As thousands of city dwellers prepare to head to the countryside for the August bank holiday weekend, new research from Nextbase has revealed widespread confusion over the rules that apply on country roads, from speed limits and single-track lanes to passing horses and farm traffic.
Speed Limit Knowledge Gap
The survey found that nearly three quarters of respondents could not identify the speed limit on a rural single-carriageway road with no speed limit signs, with just 27% correctly answering 60mph, decreasing to 21% of those living in urban areas.
The findings come as rural roads continue to account for the majority of road deaths. Official Department for Transport figures show that 923 people were killed on rural roads in Great Britain in 2025, accounting for 60% of all road fatalities. Single-carriageway roads alone accounted for 77% of road fatalities.
Farm Traffic and Hills
Confusion was also clear when it came to farm traffic. When a car and tractor meet on a narrow lane, both should slow down, with the vehicle closest to a passing place reversing where necessary. Yet 62% of urban respondents got this wrong, with 15% saying they wouldn’t be sure what to do.
City-based respondents were also unsure about right of way on hills, with seven in ten unaware that uphill traffic should generally be given priority on a single-track road. The findings also highlighted wider gaps in knowledge around safe driving in rural conditions. More than a third of urban respondents thought it was acceptable to park on the side of the road in a passing place for a break, compared with 25% of rural respondents.
Passing Horses and Safety
A lack of understanding around when to give way or where it is safe to stop could lead to unnecessary delays and congestion on narrow rural roads, while also creating additional risks for drivers and other road users. And while 47% of rural respondents knew to match their speed on unlit roads to the distance their headlights illuminate, only 39% of urban respondents did. More concerningly, 15% of urban respondents thought drivers could travel at whatever speed they felt comfortable with.
The Highway Code was strengthened in January 2022 to require drivers to pass horses at a maximum of 10mph and to leave at least two metres of space. However, fewer than three in ten UK adults correctly identified the 10mph maximum, and 38% of city respondents incorrectly thought they could pass at more than 10mph, with a further 17% saying they didn't know what the limit was. On distance, nearly half of urban respondents would give a horse less than two metres, against 42% nationally.
Separate Nextbase research earlier this year found the confusion extends beyond how to pass. More than a third of drivers did not know that a collision with a horse must be reported to the police within 24 hours if details are not exchanged at the scene.
Expert Tips for Country Driving
Bryn Brooker, Head of Road Safety at Nextbase, said, “Some of these rules might seem minor or easy to brush off, but they are in the Highway Code for a reason. Knowing the rules and understanding how to follow them properly helps everyone use country roads more safely and efficiently, whether you’re driving a car, tractor, or riding a horse.
“That matters even more over a bank holiday weekend, when millions of people will be heading out on roads they may not regularly use and traffic levels will increase. Taking ten minutes to refresh yourself on the Highway Code before setting off could make a real difference, helping drivers know what to do, avoid unnecessary delays and, most importantly, keep themselves and other road users safe.”
Brooker also offered five tips for country driving this bank holiday: treat 60 as a limit, not a target; drive to your headlights; give horses 10mph and two metres; understand passing places; and use a dash cam.
