Owen Massey ([info]addedentry) wrote,
@ 2007-10-12 10:00:00
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Rule replacement service
There's a new Highway Code. I have a practical driving test booked for November 1, so I thought I'd better buy a copy. According to various press releases, it has 29 new rules. I wonder what they are?

I know about the trouble over cycle lanes and the further deprecation of smoking. I've found the text of debates in Parliament about the revision. But will I have to compare the new edition with the last rule by rule?

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Those changes
[info]alfaguru
2007-10-12 09:17 am UTC (link)
You are no longer permitted to carry dead bodies in the boot while on a motorway.

Oral sex in a laybay is permitted only between 10pm and 4am.

Cleaning your teeth while driving at more than 20mph is now an offence.

No entry signs have been redesigned, and now show Anne Robinson frowning and wagging her finger.

You are permitted to drive in bus lanes as long as you keep your head down.

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Re: Those changes
[info]addedentry
2007-10-12 09:31 am UTC (link)
I feel a round of 'Student Crossing' signs coming on...

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[info]katstevens
2007-10-12 09:47 am UTC (link)
They still seem a bit vague, even on the press release:

"The Code has also been updated to include new legislation that has been introduced on vehicle emissions and smoking in vehicles that are work places, as well as the provision of new stopping/directing powers to VOSA and Highways Agency Traffic Officers. Alongside this, it references new initiatives like Quiet Lanes, High-occupancy Vehicle Lanes, Home Zones and Active Traffic Management schemes that people should be aware of, as well as increasing, re-writing or enhancing existing advice to promote greater co-operation between road users and further promote safety."

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who knew? [shrugs]
[info]vinaigrettegirl
2007-10-12 10:34 am UTC (link)
presumably it's like any other comparison of two editions: top-and-tail chapters, quick review of ToC and indices for differences, check out the notable differences, cross-check for Things Which Ought To Be The Same, and alarm bells if they aren't...?

How was the written exam?

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[info]addedentry
2007-10-12 10:46 am UTC (link)
I'm certain each of the changes is minor, and it's only their accrual that's merited a new edition incorporating them. But if the changes require discussion in Parliament and a new Statutory Instrument then it's surprising that there's only the new text, not a list of amendments.

The written exam -- well, the touch-screen multiple-choice test -- was straightforward, but it was over twelve months ago. Don't tell anyone that I've forgotten which emergency services use which colour lights, or the rules for towing caravans (-;

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[info]invisiblechoir
2007-10-12 10:35 am UTC (link)
Surely it does not matter which are the new rules and which are the old rules: the current rules are the ones you need to know to pass the test.

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[info]addedentry
2007-10-12 10:49 am UTC (link)
True; but given that I passed the theory test last summer, the quickest way to be sure I'm current is to pay attention only to what's changed. If I have to read the whole text for a second time, I'm likely to overlook something in the belief that I already know it.

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[info]megadog
2007-10-12 10:57 am UTC (link)
Perhaps the Highway Code [dead tree edition] could in future be printed with 'change bars' highlighting differences from the previous edition?
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|  That's what I always do with tech documents and notices I issue.
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[info]jiggery_pokery
2007-10-20 02:19 am UTC (link)
That is an eminently sensible suggestion; far too sensible for practicality, I fear.

It's a shame that there is no such thing as a grand, formal and ceremonial declaration of "Introducing new rule" that proceeds the implementation of each little piece of legislation in an Act or a Bill.

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[info]lnr
2007-10-12 11:21 am UTC (link)
I think provided you continue to drive as taught by your instructor there shouldn't be anything in the new version which makes enough difference to the *practical* test. And if in doubt ask your instructor if there's anything he thinks you should be particularly aware of.

The nuisance will be if you don't pass the practical before your theory runs out, but they update the questions every so often anyway so you do have to revise that properly again (she says, having passed it 3 times).

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