A surprising number of motorists don’t know the rules of the road. This may have to do with the fact that they don’t need to refresh their knowledge after passing their test and, of course, for many of us it’s a long time since we took this and the state of our roads and associated rules may have changed since.
FOXY Steph says “When I last realised that I needed to refresh my driving knowledge and skills I took the IAM Roadsmart Advanced Driving Course and am the better for it. But few motorists seem to want to do this – or perhaps to admit that they might need to.”
To illustrate the knowledge gap, here is what Vicki Butler-Henderson reports in a recent issue of the CSMA Magazine suggesting that some motorists appeared to believe the following motoring myths.
‘It is illegal for cars to drive on the inside lane of the motorway because that lane is just for lorries…’
and
‘It is against the law to move out of the middle land unless leaving or joining the motorway…’
Both statements are totally wrong of course.
If you didn’t know this before reading this blog, or feel the need for some commonsense catch up reading about driving today, please buy yourself a copy of The Highway Code as a matter of some urgency and refresh your knowledge about the rules of our roads today.
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Motoring Myth Busters
Here are some myth-busters to discuss with family and friends to make sure they are up to date too.
Q1) Is it illegal to drive in stilettos or flip-flops?
A) No, not unless your footwear interferes with your driving or causes an accident. In those situations, however, the driver can be prosecuted for dangerous driving.
Q2) Can you be arrested for driving with snow on your car roof?
A) No but you must clear this from your lights, mirrors and windows so your sight is not affected.
Q3) Do speed cameras have a built in 10% tolerance?
A) No. A speed limit is fixed. There is no further tolerance…
Q4) Is it illegal to go round a roundabout more than once?
A) Not unless it causes problems for other drivers when you could be prosecuted for careless driving.
Q5) Is it illegal to eat a whole packet of biscuits while driving?
A) No, as long as it doesn’t distract you from driving – although the sugar rush might of course.
If there is a lesson to be learned from all this, it is that few of us know all we should/could about motoring. So please make it your business to refresh your knowledge, accept that you might have forgotten some important and potentially life-saving messages and read The Highway Code, just in case..
