UK driving theory test · Learn · 2 November 2026 · 7 min read

The Highway Code hierarchy of road users: Rules H1 to H3, pedestrian priority at junctions, not cutting across cyclists, passing distances, door opening.

The hierarchy of road users is the idea at the start of The Highway Code that the people most at risk in a collision sit at the top, and that those in charge of vehicles that can cause the greatest harm carry the greatest responsibility to take care. Pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and motorcyclists are the most likely to be injured, and children, older adults and disabled people are more at risk still. Three rules, H1 to H3, turn that idea into practice.

The hierarchy runs through several theory test topics, especially attitude, vulnerable road users and rules of the road. This guide explains each H rule in plain terms, the related rules you need for the test and how questions on it tend to work.

The Code is also clear that the hierarchy does not remove the need for everyone to behave responsibly.

Rule H1: responsibility follows the harm you could cause

Rule H1 asks all road users to know The Highway Code, to be considerate and to understand their responsibility for the safety of others. It then sets the scale:

• Those in charge of vehicles that can cause the greatest harm bear the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger they pose. The Code says this applies most strongly to drivers of large goods and passenger vehicles, vans and minibuses, cars and taxis, and motorcycles.
• Cyclists, horse riders and drivers of horse-drawn vehicles likewise have a responsibility to reduce danger to pedestrians.
• Everyone, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, must still have regard for their own and other people's safety.

H1 also reminds you that the people you meet may have impaired sight, hearing or mobility, and that this may not be obvious.

Rule H2: priority for pedestrians

Rule H2 applies to drivers, motorcyclists, horse riders, cyclists and horse-drawn vehicles. Its main points:

• At a junction, you should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning. This applies whether you are turning left or right.
• At a zebra crossing, you MUST give way to pedestrians on it. At a parallel crossing, you MUST give way to pedestrians and cyclists on it.
• Waiting to cross: you should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross a zebra crossing, and to pedestrians and cyclists waiting at a parallel crossing.
• Light-controlled crossings: pedestrians have priority when they have a green signal.
• Pavements and shared paths: only pedestrians may use the pavement, and that includes wheelchair and mobility scooter users. Cyclists should give way to pedestrians on shared use cycle tracks, and to horse riders on bridleways.

Rule 8, for pedestrians, gives the same point from the other side: if you have started crossing and traffic wants to turn into the road, you have priority. Rule 170 tells drivers the same: if pedestrians have started to cross, give way.

Note the difference in wording. "MUST" in The Highway Code marks a legal requirement; "should" marks advice that can still be used in evidence in court. Theory test answers often turn on that difference.

Rule H3: do not cut across cyclists and riders

Rule H3 is for drivers and motorcyclists. You should not cut across cyclists, horse riders or horse-drawn vehicles going ahead when you are turning into or out of a junction, or changing direction or lane, just as you would not turn across the path of another motor vehicle. This applies whether they are in a cycle lane, on a cycle track or riding ahead on the road.

In practice:

• Do not turn at a junction if it would make the cyclist, horse rider or horse-drawn vehicle going straight ahead stop or swerve.
• Stop and wait for a safe gap in the flow of cyclists if necessary.
• That includes cyclists approaching, passing or moving off from a junction, moving past or waiting alongside stationary or slow traffic, and travelling around a roundabout.

Rule 211 adds that when you turn right across a line of slow or stationary traffic, you should look out for and give way to cyclists or motorcyclists on the inside of the traffic you are crossing.

The rules that put the hierarchy into numbers

Several rules give figures, and these are popular in the test.

Rule 163 adds that you should wait behind the cyclist, rider or pedestrian, and not overtake, if it is unsafe or not possible to meet these clearances. Rule 212 asks for at least as much room as you would give when overtaking a car, and more in bad weather and at night.

Where cyclists ride

Rule 213 says cyclists may sometimes ride in the centre of the lane on narrow roads, quiet streets, at junctions and in slower traffic, and that groups may ride two abreast in these situations. Drivers should allow them to do so for their own safety. This is a common trap: the correct answer is usually to wait patiently, not to sound the horn or squeeze past.

Opening your car door

Rule 239 says you MUST make sure you do not hit anyone when you open your door, checking for cyclists and other traffic by looking all around and using your mirrors. Where you can, open the door with the hand on the opposite side to the door, for example your left hand for a door on your right. This makes you turn your head and look over your shoulder, so you are more likely to see a cyclist or motorcyclist passing, or people on the pavement.

How theory test questions use the hierarchy

Questions on this area usually describe a scene and ask what you should do. A few patterns:

• Turning into a side road with a pedestrian waiting to cross: give way to the pedestrian.
• Turning left with a cyclist going ahead on your inside: stay behind and let the cyclist pass the junction.
• A horse rider ahead on a narrow lane: slow right down, pass wide and slowly, do not rev or sound the horn.
• Cyclists two abreast on a quiet road: be patient and overtake only when you can give enough room.
• Parked and about to get out: check mirrors and look round before opening the door.

If two answers look reasonable, the one that protects the more vulnerable road user is usually the one The Highway Code supports.

How to use this

1. Read our Attitude chapter and Vulnerable road users chapter, which cover these rules with other questions in those topics.
2. Drill both topics with the attitude drill and the vulnerable road users drill.
3. Learn the figures table above until you can give each distance and speed without looking.
4. Take a full test, such as practice test 3, to see how often these situations appear.
5. Plan the rest of your revision with our guide to the 14 theory test topics.

Source: The Highway Code (gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code), Introduction (Wording of The Highway Code; Hierarchy of Road Users, Rules H1 to H3) and Rules 8, 163, 170, 211, 212, 213, 215 and 239; contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; checked 1 November 2026.