3304,"readTime":316,"seo":3305,"stem":3306,"tags":3307,"__hash__":3311},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Flondon-driving-for-work.md","Driving into London for work: the charges, stacked",{"type":8,"value":3069,"toc":3289},[3070,3073,3077,3083,3089,3095,3101,3105,3108,3190,3193,3197,3200,3203,3207,3210,3213,3227,3230,3234,3241,3244,3248,3251,3254,3256,3282,3284],[11,3071,3072],{},"London is the most expensive place in Britain to arrive by car, and the charges are cumulative rather than alternative. Working out what a trip actually costs means adding several separate schemes together.",[15,3074,3076],{"id":3075},"they-are-different-schemes","They are different schemes",[11,3078,3079,3082],{},[23,3080,3081],{},"Congestion charge."," A daily charge for driving within the central zone during charging hours. Paying it says nothing about emissions.",[11,3084,3085,3088],{},[23,3086,3087],{},"ULEZ."," A daily charge for driving a non-compliant vehicle within a much larger zone, operating almost continuously. Paying it says nothing about congestion.",[11,3090,3091,3094],{},[23,3092,3093],{},"They stack."," A non-compliant vehicle in the central zone during charging hours pays both, on the same day, for the same trip.",[11,3096,3097,3100],{},[23,3098,3099],{},"Parking"," is separate again, and in central London routinely exceeds both charges combined.",[15,3102,3104],{"id":3103},"how-the-charges-stack","How the charges stack",[11,3106,3107],{},"A single day driving into central London during charging hours:",[42,3109,3110,3125],{},[45,3111,3112],{},[48,3113,3114,3116,3119,3122],{},[51,3115,709],{},[51,3117,3118],{},"Congestion charge",[51,3120,3121],{},"ULEZ",[51,3123,3124],{},"Total before parking",[61,3126,3127,3141,3155,3166,3179],{},[48,3128,3129,3132,3135,3138],{},[66,3130,3131],{},"Compliant car",[66,3133,3134],{},"Charged",[66,3136,3137],{},"£0",[66,3139,3140],{},"Congestion only",[48,3142,3143,3146,3148,3150],{},[66,3144,3145],{},"Non-compliant car",[66,3147,3134],{},[66,3149,3134],{},[66,3151,3152],{},[23,3153,3154],{},"Both",[48,3156,3157,3160,3162,3164],{},[66,3158,3159],{},"Compliant van",[66,3161,3134],{},[66,3163,3137],{},[66,3165,3140],{},[48,3167,3168,3171,3173,3175],{},[66,3169,3170],{},"Non-compliant van",[66,3172,3134],{},[66,3174,3134],{},[66,3176,3177],{},[23,3178,3154],{},[48,3180,3181,3184,3186,3188],{},[66,3182,3183],{},"Fully electric",[66,3185,3134],{},[66,3187,3137],{},[66,3189,3140],{},[11,3191,3192],{},"They are separate schemes with separate tests. Paying one says nothing about the other.",[15,3194,3196],{"id":3195},"compliance-is-about-emissions-standard-not-age","Compliance is about emissions standard, not age",[11,3198,3199],{},"Broadly, diesels need to meet Euro 6 and petrols Euro 4 to avoid ULEZ charges. Check the specific vehicle rather than assuming from the year — the answer is binary and takes seconds to look up.",[11,3201,3202],{},"For a business running older vans, this is the single largest ongoing cost of London work, and it is the reason fleet replacement decisions in the south-east have been driven by emissions standards rather than mileage for several years.",[15,3204,3206],{"id":3205},"the-arithmetic-against-the-train","The arithmetic against the train",[11,3208,3209],{},"For a single person going to a single meeting, the train usually wins comfortably once you add charges and parking.",[11,3211,3212],{},"It stops being obvious when:",[205,3214,3215,3218,3221,3224],{},[208,3216,3217],{},"You are carrying tools, stock or equipment",[208,3219,3220],{},"There are several of you in the vehicle",[208,3222,3223],{},"You have multiple stops across a day that public transport connects badly",[208,3225,3226],{},"The journey is outside the times the railway is useful",[11,3228,3229],{},"That is genuinely a calculation rather than a rule, and it is one worth doing with real numbers rather than assumptions.",[15,3231,3233],{"id":3232},"what-is-claimable","What is claimable",[11,3235,3236,3237,3240],{},"If the journey is business travel, the congestion charge, the ULEZ charge and the parking are all claimable costs ",[23,3238,3239],{},"in addition"," to the mileage. The mileage rate covers running the vehicle; it does not cover the right to bring it into central London.",[11,3242,3243],{},"If the journey is your commute to a permanent workplace, none of it is claimable, however painful.",[15,3245,3247],{"id":3246},"keeping-it-straight","Keeping it straight",[11,3249,3250],{},"Charges are paid online, often days later, sometimes as an auto-pay batch. On a statement they are indistinguishable from one another and from personal trips.",[11,3252,3253],{},"Attaching each charge to the journey it belongs to — with the date, destination and reason — is what makes the business ones identifiable later. Milesheet takes them as costs on the trip alongside a photo of the confirmation, and carries them into the monthly statement next to the mileage.",[15,3255,257],{"id":256},[205,3257,3258,3265,3270,3275],{},[208,3259,3260],{},[263,3261,3264],{"href":3262,"rel":3263},"https:\u002F\u002Ftfl.gov.uk\u002Fmodes\u002Fdriving\u002F",[267],"Transport for London — Driving",[208,3266,3267],{},[263,3268,3034],{"href":3032,"rel":3269},[267],[208,3271,3272],{},[263,3273,2623],{"href":2621,"rel":3274},[267],[208,3276,3277],{},[263,3278,3281],{"href":3279,"rel":3280},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Ftax-relief-for-employees\u002Fvehicles-you-use-for-work",[267],"HMRC — Claim tax relief for your job expenses: vehicles you use for work",[284,3283],{},[11,3285,3286],{},[289,3287,3288],{},"General information, not tax advice. TfL charges, zones and hours change: check the current position before travelling.",{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":3290},[3291,3292,3293,3294,3295,3296,3297],{"id":3075,"depth":294,"text":3076},{"id":3103,"depth":294,"text":3104},{"id":3195,"depth":294,"text":3196},{"id":3205,"depth":294,"text":3206},{"id":3232,"depth":294,"text":3233},{"id":3246,"depth":294,"text":3247},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"2025-06-19","Congestion charge, ULEZ, parking and the arithmetic that often makes the train cheaper — and sometimes does not.","\u002Fblog\u002Flondon-driving-for-work.jpg","London buses in traffic on a city street","Photo by Umezo KAMATA, CC BY-SA",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Flondon-driving-for-work",{"title":3067,"description":3299},"blog\u002Flondon-driving-for-work",[3308,3309,3310],"london","congestion charge","ulez","BYcL_QwyvacHMLz7e1wp19EcGnQr7GX7xAOSHVTRoaA",{"id":3313,"title":3314,"author":6,"body":3315,"category":305,"date":3496,"description":3497,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":310,"imageAlt":311,"imageCredit":312,"imageCreditUrl":312,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":3498,"navigation":314,"path":3499,"readTime":294,"seo":3500,"stem":3501,"tags":3502,"__hash__":3504},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fm6-toll-is-it-worth-it.md","Is the M6 Toll worth it?",{"type":8,"value":3316,"toc":3487},[3317,3320,3324,3330,3333,3336,3340,3343,3346,3349,3353,3356,3428,3432,3435,3438,3440,3446,3449,3453,3456,3458,3480,3482],[11,3318,3319],{},"The M6 Toll runs around the east of Birmingham as a relief route for the M6 through the conurbation. It is privately operated, it is the only tolled motorway in the country, and it is famously quiet.",[15,3321,3323],{"id":3322},"what-you-are-buying","What you are buying",[11,3325,3326,3327,1349],{},"Not distance — the two routes are broadly comparable in mileage. You are buying ",[23,3328,3329],{},"predictability",[11,3331,3332],{},"The M6 through Birmingham is one of the most congested stretches in the country and its journey time varies enormously by time of day and by luck. The toll road's traffic volumes are low enough that it rarely does.",[11,3334,3335],{},"So the question is not \"how much time does it save\" but \"how much is it worth not to find out\".",[15,3337,3339],{"id":3338},"the-arithmetic-for-a-business","The arithmetic for a business",[11,3341,3342],{},"Take a car toll of a few pounds against a saving that might be anything from nothing at three in the morning to an hour at half past four on a Friday.",[11,3344,3345],{},"If your time is chargeable, the calculation is straightforward. An hour of a tradesperson's or consultant's time is worth several multiples of the toll, so anything above a token saving pays for itself. If you are driving to something with a fixed start time — a client, a court, a flight — the value is not the average saving but the removal of the tail risk.",[11,3347,3348],{},"If you are driving your own time on a Sunday, it is usually not worth it.",[15,3350,3352],{"id":3351},"when-it-pays-for-itself","When it pays for itself",[11,3354,3355],{},"Assuming a car toll of around £8 and chargeable time:",[42,3357,3358,3371],{},[45,3359,3360],{},[48,3361,3362,3365,3368],{},[51,3363,3364],{},"Your time is worth",[51,3366,3367],{},"Break-even saving",[51,3369,3370],{},"Typical verdict",[61,3372,3373,3383,3394,3405,3416],{},[48,3374,3375,3378,3380],{},[66,3376,3377],{},"£0 (own time, weekend)",[66,3379,2156],{},[66,3381,3382],{},"Take the M6",[48,3384,3385,3388,3391],{},[66,3386,3387],{},"£25\u002Fhr",[66,3389,3390],{},"19 min",[66,3392,3393],{},"Often worth it at peak",[48,3395,3396,3399,3402],{},[66,3397,3398],{},"£50\u002Fhr",[66,3400,3401],{},"10 min",[66,3403,3404],{},"Usually worth it",[48,3406,3407,3410,3413],{},[66,3408,3409],{},"£100\u002Fhr",[66,3411,3412],{},"5 min",[66,3414,3415],{},"Almost always worth it",[48,3417,3418,3421,3423],{},[66,3419,3420],{},"Fixed appointment you cannot miss",[66,3422,501],{},[66,3424,3425],{},[23,3426,3427],{},"Worth it for the certainty alone",[15,3429,3431],{"id":3430},"the-bit-people-get-wrong","The bit people get wrong",[11,3433,3434],{},"Comparing the toll against the fuel saved. The fuel difference between the two routes is small and can go either way — the toll road is not appreciably shorter.",[11,3436,3437],{},"The toll is not buying you fuel. It is buying you time and certainty, and it should be judged against what those are worth on that particular trip.",[15,3439,2988],{"id":2987},[11,3441,3442,3443,3445],{},"A toll paid on a ",[23,3444,2994],{}," is a claimable expense, separate from the mileage rate. The mileage rate covers running the vehicle; the toll is the cost of using that particular road.",[11,3447,3448],{},"Keep it attached to the journey. A toll on your commute to a permanent workplace is not claimable, and a statement showing six tolls does not tell you which were which.",[15,3450,3452],{"id":3451},"the-wider-point-about-tolling","The wider point about tolling",[11,3454,3455],{},"The M6 Toll is a useful demonstration of what tolled British motorways would feel like: reliably clear, and used by a minority. Whether that is a good outcome depends on what you think roads are for, which is roughly the debate that will follow fuel duty as the fleet electrifies.",[15,3457,257],{"id":256},[205,3459,3460,3465,3470,3475],{},[208,3461,3462],{},[263,3463,2602],{"href":2600,"rel":3464},[267],[208,3466,3467],{},[263,3468,2846],{"href":2844,"rel":3469},[267],[208,3471,3472],{},[263,3473,2623],{"href":2621,"rel":3474},[267],[208,3476,3477],{},[263,3478,3034],{"href":3032,"rel":3479},[267],[284,3481],{},[11,3483,3484],{},[289,3485,3486],{},"General information, not tax advice. Toll prices are set by the operator and change.",{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":3488},[3489,3490,3491,3492,3493,3494,3495],{"id":3322,"depth":294,"text":3323},{"id":3338,"depth":294,"text":3339},{"id":3351,"depth":294,"text":3352},{"id":3430,"depth":294,"text":3431},{"id":2987,"depth":294,"text":2988},{"id":3451,"depth":294,"text":3452},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"2025-06-12","Britain's only tolled motorway, the time it actually saves, and the arithmetic for someone whose hours are chargeable.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fm6-toll-is-it-worth-it",{"title":3314,"description":3497},"blog\u002Fm6-toll-is-it-worth-it",[3503,2648,2072],"m6 toll","vAqY8nSl2qCyAg69Ty-h1bTOGKaSNZFrO1CJ6UUdHVI",{"id":3506,"title":3507,"author":6,"body":3508,"category":305,"date":3717,"description":3718,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":310,"imageAlt":311,"imageCredit":312,"imageCreditUrl":312,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":3719,"navigation":314,"path":3720,"readTime":294,"seo":3721,"stem":3722,"tags":3723,"__hash__":3726},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Faverage-speed-cameras-and-roadworks.md","Average speed cameras: how they actually work",{"type":8,"value":3509,"toc":3708},[3510,3513,3517,3520,3523,3527,3533,3539,3545,3551,3555,3639,3643,3646,3652,3658,3662,3665,3668,3671,3675,3678,3680,3702,3704],[11,3511,3512],{},"Average speed enforcement has become the default on motorway roadworks and on a growing number of permanent stretches. It behaves differently from a fixed camera, and most of what drivers believe about it is folklore.",[15,3514,3516],{"id":3515},"how-it-works","How it works",[11,3518,3519],{},"Cameras at two or more points read your number plate and timestamp it. Divide the distance between them by the elapsed time and you have your average speed over that section.",[11,3521,3522],{},"There is no flash, there is nothing to see, and slowing down for the camera you can see achieves nothing because your speed at any one point is not what is being measured.",[15,3524,3526],{"id":3525},"the-myths","The myths",[11,3528,3529,3532],{},[23,3530,3531],{},"\"Change lanes and it can't track you.\""," It can. Modern systems read plates across all lanes and match entry to exit regardless of which lane you used.",[11,3534,3535,3538],{},[23,3536,3537],{},"\"There's a grace period so you can make it up.\""," There is generally a small tolerance, as with any enforcement, but it is not a licence to speed for half the section and crawl the rest. The average is the average.",[11,3540,3541,3544],{},[23,3542,3543],{},"\"They're switched off at night.\""," Assume they are not.",[11,3546,3547,3550],{},[23,3548,3549],{},"\"They're only in roadworks.\""," Increasingly not — several permanent stretches use them, and they are common on rural A roads with poor safety records.",[15,3552,3554],{"id":3553},"fixed-versus-average-speed-cameras","Fixed versus average speed cameras",[42,3556,3557,3569],{},[45,3558,3559],{},[48,3560,3561,3563,3566],{},[51,3562],{},[51,3564,3565],{},"Fixed camera",[51,3567,3568],{},"Average speed",[61,3570,3571,3585,3596,3607,3618,3628],{},[48,3572,3573,3576,3579],{},[66,3574,3575],{},"What it measures",[66,3577,3578],{},"Speed at one point",[66,3580,3581,3582],{},"Speed over a ",[23,3583,3584],{},"section",[48,3586,3587,3590,3592],{},[66,3588,3589],{},"Slowing down for it works",[66,3591,466],{},[66,3593,3594],{},[23,3595,1074],{},[48,3597,3598,3601,3603],{},[66,3599,3600],{},"Changing lanes defeats it",[66,3602,1074],{},[66,3604,3605],{},[23,3606,1074],{},[48,3608,3609,3612,3615],{},[66,3610,3611],{},"Visible when triggered",[66,3613,3614],{},"Often a flash",[66,3616,3617],{},"Nothing",[48,3619,3620,3623,3625],{},[66,3621,3622],{},"Typical section length",[66,3624,501],{},[66,3626,3627],{},"Hundreds of metres to several miles",[48,3629,3630,3633,3636],{},[66,3631,3632],{},"Common location",[66,3634,3635],{},"Accident spots",[66,3637,3638],{},"Roadworks, rural A roads",[15,3640,3642],{"id":3641},"why-roadworks-use-them","Why roadworks use them",[11,3644,3645],{},"Two reasons that are worth understanding rather than resenting.",[11,3647,3648,3651],{},[23,3649,3650],{},"Workforce safety."," People are working feet from live traffic, often behind nothing more than a cone line. The 50 mph limit exists because of them.",[11,3653,3654,3657],{},[23,3655,3656],{},"Throughput."," Counter-intuitively, a uniform lower speed can move more vehicles through a constrained section than a higher speed with stop-start bunching. Smooth flow beats fast flow when capacity is the constraint.",[15,3659,3661],{"id":3660},"for-anyone-driving-for-work","For anyone driving for work",[11,3663,3664],{},"Two practical points.",[11,3666,3667],{},"Points are worse for people who drive for a living, because exposure is higher and because a licence may be a condition of the job. A single average-speed section is a very easy way to collect three points on a stretch you have driven safely for twenty minutes.",[11,3669,3670],{},"And roadwork sections are long. Setting cruise control at the limit is the whole answer — it removes the drift that catches people, which is almost never deliberate speeding but a gradual creep back up after the first mile.",[15,3672,3674],{"id":3673},"the-journey-time-cost","The journey-time cost",[11,3676,3677],{},"If a route regularly puts you through a long 50 limit, that is a real and repeated cost to your working day. Worth knowing precisely rather than approximately: a year of recorded journeys tells you what a corridor actually costs in time, which is a better basis for changing route or timing than a general sense that it is bad.",[15,3679,257],{"id":256},[205,3681,3682,3687,3692,3697],{},[208,3683,3684],{},[263,3685,586],{"href":584,"rel":3686},[267],[208,3688,3689],{},[263,3690,567],{"href":565,"rel":3691},[267],[208,3693,3694],{},[263,3695,979],{"href":977,"rel":3696},[267],[208,3698,3699],{},[263,3700,2602],{"href":2600,"rel":3701},[267],[284,3703],{},[11,3705,3706],{},[289,3707,291],{},{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":3709},[3710,3711,3712,3713,3714,3715,3716],{"id":3515,"depth":294,"text":3516},{"id":3525,"depth":294,"text":3526},{"id":3553,"depth":294,"text":3554},{"id":3641,"depth":294,"text":3642},{"id":3660,"depth":294,"text":3661},{"id":3673,"depth":294,"text":3674},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"2025-06-05","Not a flash, not one camera, and the myths about lane-changing are wrong. What they measure and why roadworks use them.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Faverage-speed-cameras-and-roadworks",{"title":3507,"description":3718},"blog\u002Faverage-speed-cameras-and-roadworks",[3724,3725,321],"speed cameras","roadworks","D-IgpfCqeqTUOO_46qHVSqiKfm0FtNdqQi9pF_ul2Oo",{"id":3728,"title":3729,"author":6,"body":3730,"category":305,"date":3939,"description":3940,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":310,"imageAlt":311,"imageCredit":312,"imageCreditUrl":312,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":3941,"navigation":314,"path":3942,"readTime":294,"seo":3943,"stem":3944,"tags":3945,"__hash__":3949},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdriving-licence-checks-for-employers.md","Checking that your drivers can actually drive",{"type":8,"value":3731,"toc":3930},[3732,3735,3739,3742,3745,3749,3756,3759,3763,3829,3833,3836,3856,3859,3863,3870,3873,3890,3893,3897,3900,3902,3924,3926],[11,3733,3734],{},"If people drive as part of their job, someone should be checking that they are entitled to. In a lot of small businesses, nobody is.",[15,3736,3738],{"id":3737},"the-paper-counterpart-is-long-gone","The paper counterpart is long gone",[11,3740,3741],{},"The paper counterpart to the photocard licence was abolished in 2015. Endorsements are held on DVLA's record, not on anything the driver can hand you.",[11,3743,3744],{},"That means asking to see a licence tells you the person has a licence and shows you the photocard's expiry. It tells you nothing about points, disqualifications or the categories they actually hold.",[15,3746,3748],{"id":3747},"how-to-check-properly","How to check properly",[11,3750,3751,3752,3755],{},"The driver generates a ",[23,3753,3754],{},"share code"," from DVLA's online service and gives it to you, along with their driving licence number. That lets you view their record — categories, endorsements, disqualifications — with their consent.",[11,3757,3758],{},"Codes are time-limited and single-viewer, so the process is designed around the driver authorising each check rather than an employer holding standing access.",[15,3760,3762],{"id":3761},"what-each-method-actually-tells-you","What each method actually tells you",[42,3764,3765,3781],{},[45,3766,3767],{},[48,3768,3769,3772,3775,3778],{},[51,3770,3771],{},"Method",[51,3773,3774],{},"Shows categories",[51,3776,3777],{},"Shows points",[51,3779,3780],{},"Shows disqualifications",[61,3782,3783,3798,3810],{},[48,3784,3785,3788,3790,3794],{},[66,3786,3787],{},"Looking at the photocard",[66,3789,466],{},[66,3791,3792],{},[23,3793,1074],{},[66,3795,3796],{},[23,3797,1074],{},[48,3799,3800,3803,3805,3808],{},[66,3801,3802],{},"Paper counterpart",[66,3804,501],{},[66,3806,3807],{},"Abolished in 2015",[66,3809,501],{},[48,3811,3812,3817,3821,3825],{},[66,3813,3814],{},[23,3815,3816],{},"DVLA share code",[66,3818,3819],{},[23,3820,466],{},[66,3822,3823],{},[23,3824,466],{},[66,3826,3827],{},[23,3828,466],{},[15,3830,3832],{"id":3831},"how-often","How often",[11,3834,3835],{},"There is no universal legal frequency, and the sensible answer is risk-based:",[205,3837,3838,3844,3850],{},[208,3839,3840,3843],{},[23,3841,3842],{},"Annually"," as a baseline for anyone who drives for work",[208,3845,3846,3849],{},[23,3847,3848],{},"More often"," for high-mileage drivers, anyone carrying passengers or goods, and anyone with existing points",[208,3851,3852,3855],{},[23,3853,3854],{},"On joining",", before they drive anything",[11,3857,3858],{},"Also worth having: a policy requiring drivers to tell you about new endorsements when they happen, rather than waiting to be checked.",[15,3860,3862],{"id":3861},"the-grey-fleet","The grey fleet",[11,3864,3865,3866,3869],{},"The bit most often missed. When an employee uses ",[23,3867,3868],{},"their own car"," on company business, the employer's duties do not disappear because the vehicle is not theirs.",[11,3871,3872],{},"In practice you want to be able to show, for each grey-fleet driver:",[205,3874,3875,3878,3884,3887],{},[208,3876,3877],{},"Valid licence with the right categories",[208,3879,3880,3883],{},[23,3881,3882],{},"Business use insurance"," — social, domestic and pleasure plus commuting is not enough",[208,3885,3886],{},"Valid MOT where applicable",[208,3888,3889],{},"Some assurance the vehicle is roadworthy",[11,3891,3892],{},"None of this is onerous. It is simply not done, usually because nobody has decided whose job it is.",[15,3894,3896],{"id":3895},"why-the-mileage-record-helps-here-too","Why the mileage record helps here too",[11,3898,3899],{},"The same log that supports a mileage claim tells you how much business driving each person actually does — which is what a risk-based checking policy should be built on. Someone doing 25,000 business miles a year is a different exposure from someone doing 800, and treating them identically is either over-administering one or under-checking the other.",[15,3901,257],{"id":256},[205,3903,3904,3909,3914,3919],{},[208,3905,3906],{},[263,3907,979],{"href":977,"rel":3908},[267],[208,3910,3911],{},[263,3912,1583],{"href":1581,"rel":3913},[267],[208,3915,3916],{},[263,3917,1600],{"href":1598,"rel":3918},[267],[208,3920,3921],{},[263,3922,268],{"href":265,"rel":3923},[267],[284,3925],{},[11,3927,3928],{},[289,3929,2055],{},{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":3931},[3932,3933,3934,3935,3936,3937,3938],{"id":3737,"depth":294,"text":3738},{"id":3747,"depth":294,"text":3748},{"id":3761,"depth":294,"text":3762},{"id":3831,"depth":294,"text":3832},{"id":3861,"depth":294,"text":3862},{"id":3895,"depth":294,"text":3896},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"2025-05-29","Licence checks, the share code system, and the grey fleet nobody thinks is their responsibility.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdriving-licence-checks-for-employers",{"title":3729,"description":3940},"blog\u002Fdriving-licence-checks-for-employers",[3946,3947,3948],"employers","licences","grey fleet","ytDzmTQv-ttjwjLK8jhL6QNZywcR-v-zOcEvyHGZvqA",{"id":3951,"title":3952,"author":6,"body":3953,"category":305,"date":4142,"description":4143,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":4144,"imageAlt":4145,"imageCredit":4146,"imageCreditUrl":4147,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":4148,"navigation":314,"path":4149,"readTime":294,"seo":4150,"stem":4151,"tags":4152,"__hash__":4154},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fwinter-driving-for-work.md","Winter driving when it is not optional",{"type":8,"value":3954,"toc":4132},[3955,3958,3962,3973,3976,3980,3983,4032,4035,4039,4042,4045,4049,4075,4079,4082,4086,4089,4092,4096,4099,4102,4104,4126,4128],[11,3956,3957],{},"Advice to avoid travelling in bad weather is sound and useless to someone with a customer waiting. The realistic question is how to do it as safely as possible.",[15,3959,3961],{"id":3960},"stopping-distances-are-the-whole-problem","Stopping distances are the whole problem",[11,3963,3964,3965,3968,3969,3972],{},"The Highway Code puts stopping distances at ",[23,3966,3967],{},"ten times"," the normal figure on ice, and roughly ",[23,3970,3971],{},"double"," in the wet. Those are not cautious estimates.",[11,3974,3975],{},"The practical translation: the gap that feels absurd is the correct one. Whatever following distance you keep in summer, multiply it, and accept that people will fill the space. Letting them is cheaper than the alternative.",[15,3977,3979],{"id":3978},"stopping-distances-by-condition","Stopping distances, by condition",[11,3981,3982],{},"From 60 mph, indicative:",[42,3984,3985,3995],{},[45,3986,3987],{},[48,3988,3989,3992],{},[51,3990,3991],{},"Condition",[51,3993,3994],{},"Relative stopping distance",[61,3996,3997,4004,4014,4022],{},[48,3998,3999,4002],{},[66,4000,4001],{},"Dry",[66,4003,1403],{},[48,4005,4006,4009],{},[66,4007,4008],{},"Wet",[66,4010,4011],{},[23,4012,4013],{},"About double",[48,4015,4016,4019],{},[66,4017,4018],{},"Snow",[66,4020,4021],{},"Considerably more",[48,4023,4024,4027],{},[66,4025,4026],{},"Ice",[66,4028,4029],{},[23,4030,4031],{},"Up to ten times",[11,4033,4034],{},"Which is why the gap that feels absurd in winter is the correct one.",[15,4036,4038],{"id":4037},"tyres-matter-more-than-anything-else-you-can-buy","Tyres matter more than anything else you can buy",[11,4040,4041],{},"Below about 7°C, standard summer tyres harden and lose grip whether or not there is ice. Winter or all-season tyres are a bigger safety improvement than any driver aid, and for anyone doing serious winter mileage they are worth the cost.",[11,4043,4044],{},"If you are staying on summer tyres, tread depth becomes critical. The legal minimum of 1.6mm performs badly in standing water, and aquaplaning is a winter risk as much as an ice one.",[15,4046,4048],{"id":4047},"before-you-set-off","Before you set off",[205,4050,4051,4057,4063,4069],{},[208,4052,4053,4056],{},[23,4054,4055],{},"Clear the whole car",", not a letterbox in the windscreen. Driving with obscured vision is an offence, and snow left on the roof arrives on your windscreen at the first hard stop",[208,4058,4059,4062],{},[23,4060,4061],{},"Lights and plates clean",", because salt spray covers both within miles",[208,4064,4065,4068],{},[23,4066,4067],{},"Screenwash to the right concentration"," — a frozen washer bottle on a salted motorway is genuinely dangerous",[208,4070,4071,4074],{},[23,4072,4073],{},"Fuel or charge higher than you would normally accept."," A closure that adds two hours is common in winter and unremarkable",[15,4076,4078],{"id":4077},"in-the-car","In the car",[11,4080,4081],{},"Something to keep you warm if you stop, a torch, a phone charger, and enough water to matter. Not because you expect to be stranded, but because being stranded is unremarkable in a British winter and the cost of carrying them is nil.",[15,4083,4085],{"id":4084},"the-one-that-gets-people","The one that gets people",[11,4087,4088],{},"Black ice on a clear, still morning after a cold night — particularly on bridges, in shaded cuttings and on untreated rural roads. The road looks wet. It is not.",[11,4090,4091],{},"Bridges freeze first because they lose heat from both sides. If you drive rural routes for work, that is worth carrying around as a rule rather than a fact.",[15,4093,4095],{"id":4094},"and-the-economics","And the economics",[11,4097,4098],{},"Winter costs you fuel too — cold engines, denser air, everything electrical on. A 10–20% dip in MPG between summer and January is normal and not a fault.",[11,4100,4101],{},"If you log fill-ups, you will see it as a shape each year, which is oddly reassuring: it means the dip is the season rather than the car.",[15,4103,257],{"id":256},[205,4105,4106,4111,4116,4121],{},[208,4107,4108],{},[263,4109,268],{"href":265,"rel":4110},[267],[208,4112,4113],{},[263,4114,275],{"href":273,"rel":4115},[267],[208,4117,4118],{},[263,4119,579],{"href":577,"rel":4120},[267],[208,4122,4123],{},[263,4124,1583],{"href":1581,"rel":4125},[267],[284,4127],{},[11,4129,4130],{},[289,4131,291],{},{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":4133},[4134,4135,4136,4137,4138,4139,4140,4141],{"id":3960,"depth":294,"text":3961},{"id":3978,"depth":294,"text":3979},{"id":4037,"depth":294,"text":4038},{"id":4047,"depth":294,"text":4048},{"id":4077,"depth":294,"text":4078},{"id":4084,"depth":294,"text":4085},{"id":4094,"depth":294,"text":4095},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"2025-05-22","Everyone else can stay at home. If the job is at the other end, here is what actually helps.","\u002Fblog\u002Fwinter-driving-for-work.jpg","Snow-covered street with parked cars","Photo by Alice Donovan Rouse, CC0 public domain","https:\u002F\u002Fcreativecommons.org\u002Fpublicdomain\u002Fzero\u002F1.0\u002F",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwinter-driving-for-work",{"title":3952,"description":4143},"blog\u002Fwinter-driving-for-work",[4153,321,2072],"winter","bC1_4O-PA5ynaA19-vUIVA5Dq9GJ70XTBeouMIoKuc4",{"id":4156,"title":4157,"author":6,"body":4158,"category":305,"date":4373,"description":4374,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":310,"imageAlt":311,"imageCredit":312,"imageCreditUrl":312,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":4375,"navigation":314,"path":4376,"readTime":294,"seo":4377,"stem":4378,"tags":4379,"__hash__":4382},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fdriving-in-europe-after-brexit.md","Taking your car to Europe: what you need now",{"type":8,"value":4159,"toc":4363},[4160,4163,4167,4177,4180,4184,4187,4190,4194,4208,4215,4219,4297,4300,4304,4307,4310,4314,4317,4321,4324,4327,4330,4332,4356,4358],[11,4161,4162],{},"Driving a UK car in Europe is straightforward, and the paperwork changed enough in recent years that a lot of drivers are working from an out-of-date mental checklist.",[15,4164,4166],{"id":4165},"the-identifier-on-the-back","The identifier on the back",[11,4168,4169,4170,4172,4173,4176],{},"The ",[23,4171,2143],{}," identifier replaced ",[23,4174,4175],{},"GB",". If your number plate does not already display the UK identifier with the Union flag, you need a UK sticker.",[11,4178,4179],{},"The old GB stickers are no longer correct, and the euro-band plates showing a circle of stars with GB are not either.",[15,4181,4183],{"id":4182},"insurance","Insurance",[11,4185,4186],{},"Check your policy actually covers driving abroad, and at what level. Many UK policies drop to third-party-only cover outside the UK unless European cover is added.",[11,4188,4189],{},"If you are driving for work, that matters twice over: the trip is business use, and the cover class needs to include it.",[15,4191,4193],{"id":4192},"documents-to-carry","Documents to carry",[205,4195,4196,4199,4202,4205],{},[208,4197,4198],{},"Full driving licence",[208,4200,4201],{},"V5C logbook, or a VE103 if the vehicle is hired or leased",[208,4203,4204],{},"Insurance certificate",[208,4206,4207],{},"Passport",[11,4209,4210,4211,4214],{},"A ",[23,4212,4213],{},"VE103"," is the one that catches business drivers: if the car is leased or on a company scheme, you cannot simply take the V5C because you do not have it. The lease company issues the VE103, and it takes time to obtain.",[15,4216,4218],{"id":4217},"the-document-checklist","The document checklist",[42,4220,4221,4234],{},[45,4222,4223],{},[48,4224,4225,4228,4231],{},[51,4226,4227],{},"Document",[51,4229,4230],{},"Needed",[51,4232,4233],{},"Watch out for",[61,4235,4236,4245,4254,4263,4273,4287],{},[48,4237,4238,4240,4243],{},[66,4239,4198],{},[66,4241,4242],{},"Always",[66,4244,501],{},[48,4246,4247,4249,4251],{},[66,4248,4207],{},[66,4250,4242],{},[66,4252,4253],{},"Validity rules for the destination",[48,4255,4256,4258,4260],{},[66,4257,4204],{},[66,4259,4242],{},[66,4261,4262],{},"Many UK policies drop to third-party abroad",[48,4264,4265,4268,4271],{},[66,4266,4267],{},"V5C logbook",[66,4269,4270],{},"If you own the car",[66,4272,501],{},[48,4274,4275,4279,4284],{},[66,4276,4277],{},[23,4278,4213],{},[66,4280,4281],{},[23,4282,4283],{},"If leased, hired or on a company scheme",[66,4285,4286],{},"Issued by the lease company; takes time",[48,4288,4289,4292,4294],{},[66,4290,4291],{},"UK identifier",[66,4293,4242],{},[66,4295,4296],{},"GB stickers and GB euro-plates are no longer correct",[11,4298,4299],{},"The VE103 is the one that strands business drivers: you cannot use the V5C for a leased car because\nyou do not have it.",[15,4301,4303],{"id":4302},"equipment-requirements-vary-by-country","Equipment requirements vary by country",[11,4305,4306],{},"Several countries require items to be carried — warning triangles, hi-vis vests, spare bulbs, breathalysers — and the list differs between them. France, Spain and others each have their own requirements, and some have low-emission zone schemes with their own stickers that must be obtained in advance.",[11,4308,4309],{},"Check the specific countries on the route rather than assuming a general European standard, because there is not one.",[15,4311,4313],{"id":4312},"the-driving-itself","The driving itself",[11,4315,4316],{},"Headlight beam deflectors, or headlights adjusted, so you do not dazzle oncoming traffic. Speed limits in kilometres per hour, often lower in wet conditions in France. Tolls on many motorways, usually by card.",[15,4318,4320],{"id":4319},"the-business-mileage-question","The business mileage question",[11,4322,4323],{},"Business miles driven abroad in your own vehicle count towards the same approved-rate claim as miles driven at home, including the 10,000-mile threshold. It is one annual total, wherever the driving happened.",[11,4325,4326],{},"Ferries, tunnels, foreign tolls, vignettes and emissions stickers are separate claimable costs on top, as tolls are here.",[11,4328,4329],{},"If the trip mixes business and personal days, only the business element is claimable, and that apportionment is much easier to defend if each leg was recorded as it happened rather than reconstructed from a fortnight of photographs.",[15,4331,257],{"id":256},[205,4333,4334,4339,4346,4351],{},[208,4335,4336],{},[263,4337,2337],{"href":2335,"rel":4338},[267],[208,4340,4341],{},[263,4342,4345],{"href":4343,"rel":4344},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fgovernment\u002Fpublications\u002F490-employee-travel-a-tax-and-nics-guide",[267],"HMRC — 490: Employee travel, a tax and NICs guide",[208,4347,4348],{},[263,4349,2853],{"href":2851,"rel":4350},[267],[208,4352,4353],{},[263,4354,268],{"href":265,"rel":4355},[267],[284,4357],{},[11,4359,4360],{},[289,4361,4362],{},"General information, not legal or tax advice. Requirements differ by country and change: check each country on your route before travelling.",{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":4364},[4365,4366,4367,4368,4369,4370,4371,4372],{"id":4165,"depth":294,"text":4166},{"id":4182,"depth":294,"text":4183},{"id":4192,"depth":294,"text":4193},{"id":4217,"depth":294,"text":4218},{"id":4302,"depth":294,"text":4303},{"id":4312,"depth":294,"text":4313},{"id":4319,"depth":294,"text":4320},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"2025-04-17","GB or UK stickers, insurance, and the documents that turn a border into an hour.",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fdriving-in-europe-after-brexit",{"title":4157,"description":4374},"blog\u002Fdriving-in-europe-after-brexit",[4380,2371,4381],"europe","business travel","TUi4Z0wILlYMg3D6WYVZIxL--Vkbm-uH5-0we4NC2pE",{"id":4384,"title":4385,"author":6,"body":4386,"category":305,"date":4575,"description":4576,"draft":308,"extension":309,"image":4577,"imageAlt":4578,"imageCredit":4579,"imageCreditUrl":4147,"imageIsScreenshot":308,"meta":4580,"navigation":314,"path":4581,"readTime":316,"seo":4582,"stem":4583,"tags":4584,"__hash__":4586},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Froundabouts-and-lane-discipline.md","Nobody agrees about roundabouts, and the Code is clearer than you think",{"type":8,"value":4387,"toc":4566},[4388,4391,4395,4398,4418,4421,4425,4428,4434,4437,4441,4444,4504,4511,4515,4518,4521,4525,4528,4531,4535,4538,4541,4543,4560,4562],[11,4389,4390],{},"Roundabouts produce more confident disagreement between British drivers than any other feature of the road, which is odd, because the Highway Code is reasonably explicit.",[15,4392,4394],{"id":4393},"the-default-lane-rules","The default lane rules",[11,4396,4397],{},"Unless signs or markings say otherwise:",[205,4399,4400,4406,4412],{},[208,4401,4402,4405],{},[23,4403,4404],{},"Turning left"," (first exit): approach in the left lane, signal left, stay in the left lane",[208,4407,4408,4411],{},[23,4409,4410],{},"Straight ahead",": approach in the left lane unless conditions or markings say otherwise, no signal on approach, signal left after the exit before yours",[208,4413,4414,4417],{},[23,4415,4416],{},"Turning right"," or going full circle: approach in the right lane, signal right, and signal left after passing the exit before yours",[11,4419,4420],{},"The straight-ahead case is the contested one. A great many drivers use the right lane for straight on out of habit, and are then surprised by someone correctly in the left lane doing the same.",[15,4422,4424],{"id":4423},"unless-signs-or-markings-say-otherwise-is-doing-the-work","\"Unless signs or markings say otherwise\" is doing the work",[11,4426,4427],{},"On any large or busy roundabout, the markings override the defaults, and they frequently do something non-obvious — two lanes for one exit, a lane that must turn, or a spiral layout that carries you outward as you go round.",[11,4429,4430,4433],{},[23,4431,4432],{},"Spiral roundabouts"," are the ones that catch experienced drivers. Get into the correct lane on approach, follow it round, and it delivers you to your exit without lane changes. Trying to apply the default rules to a spiral produces exactly the crossing manoeuvre the design exists to prevent.",[11,4435,4436],{},"Read the road markings on approach, not the shape of the junction from memory.",[15,4438,4440],{"id":4439},"the-default-lane-and-signal-rules","The default lane and signal rules",[11,4442,4443],{},"Where no markings say otherwise:",[42,4445,4446,4462],{},[45,4447,4448],{},[48,4449,4450,4453,4456,4459],{},[51,4451,4452],{},"Taking",[51,4454,4455],{},"Approach lane",[51,4457,4458],{},"Signal on approach",[51,4460,4461],{},"Signal on exit",[61,4463,4464,4477,4492],{},[48,4465,4466,4469,4472,4474],{},[66,4467,4468],{},"First exit (left)",[66,4470,4471],{},"Left",[66,4473,4471],{},[66,4475,4476],{},"Keep left signal on",[48,4478,4479,4481,4485,4489],{},[66,4480,4410],{},[66,4482,4483],{},[23,4484,4471],{},[66,4486,4487],{},[23,4488,423],{},[66,4490,4491],{},"Left, after the exit before yours",[48,4493,4494,4497,4500,4502],{},[66,4495,4496],{},"Right, or full circle",[66,4498,4499],{},"Right",[66,4501,4499],{},[66,4503,4491],{},[11,4505,4506,4507,4510],{},"The middle row is the contested one: straight ahead is the ",[23,4508,4509],{},"left"," lane by default, not the right.",[15,4512,4514],{"id":4513},"signalling-on-exit","Signalling on exit",[11,4516,4517],{},"Signal left after passing the exit before the one you want. This is the single most useful thing you can do for everyone waiting to enter, and it is the thing most commonly omitted.",[11,4519,4520],{},"A driver waiting at an entry cannot read your intentions, only your indicator. Every unsignalled exit is a car that waited unnecessarily, which is a large part of why roundabouts back up.",[15,4522,4524],{"id":4523},"mini-roundabouts","Mini-roundabouts",[11,4526,4527],{},"Same priority rules — give way to the right — and you are expected to pass round the central marking rather than over it where the vehicle allows.",[11,4529,4530],{},"They also require a genuine attempt to give way, which at some junctions has been abandoned by mutual agreement. That agreement has no legal standing.",[15,4532,4534],{"id":4533},"why-this-is-worth-caring-about-at-work","Why this is worth caring about at work",[11,4536,4537],{},"If you drive a van or a larger vehicle, roundabout lane discipline is where you are most likely to have a low-speed collision with a car alongside you — and the one who changed lanes is usually the one at fault.",[11,4539,4540],{},"A dashcam and a habit of following the markings rather than the memory of the junction are both cheaper than an at-fault claim on a business policy.",[15,4542,257],{"id":256},[205,4544,4545,4550,4555],{},[208,4546,4547],{},[263,4548,268],{"href":265,"rel":4549},[267],[208,4551,4552],{},[263,4553,275],{"href":273,"rel":4554},[267],[208,4556,4557],{},[263,4558,282],{"href":280,"rel":4559},[267],[284,4561],{},[11,4563,4564],{},[289,4565,291],{},{"title":293,"searchDepth":294,"depth":294,"links":4567},[4568,4569,4570,4571,4572,4573,4574],{"id":4393,"depth":294,"text":4394},{"id":4423,"depth":294,"text":4424},{"id":4439,"depth":294,"text":4440},{"id":4513,"depth":294,"text":4514},{"id":4523,"depth":294,"text":4524},{"id":4533,"depth":294,"text":4534},{"id":256,"depth":294,"text":257},"2025-03-27","Lane choice, signalling, and the spiral markings that catch out drivers who have used the same junction for years.","\u002Fblog\u002Froundabouts-and-lane-discipline.jpg","A roundabout seen from directly above","Photo by The Lazy Artist Gallery, CC0 public domain",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Froundabouts-and-lane-discipline",{"title":4385,"description":4576},"blog\u002Froundabouts-and-lane-discipline",[320,4585,321],"roundabouts","_BYVml2yJ6aVr57lTYAqeoq8muz_VNctwqgqDUMq0t0",1787360706812]