driving in england

8/10/2019 Driving in England

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DRIVING IN GREAT BRITAIN

AN INVALUABLE GUIDE TO ALL POLES WANTING TO DRIVE IN GREAT

BRITAIN

1. INTRODUCTION

Having driven in Poland for the last ten years, both in the towns and in the countryside, I feel

that I have a fairly good idea of the differences between driving in Poland and driving in

Great Britain and as such where Polish drivers may have problems on British roads. This

guide to driving in Great Britain focuses in on these differences. It is not the full British

highway code rewritten as, in many areas, driving in Great Britain is similar to driving in

Poland and not everything needs going over.

It is wise to be aware that road rage is a lot more common in Great Britain than it is in Poland

and this is probably because the British do believe they are good drivers and they do not

suffer fools gladly. If you sit 2 metres behind a car in the fast lane of the motorway flashing

your headlights, the car in front is more liely than not to bloc your road for a longer periodof time.

The police in Great Britain are another important consideration. Television programmes

showing !!T" footage of bad driving are very popular in Great Britain and the British police

have all sorts of technology at their disposal to eep an eye on motorists. If you do something

stupid with your car thining there are no police in sight then beware, there is a good chance

that your action was caught on camera and you could end up with a ticet as well as an

appearance on prime#time British television..

Basically, to avoid problems with other drivers and to avoid contact with the police, be

inconspicuous and the best way to do this is to now the rules and the principles for driving in

Great Britain.

2. BASIC PRINCIPLES

$on%t ever forget that in the whole of the &', vehicles are driven on the left. 'eep to the left,

go around roundabouts on the left and move bac to the left after overtaing. The most liely

places for forgetting that you must eep to the left will be when turning at (unctions, when

moving away from a paring position or when on )uiet, traffic free roads. *ust concentrate

and be careful.

If you are driving a Polish car in the &', be careful when overtaing on normal roads. +our

visibility will be very poor.

Basically driving is all about getting from point to point B without causing any problems

for you and for other drivers. The highway code and other drivers generally recognise that

for this to be achieved the following principles are adhered to-

. $on/t drive too fast and don/t drive too slow.

2. 0ae sure other drivers now e1actly what you are going to do with your vehicle use

your indicators.

3. $o not cause oncoming drivers to brae or swerve. 4ever overtae when there is oncomingtraffic. This includes overtaing cyclists.

5. 'eep a safe distance between yourself and the car in front. $o not tailgate, do not harass

and do not come speeding up to within a couple of metres of the car in front with your

headlights flashing.


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6. Be courteous to other drivers. 7or e1ample, in slow moving traffic allow traffic into the

flow from side roads and do not bloc (unctions.

8. Be constantly aware of the actions of other drivers.

9. Be constantly aware of the actions of pedestrians.

:. 0ae sure your vehicle is roadworthy and safe.

;. 0ae sure you are up to date with all your documentation# licence, insurance etc.


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Double red lines

These are to found mainly on main routes in busy cities and they mean absolutely no stopping

under any circumstance.

Single red lines

These mean no stopping during specified times


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Double yellow lines

These mean no loading?unloading or paring at any time but short stops are allowed to allow

passengers to get in or out of the vehicle.


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Single yellow lines.

These mean that there are restrictions on loading and unloading and?or paring normally

time restrictions or paring at certain hours. +ou can normally par at any time on a @unday

on such lines. The restrictions on any single yellow line will be set out on a sign on a pole on

the pavement somewhere ne1t to the line. Be careful with single yellow lines. misreading of

the restrictions is probably the number one reason for receiving a ticet.

Local Laws.

Avery town and every city will have its own regulations for paring in places where there are

no lines. @ome towns have paring metres where you simply feed the machine with coins for

a certain amount of time =again read the signs carefully for any restrictions>. @ome towns have

ticet machines where you feed a machine get a ticet and display it in a visible location

inside your car the most popular method in Poland. ther towns may have a system of

ticets which you must buy from local shops and then you must use your 0asters $egree to

wor out how to cross the right bo1 or scratch off the right bit.


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@ome towns allow free paring on @unday but, beware, not all towns. I got stung in Bath for

assuming that their @unday paring rules would be the same as those in Condon stupid of

me. I wrote a grovelling letter to the relevant authority and they let me off.

The easiest option in most towns and cities is to find a car parD grab a ticet on the way in

and pay on the way out.

Blue disability badges

Blue disability badges issued throughout the A& are recognised in the &' and generally

enable badge holders to use special mared car#paring spaces on public roads free of

charge. It is absolutely illegal to par in a disabled paring bay on a public road without

the blue badge. If you do so you can be fined E


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P&r'ed %&rs

Fhen passing cars pared on your side of the road use your common sense. If you can pass

the car at a car door space then do it but if this is difficult then (ust be very careful. Fhat you

should never do is overtae a pared car in a way that maes the driver of an oncomingvehicle feel as though they have to brae be patient. *ust lie in Poland it is not uncommon

to come across cars pared at some space from each other. +ou should really use your

(udgement on this but it is perhaps enough to say that it is bad practice to swerve in and out of

pared cars. If there seems to be more than one pared car on the street, move out to overtae

the first and then stay out until the last pared car has been overtaen. *ust lie you would

when overtaing moving vehicles, give other drivers plenty of notice about what you intend

to do. $on%t pop out from behind the bac of a vehicle. 0ove across to overtae at a good

distance before the vehicle.

-. ETIUETTE

s far as relationships with other drivers is concerned, driving in Angland offers many

parado1ical e1periences. The British can be the most polite of drivers, but they can also be

very aggressive and road#rage is not unusual and definitely more common than in Poland.

E!&/+*es of +o*ite ,eh&vio#r0

Cetting you on to the main road from a side road when the traffic is moving slowly. This is

very common and allows most commuters to get to wor on time. 4ormally a driver will flash

his headlights if he is letting you in. emember that most of the time flashing headlights are

a good thing. This practice is also now pretty widespread in Poland.

Farning you about a Police radar trap. *ust as in Poland, flashing lights are used for this

warning.

The practice of flashing lights is a difficult area. It is true that flashing headlights are used to

allow another car to proceed and they are used as warnings about the police, but both these

uses are informal and are against the highway code which states that flashing headlights

should only be use to warn other drivers of your presence.

. DRIN DRIVING

It must first be stated that the ma1imum allowed limit of alcohol in your blood is far greater

than in Poland. In Poland the limit is basically


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If you are stopped by the police and breathylised and found to be over the limit you will

immediately be arrested and taen to the police station. t the police station you will be ased

to provide two more breath samples and the lower of these readings will be admissible in

court. If the reading is (ust above the limit, you can choose to have a blood or urine sample

taen these may give lower readings. If the blood or urine sample has fallen to below


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O33ENSE PENALT4 DRIVING

DISUALI3ICATION

7ailing to provide a roadside

breath test =code $9

7ine # up to level 3 =E,


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T7+e of vehi%*e B#i*t8#+ &re&s

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Goods vehi%*es .

to$$es

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The 3< mph limit usually applies to all traffic on all roads with street lighting unless signs show otherwise. 8< mph =;8 m?h> if articulated or towing a trailer.

f course, the speed limit on a road does not mean that it is always safe to drive at that speed.

+ou should slow down when weather conditions are poor or when sharing the road with

cyclists, horses or pedestrians. If you are driving too fast for the conditions the police can

arrest you for dangerous driving.

>. C4CLISTS) ?ORSES AND PEDESTRIANS

C7%*ists

Fith cyclists there are two issues to be aware of-

. How you as a driver of a motored vehicle behave towards themD and

2. How they behave towards you, other road users and road regulations.

In the Polish countryside, the cyclist is a common sight and Polish drivers should be well

e1perienced with dealing with cyclists. However, the approach to countryside cyclists is rather

different in Great Britain. If you see a cyclist in front of you on a country road you shouldreally treat it the same as any other vehicle. If you are on a dual carriageway, then simply use

your mirror, indicate and then move completely into the outside lane. If you are on a normal

single carriageway road then you must be aware of oncoming traffic. If there is no oncoming

traffic then it is mirror, indicate, move into the oncoming lane and overtae. Treat the cycle as


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if it were a car and move right over when overtaing. If there is an oncoming vehicle then

don%t mae any attempt to overtae the cyclist. @low down and wait at a good distance behind

the cyclist until the road is clear. 4A"A overtae a cyclist in a manner that forces an

oncoming vehicle to brae or swerve. BA PTIA4T.

$ealing with cyclists in urban areas re)uires additional sills. Because of the amount of trafficon the roads in towns and cities, you may not be able to give cyclists as much room as you

would wish. *ust be very careful, especially when turning corners, and watch out for your

wing mirrors.

Perhaps the biggest problem with cyclists in the larger cities such as Condon is the way they

behave towards you. !yclists will weave in and out of traffic, they will go through red traffic

lights and they may (ump on and off the pavement. The only thing you can do is be constantly

watchful and aware.

ne cycling manoeuvre that deserves special mention is the cyclist that turns right. If a cyclist

wants to turn right they will loo over their right shoulder =probably> put their right armstraight out =almost certainly> and then move over in front of your vehicle to the middle of the

road. If you are travelling fast they will probably wait for you to pass them before attempting

the manoeuvre, but if your speed is reasonable they will move out in front of you and they

will assume you will now what they are doing.

lthough it is not legally compulsory, most cyclists will wear helmets. 4early all cyclists will

now and use the correct hand signals and it is rare to see a cyclist use the pavement =illegal>

unless it is a specified cycle trac. Cights at night are a legal must.

?orses

It is not uncommon to come across horses and riders on country lanes. If you do encounter

such a sight then you must slow right down to a very gentle trot and pass the horses very

slowly, giving them lots of space. 4A"A HT +& H4.

Pedestri&$s

If you are driving on a small county road there is a good chance that there will not be a

pavement. If there are any pedestrians on the road they will be on your side of the road =the

left> and waling towards you. If it is at night, dip your headlights as soon as you have seen

the pedestrians. +ou don%t want to blind them with your full beams.

Pedestrians in the towns and cities offer a different challenge.

Is it very important to state that whereas (ay#waling is illegal in Poland, it is not in Great

Britain. @o when driving in Great Britain pay strict attention to the actions of pedestrians as

they may (ump out in front of you if they thin there is a chance of crossing the road.

Pedestrian crossings

*ust as in Poland, Pedestrian crossings come in two forms in Great Britain. There is the old

fashioned Jebra crossing and the red man green man lights crossing.

The zebra crossing


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These still e1ist in Great Britain but over the years they have been disappearing and have been

replaced with lights. They are nowhere near as common as they are in Poland and perhaps

because of this they are generally highly respected by drivers. Kebra crossings are very

conspicuous. The blac and white stripes will be clearly painted, they will have flashing

round yellow lights maing their location and white Jig#Jag lines will be painted on the road

ne1t to the pavement either side of the crossing.

The law relating to Jebra crossings is that a driver must stop when a pedestrian has at least

one foot on the crossing. Generally this law is obeyed and drivers do stop. If you ignore a

pedestrian on a Jebra crossing as is common in Poland # you are rising the life of the

pedestrian as they will e1pect you to stop. The Jig#Jag lines on the road indicate a no#paring

area.

The Pelican crossing pedestrian lights

s in Poland there is a red#man and a green man and this is where the similarity stops.

Polish pedestrian lights-

Red /&$ it is not safe to cross, cars will be on the crossing and it is against the law to cross

the road.

Gree$ /&$ pedestrians may now cross the road and have right of way over cars but be very

careful as there may still be cars coming

British pedestrian lights-

Red /&$ it is not safe to cross, cars will be on the crossing. However it is not against the

law to cross as long as you do not interfere with traffic.

Gree$ /&$ pedestrians may now cross the road in complete safety there will be no cars

crossing.

ll pedestrian lights in Great Britain will mae a beeping noise when the man is green.


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@. AD6INISTRATION AND BUREAUCRAC4

Vehi%*e re(istr&tio$

The procedure for vehicle registration is very different in Great Britain from the system in

Poland. In Great Britain, once a car has been given its registration plates it will eep the same

ones for its lifetime. The only thing that changes when the vehicle is sold is the name and

address as stated on the vehicle registration document.

Fhen buying a new car, the dealer will sort out the registration documents and you will be

presented with a new car and a new set of registration papers.

Whe$ ,#7i$( & se%o$d8h&$d %&r.

Buying a second hand car in Great Britain is so simple it will mae a Pole cry over the

ludricrous process that needs to be undergone in Poland. The whole administrative process inGreat Britain taes about five minutes # on a bad day, and involves a modicum of pen in, an

envelope and a stamp. 4o visits to offices which only open during woring hours, no long,

long )ueues, no removing and installing new plates and no ta1es to be paid on the transaction.

ll cars should have a "6 registration document. +ou can chec that the certficate is not a

fae by holding up to the light and checing for the $"C watermar.

Fhen you have decided that you want the vehicle and payment has been arranged then do the

following-

Two part registration document V5

+ou should be given the top half when you buy the vehicle. Tell $"C by completing the

bac of the registration document and posting it


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Three part registration document V5

The person selling the vehicle must complete /your details/ in the top =blue> section. Both you

and the seller need to sign the declaration. It is the responsibility of the person selling the

vehicle to send it in to $"C. They should then hand you the "6?2 green section

appropriately filled in. The $"C must be notified as soon as the vehicle changes hands.

Registration certificate V5C

The person selling the vehicle must complete section 8 /new eeper or new name?new address

details/ of the "6!. Both you and the seller need to sign the declaration in section :. It is the

responsibility of the person selling the vehicle to send it in to $"C. They should then hand

you the "6!?2 green section appropriately filled in.

part from the mechanical state of the car and the genuinness of its history, you should also

consider the following-

. $oes the car have a valid 0T.2. $oes the car have valid road ta1.

f course you can buy a car that does not a valid 0T or road ta1 must you must be aware

that you will need to obtain them before you drive the car on the road.

6OT

Fhen a vehicle is older than 3 years, it must undergo a road safety inspection every year. This

is nown as the 0T =0inistry of Transport> test and is compulsory if a vehicle is to be on a

public road.

The 0T test is very similar to the annual Polish technical test although from e1perience, I

can say that the British testing centres are generally stricter than the Polish centres. They will

chec all the usual features including the state of your tyres but they will also be looing out

for heavy rust especially in the lower body panels and car floor. In all the years of having

0T tests in Poland not once have my bodywor or tyres been checed. In Great Britain, my

over mini metro failed its 0T because of a rust hole in the floor.

The ma1imum price for an 0T test in 7ebruary 2


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I$s#r&$%e

The insurance system is noticeably different from the Polish model. In the British insurance

companies they will generally offer you two types of policy on your insurance-

. Third party, fire and theft. This is similar to the Polish ! but with one big difference.+our car is insured against theft. This policy is the compulsory minimum re)uired.

2. 7ully comprehensive =fully comp>. This is e)uivalent to the Polish ! policy whereby

you are covered for all damage to your car whatever the cause.

There are important considerations to be made when insuring your vehicle-

Insurance premiums are calculated from a number of factors which include-

. "alue of car

2. @iJe of car engine

3. @usceptibility of car to theft

5. @ecurity systems on the car

6. ddress of registration of car8. Fhere car is pared at night

9. Fho is driving the car

:. ge of driver=s>

;. $riving history of driver=s> =i.e any driving related convictions>.


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The laws of the highway code are such that in the ma(ority of accidents it is easy to decide

which driver was at fault. If you are involved in an accident and the circumstances are clear

and both parties agree on the cause and there are no in(uries then the police do not need to be

informed. However, if there is a disagreement or an in(ury then the police do need to be called

on ;;;. If a driver accepts blame =it is best to get this down on paper> or if the police

apportion blame then this driver%s insurance company automatically becomes liable to pay forall damages. Insurance companies will advise drivers never to admit blame, but at the same

time they do insist on the complete truth on insurance claim forms. Thus the standard

procedure after an accident is that nobody admits fault, the drivers of the vehicles swap

names, addresses and insurance details, each driver then truthfully fills in an accident report

form and the respective insurance companies fight it out between each other as to whose fault

it was. It is a legal re)uirement that an accident report form for your insurance company

should be completed after an accident and that the form must tell the whole truth and nothing

but the truth.

The good insurance companies do provide a good post#accident service. ll administration

can be done by phone, internet or post and the only office you should have to visit is the onein your local insurance company approved garage to get your vehicle repaired. The simplicity

of the system can perhaps be e1plained by telling the story of one of my accidents in Great

Britain.

I was in my old 7ord @ierra and had slowed down at a give#way (unction when a transit

van ran into the bac of me.

Fe e1changed details and went on our way. 4o blame was admitted.

I telephoned my insurance company and they told me to go and get a )uote for thedamage from one of their approved garages.

t about the same time, I completed and posted my accident report form.

The garage gave me a )uote and I informed the owner of the van of the cost.

He said that the amount was far too high and said that he would lie a mechanic of his

own choice to loo at the damage. I informed him that because the garage was insurance

approved and because he was obviously at fault, the )uote could not be )uestioned.

I again spoe to my insurance company on the phone and they told me that as I had a fully

comprehensive policy I could go ahead and get the repairs done.

The car was repaired, I paid nothing, I was even given a nice courtesy car for the wee

and the insurance companies sorted the payment out. I did nothing else.

The whole process from accident to repair too about one wee.

It should be stated here that the whole process was so easy for me because I had fully

comprehensive insurance. If I had had a third#party policy, I would have had to wait for the

van#driver%s insurance company to admit liability before I could have got the car repaired and this can sometimes tae a very long time.


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Tr&i*ers &$d %&r&v&$s

&nlie, motor vehicles, there is no central registration system for caravans and trailers. If you

want to pull a trailer or caravan you should simply ensure that all it is in good technical order

lights, tyres etc and that it has a registration plate number that is the same as the towing

vehicle%s number. This system saves on the bureaucracy and cost of the Polish system but itdoes mae life difficult if you want to borrow your friend%s trailer. It would be a good idea

perhaps to have an e1tra rear number plate ready for such occasions. 4ormal siJe trailers and

caravans can be driven with a normal class B driving licence.

Drivi$( test &$d drivi$( *i%e$%e

+ou can legally drive a car on a public road in Great Britain from the age of : but of course

if you wish to drive unsupervised you must obtain a full licence. There are in fact two types of

licences for standard vehicle driving. Fhen you start to learn to drive you will of course, (ust

lie in Poland, go out on the public roads for your lessons. Before you can do this you mustapply for a Provisional driving licence by completing a form and sending it to !ardiff. These

and all forms are available from the post office or off the internet.. The learning to drive

e1perience in Great Britain does offer some fun differences to the e1perience in Poland. There

are many many driving schools competing against each other for your business but generally

the costs of lessons do not greatly differ between local schools. Fhat can differ are the cars.

British driving schools are not all re)uired to use 7iat Puntos, or any other type of car for that

matter. If you want to pay the e1tra to learn to drive in a 0ercedes @ class then feel free. nce

you have your provisional licence you can hit the public roads. This is where it starts to

become fun. +ou can choose to sign up with a driving school, but you could also enrol the

services of a very ind relative or friend. +& $4%T 4AA$ T P+ $I"I4G

@!HC T CA4 T $I"A. If you are feeling braver enough and you now

somebody stupid enough can go out and the wide open highway under the supervision of a

)ualified driver and with a little green learner sticer stuc to the front and bac of your car.

Beware, getting your relative or friend to teach you to drive on a public road can lead to big

fall outs and it should always be remembered of course that private cars do not have dual

controls.

nce you feel you are ready to tae your test you should apply for a test date by filling in the

relevant form and sending it to MM. In 7ebruary 2


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to show the documents and you don%t have them then you will be re)uired to produce said

documents at the nearest police station within 9 days. 0y advice would be to have your

driving licence with you at all times, as a means of identification if nothing else. The police

will )uicly be able to chec the ownership details of your car through their computer and if

you can show that you are in fact the registered owner, they will be a lot happier. +ou don%t

want to spend some time visiting the local station. If you are driving a Polish registered carthen do have your documents with you.

Drivi$( :ith Po*ish do%#/e$ts.

I7 +& H"A PCI@H $I"I4G CI!A4!A, +& $4%T 4AA$ 4 BITI@H

CI!A4!A. !arry on driving and don%t worry about an British test unless you really want to

do it or you thin that future employees may re)uire an British licence. It is not possible to

put points on a foreign driving licence for an offence committed in the &'.

+ou can drive a Polish registered car as long as you have insurance. There may be a point

when it becomes impossible to insure your car from Poland for continued use on the Britishroads. +ou will then need British insurance and to get this you will need to register your car

or sell it and buy a car already registered in Great Britain.

I/+orti$( &$d re(isteri$( 7o#r Po*ish %&r.

Perhaps the easiest way of describing the process of importing your Polish car is to give a step

by step guide-

. Bring the car to Great Britain using your Polish documents =registration, insurance>. $on%t

worry about having to declare anything at customs.

2. Fhen in Great Britain get the technical stuff done to your car. This could include-

a. !hanging or ad(usting the headlights.

b. 7itting the rear fog lamp on the right hand side of the car.

c. !hanging the face of the speedometer to include miles.

Probably the best idea is to visit your local 0T test centre and get a sort of pre#test done.

The garage will tell you what will need to be done on your car to allow it to pass it%s 0T.

3. If the car is more than < years old get an 0T done. If the car is less than < years old

then it will need to go through a process of @" =single vehicle approval> testing. +our local

0T centre will now how and where this can be done. This step is not necessary if your carhas a valid Auropean !ertificate of !onformity from the manufacturer.

5. nce it has been determined that your car has the re)uired technical documentation =0T

or @" or Auropean !ertificate of !onformity> then it can be registered. To do this you will

need to contact the appropriate office and fill in the appropriate forms. The office you will be

dealing with is-

T?E EASTGATE O33ICE CENTRE

EASTGATE ROAD

BRISTOL

BS 5 TEL0 11> 2-11

3A0 11> 2-1--


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. USE O3 4OUR ?ORN AND 4OUR LIG?TS

The hor$

+our horn should only be used to warn other drivers or pedestrians of your presence. The car

horn is not to be used to indicate displeasure or impatience. This shouldn%t pose a problem forPolish drivers as the horn is not e1cessively used in Poland, e1cept perhaps at traffic lights

when a driver may be slow moving off. This can happen on rare occasions in Great Britain but

drivers will wait more than a couple of seconds. The use of the horn as a sign of impatience is

guaranteed to annoy other drivers so if you real feel you need to use it then use a smile as

well. The driver in front will use his mirror to see who was hooting him and if the face in the

mirror has a nice smile then annoyance )uicly turns to appreciation. ccording to the

highway code the horn should not be used when the vehicle is stationary and this includes

traffic lights.

Horns should not be use at all between the hours of .3< pm and 9.


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"ide lights and par#ing lights

+our side lights and rear lights should be used as paring lights when you have stopped on the

side of a dar road without streetlights. $ 4T CA"A +& HA$CIGHT@ 4 FHA4

+& H"A @TPPA$ this is guaranteed to confuse other drivers, not to mention the factthat you will probably blind them. If you have pared on the road itself then use your haJards.

$ndicators

The Polish use of indicators is haphaJard to say the least and maredly different from the

British use. fter driving in Poland for < years, I am still getting used to the way indicators

are used in Poland. The main differences occur because of the nature of the (unctions. In Great

Britain you indicate for e1ample to show that you are leaving the main road. In Poland this is

also done most of the time but not all of the time. This is perhaps best illustrated in the

diagram below-

The (unction below is very common in Poland but rather unusual in Great Britain and it shows

a situation where the main road bends sharply and the road going straight on is a secondary

road.

In Poland, the procedure is as follows-

a> Turning left =staying on main road> indicate left

b> Going straight on =leaving main road> no indicator

In Great Britain, the procedure is as follows-

a> Turning left =staying on main road> no indicator

b> Going straight on =leaving main road> indicate right

ther differences in indicator use can be seen-

> t roundabouts where the British will indicate to show they are leaving the roundabout.

a>

b>


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2> n motorways where the British will indicate to show that they want to (oin the

motorway.

3> n reversing out of paring places the British will not generally indicate

5> Fhen overtaing pared cars the Polish indicate more than the British.

6> Fhen driving very slow in a town, for e1ample when looing for a street or a paring

place, the British will generally indicate (ust to show vehicles behind that they canovertae.

4umber 6 in the above list is a very important point and comes up in many insurance cases. If

the vehicle in front of you is driving very slow but not indicating and you attempt to overtae

the vehicle, which suddenly speeds up and hits you, the accident is your fault. If the vehicle is

indicating and then does the same, then the accident is the fault of the driver of this vehicle.

7inally you should be warned about lorry drivers. +ou may be stuc behind a slow lorry in

Poland which then indicates right. This probably means that it is now safe to overtae

although be very careful. This may also happen on rare occasions in Great Britain. *ust lie in

Poland be very careful. This indicator may (ust mean that the lorry is stoppingD it does notformally mean that the road is clear for you to overtae.

1. 6OTORWA4 DRIVING

There is a very e1tensive networ of motorways and dual carriageways in the &' and if you

are travelling any sort of distance between towns the chances are that you will be able to use a

motorway. 0otorways are, as of yet, not so common in Poland and may not be fully

understood.

7or all motorways the following rules apply-

. +ou enter a motorway from a slip road from where you will accelerate onto the motorway.

The slip road is there for you to gradually increase your speed in order to be able to enter

the motorway at the same speed as traffic already on it. Fhen on the slip road and if you

have an un(oined dotted line on the road to your right, then indicate right to inform drivers

that you want to (oin the motorway. $ 4T FIT T I4$I!TA &4TIC +& THI4'

IT I@ @7A T *I4 THA 0TF+. The cars already on the motorway need to

now what you want to do and when you indicate they will move over to a outside lane to

allow you to (oin the motorway. If they can not move over you must slip into the gap

between the traffic when it is safe to do so. If you are travelling at the right speed this

should not be too difficult. The ey to (oining the motorway is to be calm, to use yourmirrors and to physically loo to your right.

2. Fhen changing lanes, indicate well in advance to let cars coming up behind you now

what you are doing. gain they may move over to let you move across but if they can%t or

if they don%t you must not move across in front of them. Fait until the lane is clear.

3. $o not tailgate. British motorways can be very busy and traffic may be relatively slow

moving even in the fast lane. $o not ris causing an accident by getting too close to the

car in front. Tailgating is an e1ample of the worse ind of driving and the police will react

if they see it.

5. The speed limit on the motorway is 9


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dangerous in itself to eep nipping in and out of this lane. If the motorway is busy and you

want to travel above 8. There are regular rest#stops and services stations

along the motorway. If you have car trouble and you need to stop in the hard#shoulder

then be very careful. Fatch out for motorway traffic and 4A"A attempt to cross the

motorway on foot. Phones are available at regular intervals for you to contact the

emergency breadown services.

Going toilet on the side on any road in front of passing traffic is not accepted practice in

Great Britain and could end you up in trouble with the police. If you need to stop for the toilet

=not on a motorway> and there are no public toilets then find a bush or tree well out of sight

of the road.

11. TAILGATING

separate section had been given over to the sub(ect of tailgating because it is a particular

problem in Poland and generally speaing, Polish drivers do drive far too close to the vehicle

in front. The general rule =although not law> is that the distance between your vehicle and the

vehicle in front should be at the least at the safe breaing distance. These distances are shown

in the table below-

lthough these distances act as a guide, the police will stop you if you are far too close to the

vehicle in front and you may be charged with dangerous driving. *ust lie in Poland, if the car

in front of you suddenly braes and you run into the bac of it, then the accident is your fault.

+our distance from the car in front should be such so that if it comes to a )uic stop, you can

also stop without running into the bac of it.

12. CONGESTION C?ARGES

Basically, if you drive your vehicle into central Condon you will have to pay the congestion

charge of E:. This charge e1ists to tae the pressure of the roads in central Condon, to

encourage more people onto public transport, to encourage car#sharing and to raise money for

a greener transport policy.

ne payment will allow you do enter and leave te Jone as much as you want over the day.

There are some e1emptions to the charge. esidents have a ;


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To begin with it must be said that the police in Great Britain do not have little stics with red

circles to stop cars. If a police officer on the street wants you to stop he or she will raise an

arm and point at you. Being stopped by an officer on the street is not so common and most

stopping is done by patrol cars who will come probably come behind you flashing their blue

lights and sounding their siren.

Fhen ased to stop you should do so calmly and safely, watching out for other traffic and

then turn your engine off when stopped. +ou can get out of your vehicle if it is safe to do so,

unless the police office indicates that you should stay in the car.

1-. ROAD SIGNS AND ROAD 6ARINGS

f course, some of the road signs in Great Britain will be instantly recognisable to Polish

drivers and will mean the same in Great Britain as they do in Poland. However, there may be

some signs in Great Britain that do not e1ist in Poland and some signs in Poland that do not

e1ist in Great Britain.

oad signs in Great Britain can be categorised into 5 groups-

Farning signs

rder signs

Information signs

$irection signs

W&r$i$( si($s

These, (ust lie in Poland, are mainly triangular with a red edge. The only difference is that in

Poland the bacground is yellow, while in Great Britain the bacground is white.

Order Si($s

These are mainly circular and can fall into two categories- those that prohibit =mostly white

bacground> and those that obligate =blue>.

I$for/&tio$ si($s

ll of these are rectangular in shape.

Dire%tio$s si($s

Blue for motorways, Green for primary routes and white for secondary routes. f course

when woring out how far you have to travel remember that all distances are in miles and that

mile is appro1imately .6 ilometres.


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Po*ish ro&d si($s th&t 7o# :i** $ot fi$d i$ Gre&t Brit&i$

driving in england

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