Recently, I’ve been appalled by the knowledge of the Highway Code exhibited by my pupils – after having passed the Theory Test, and being only weeks away from their 
practical tests in some cases.
It was highlighted during the snow we had. I’d used the opportunity to cover skidding and the importance of planning ahead, but not one pupil was able to tell me what kind of clearance they should leave between themselves and the car in front in normal conditions, let alone in the wet or on ice.
Answers included two metres, two car lengths, and even two feet! And the one who said “two feet” has failed his test five times already (not with me, I should point out), and he gave that answer when I asked what he’d do at 70mph on the motorway!
Since the snow cleared, I’ve been mentioning this to most of my pupils, and it is frighteningly clear that the problem is not isolated.
To be fair to them, they wouldn’t actually drive two feet (or two metres) behind the car in front. All of them can maintain a safe distance, but it’s when questioned the guessing starts.
You see, if someone is able to maintain a safe distance in practice, does it really matter if – when questioned – they don’t recall the Two Second Rule verbatim, or can’t declare that the gap should be at least two seconds?
At the moment, I (the jury) is out on that one! Just.
However, if they can’t recall the Two Second Rule, how many other things can’t they remember? Road signs, for example, or how and where to park next to junctions, etc? So part of me is still of the mind that they should bloody well know this stuff (or at least some of it).
From now on, I’m going to keep a supply of Highway Code (HC) books and give them out as I see fit. The RRP of the HC is £2.50, which isn’t a lot – but give away 40 of the things in a year and you’ve lost £100. Surprisingly, even the bulk suppliers are asking £2 a copy.
But I got an email through from Amazon today, and it reminded me of the fact that the Official HC only costs £1.49 on there (and delivery is free). You can only order a maximum of five, and it appears you can only have open orders to that maximum number at any one time. I’ll be a bit annoyed if it turns out I can’t buy any more once my order arrives, but we’ll see.