Roads in The United Kingdom - Driving

Driving

See also: Driving in the United Kingdom and Road speed limits in the United Kingdom

In the UK, vehicles drive on the left and on multi-lane carriageways drivers are expected to keep to the left lane except when overtaking. In Great Britain, the Highway Code applies to drivers. In Northern Ireland the Highway Code for Northern Ireland applies.

UK speed limits are shown in mph and are in increments of 10 ranging from 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) to 70 miles per hour (113 km/h). Unless a lower speed limit is posted on a road the national speed limit applies, which varies between class of vehicles and the type of road. In a built-up area (usually indicated by street lights), unless signs indicate otherwise, a limit of 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) applies. Other limits are shown in the table.

National speed limits on roads in the UK
Type of vehicle Speed limit
Single carriageway Dual carriageway Motorway
mph km/h mph km/h mph km/h
Car/motorcycle, car derived vans up to 2 tons 60 97 70 110 70 110
Car with caravan or trailer 50 80 60 97 60 97
Bus, Minibus or coach up to 13.12 yd long 50 80 60 97 70 110
Goods vehicle below 7.5 tons 50 80 60 97 70 110
Goods vehicle over 7.5 tons 40 64 50 80 60 97

Generally in the UK, goods vehicles are electronically speed limited to 90 km/h (56 mph). For a road to be classed as a dual carriageway, the two directions of traffic flow must be physically separated by a central reservation.

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