Motorist crushes bike and speeds off with cyclist on bonnet during road rage confrontation; Cycle lane bollard; Rapha jersey listed on Ebay for £105k; Canadian rider outsprints grizzly bear; Highway Code quiz; Aero gains + more on the live blog

Jogle wrote:

 I had a question about what to do if you're not sure what impact cough mixture has had on you. Going for a short drive was an option

Nah, that is for concerns over your eyesight.

Sniffer wrote:

Jogle wrote:

 I had a question about what to do if you're not sure what impact cough mixture has had on you. Going for a short drive was an option

Nah, that is for concerns over your eyesight.

No, that requires a long drive to a very specific historic destination.

Jogle wrote:

 I had a question about what to do if you're not sure what impact cough mixture has had on you. Going for a short drive was an option

Well if it's good enough for testing your eyesight, why not your level of consciousness? 

#BarnardCastle

50/50 But that's because I'm a motorcylist, and it's a well known fact motorcyclists are the best drivers.

Clearly it's not difficult enough if I can score 45 and am from Australia and haven't read the Highway Code. If Surrey police believe that a significant number of UK drivers wouldn't score 40, you should find that genuinely terrifying.

wasn't happy with some of the answers, approaching a zebra crossing and a disabled person wants to cross.

Apparently we should not stop, but only be prepared to stop. Only actually stop once they move into the road, I guess. FFS

And i felt the answer to approaching a roundabout following a cylist indicating right, should have been, "stay behind the cyclist" (not an option), rather than "give them plenty of room." which some may interpret as passing wide just before the roundabout, or even on the roundabout.

Irrelevant that they are in a wheelchair - you don't know that they do want to use the zebra.

Was disappointed for the 2 roundabouts that there was no option for 'as per nmotd 623'

I failed to watch the whole of the video at the end !

hirsute wrote:

Irrelevant that they are in a wheelchair - you don't know that they do want to use the zebra.

Agree it's irrelevant that they are in a wheelchair, but the question expressly stated that they were waiting to cross. One of the few rules in the Highway Code where a lot of drivers are actually more generous than the rule, and will often stop for someone waiting at or even approaching a crossing, even though they technically don't have to (until the new HWC...) 

hirsute wrote:

Irrelevant that they are in a wheelchair - you don't know that they do want to use the zebra.

Was disappointed for the 2 roundabouts that there was no option for 'as per nmotd 623'

I failed to watch the whole of the video at the end !

The questioned is phrased that they are "waiting to cross". But cars should not stop until they enter the crossing?, however rule 18 instructs pedestrians to "always check that the traffic has stopped before you start to cross"

so what chance does that give them. Drivers don't stop until pedestrians are already in the road, but pedestrians should not start to cross until traffic has stopped.

If I see ANYONE waiting to cross at a zebra crossing I will stop (not be prepared to stop, actually stop). If I am near a crossing as a pedestrian and not wanting to cross I make this very clear by standing well back from the edge of the road, or looking away from the road.

The new highway code is revising this wording to clear up the ambiguity.

Not every pedestrians is as considerate as you !

But I'd say with that one the answer was as per the highway code wording so that made sense to me, whereas some of them the wording of the answer was just odd like you follow two cyclists approaching a roundabout in the left lane...where do you expect the cyclists to go...any direction!?!

I mean fine it's trying to funnel you towards dont assume the direction they are going answer, be prepared to let them take any direction, but am I supposed to assume they are or are not also following the highway code here as well, like you wouldnt go any direction on a roundabout from a left lane if the road markings said left turns only, and I would be indicating to turn right even if I rode around on the left, not that I'd ever do that as I think that's a flippin dangerous way to use a roundabout, but I accept the HC states you can, but it doesnt say I can ride any direction I like from any lane I want and not offer some clue as to my intended direction of travel to following vehicles.

Plus I was always taught to control speed via the engine by using higher gears and lower revs, infact you had to be mindful on your test as the instructors car was happy doing 30-40mph in 3rd,it was a diesel, but the examiner would mark you down for not changing up to 4th. I know the ABD advise the low gear thing instead. But the answer they provide then talks about slowing down and going down hills, where was that bit in the question? as of course you change down gears to go down hills and slow down but you didnt ask that.

I assumed on the roundabout one it was a reference to rule 187.

I think they are after more general answers so a recognition that it could be left, straight on or right.

I got confused with the one you are preparing to turn right what do you do for following vehicles. I dunno - how wide is the road, how many lanes, is there a central bit to facilitate right turns? MSM is the general idea !

Awavey wrote:

... some of them the wording of the answer was just odd like you follow two cyclists approaching a roundabout in the left lane...where do you expect the cyclists to go...any direction!?! .

The highway code is quite explicit on this (rule 187) I'm not sure if it goes as far as directing cyclists to stay left and use the outer lane of the roundabout, but there are certainly roundabouts with a conveniently painted left hook cycle lane around the entire perimeter. Rule 77 is quite unclear whether staying left around the entire roundabout is an alternative to walking on the verge (yes really) or an alternative to using the correct lanes as drivers would.

Essentially some cyclists may not be confident/assertive enough to occupy the right hand lane, or right hand side of the lane on approach to a roundabout. Do not assume they will be turning left and that you will be OK to take the 1st exit beside them.

Absolutely, there are even some of these pop up temporary lanes with bollards covering the left lane on roundabouts, quite how you navigate those safely is another debate.

But it's quite clear in rule 187 the HC expects you to still signal right,even from the left lane position, as it would expect you to do so if you wanted to go left, whilst still obeying road signs, a left turn only lane I think would overrule your ability to use it to turn right regardless of 187.

And so the cyclists in this question cant literally go any direction they want, theyd still be expected by the HC to provide some signal to following road users on what they want to do, and youd think a test on the HC would make that clearer.

I just think its an example of several badly worded question/answers, that you get the right answer because you kind of know the area it's trying to cover off, but misses most of the real context,

Some motorists might pick the answer because well bloody cyclists go where they like dont they, not because they realise a cyclist could actually take any roundabout exit from a left lane position.

Awavey wrote:

But it's quite clear in rule 187 the HC expects you to still signal right,even from the left lane position... And so the cyclists in this question cant literally go any direction they want, theyd still be expected by the HC to provide some signal to following road users on what they want to do, and youd think a test on the HC would make that clearer.

But it might also be testing Rule 185, which makes clear you shouldn't assume other road users are signalling correctly (or at all) on roundabouts. Yes, they should generally be indicating, but makes sense for the HC to build in a general caution that other people may not be doing what they should. I can think of roundabouts where I signal when I can, but it's often safer to cover the brakes for fear of a SMIDSY.                   

AidanR wrote:

I honestly didn't think I'd manage 8/10 on a test of the Highway Code, but to my astonishment I got 47/50 on that mock. Lots of lucky guesses!

I have driven in the UK on visits, but live in the US and have never held a UK licence. I got an 80% (40/50.)

I got 100% on the majority of the sections, but missed questions about specifics like the colours of reflectors and the shapes of signs.

I've never had a crash or speeding ticket in the UK, but I did get one for entering a bus/local traffic only zone in Bath. It's very counterintuitive to American drivers that a red circle around a car, without a stroke, means that cars are not allowed. Learning experience.

I'm actually a little dissapointed that I only got 46. Got the roundabout sign wrong (apparently not a MINI roundabout) and a few others that I was a little unsure of the answer anyway.

That was a failure on mine as well. The other one I spotted before foolishly clicking away was the dodgy wording one on turning left of a main road. Stay left of the centre of the road was badly worded to me. I know I got the essential Documents one wrong as well. So not sure what my last failure was but from other answers I'm guessing it is the parking light one. 

Dicklexic wrote:

I'm actually a little dissapointed that I only got 46. Got the roundabout sign wrong (apparently not a MINI roundabout) and a few others that I was a little unsure of the answer anyway.

47 out of 50 for me, got this one wrong as well, along with the one about where to position your vehicle when turning left and one about how to control your vehicles speed with the engine (think this one was poorly worded).

I also flunked the left turn one. Not sure how moving left of centre makes my intention to turn any clearer than the fact I'm indicating left and braking! If anything this positioning just makes for a tighter turn and an increased risk of clipping the kerb. Maybe the question envisages a bigger main road than I was picturing.  

quiff wrote:

I also flunked the left turn one. Not sure how moving left of centre makes my intention to turn any clearer than the fact I'm indicating left and braking! If anything this positioning just makes for a tighter turn and an increased risk of clipping the kerb. Maybe the question envisages a bigger main road than I was picturing.  

I got that one wrong too - I was thinking that you get a better view around the corner if you're left of centre. I got the roundabout sign one wrong (I guessed it was a mini roundabout) as I thought that a mini-roundabout needs more of a warning sign than a full roundabout (they're usually very visible and come with traffic lights anyway).

I have seen then rarely. VW (?) you turned the indicator on after parking and it lit up one side of the vehicle.

I've seen them in use, usually incorrectly. People indicate left to pull in (...No...really...they sometimes do!..) and leave the indicator stalk down, thus showing lights on the left hand side, rather than the right. I suspect they don't even know that they have parking lights fitted.

Yeah I got that one wrong as I assumed (incorrectly) that the rule about using  parking lights couldn't be right as not all cars have parking lights fitted. Maybe they would expect you to use sidelights if the vehicle doesn't have parking lights, but I know my battery wouldn't last all night if I did that with my van. My car has parking lights, but I have never needed them.

I got pretty much all of the questions about order of lights on traffic lights wrong

(I don't really think about what comes next, and I'm never in a hurry).

brooksby wrote:

I got pretty much all of the questions about order of lights on traffic lights wrong

(I don't really think about what comes next, and I'm never in a hurry).

That cost me 2 points too. I've never really worried about the cycle since our Cycling Proficiency instructor taught us that "all colours except green mean 'Stop'".

Also got the colour of slip road studs wrong (don't tend to be cycling on the motorway...) and the one about turning left (think I had Bikeability in mind, where it advises you to move out more central for a better view into the junction and a better turning line).

48 out of 50, how do potential motorists, who have been recently reading and absorbing the highway code fail this?

Never driven, cycling proficiency best part of 40 years back.

Car reversing out of a driveway, then I failed on IT ability and used the "back" button, so I will never know what else I was wrong with, grrr.

I will fail on hazard perception though, I will identify far too many, everything is a potential hazard for us...