At junctions controlled by traffic lights, you must stop and wait behind the white line until the lights change to green. You may then proceed unless your exit road is blocked or it's not safe to do so, such as when pedestrians are crossing in front of you. After the green light, the amber light will show on its own for a short period, followed by the red light. When the amber light shows on its own, you should stop, providing it's safe to do so.

These lines are a device often found on the approach to a roundabout or a dangerous junction. They become closer together as you approach the hazard, warning you to slow down.

When an emergency vehicle is behind with its blue lights flashing, you must remain calm and look ahead for a safe place to move over to let it pass. If you're waiting at red traffic lights, don't attempt to clear the way by driving past the red light; this is both dangerous and a traffic offence.

All warning signs are triangular, but the 'give way' sign is the only triangular sign that points downwards; this is to give it greater prominence as you approach a junction. When you see this sign, you must give way to traffic on the road that you're about to join.

Look at each sign that you pass on the road, so that you don't miss any warnings, orders or information. The shape of the sign will tell you its purpose: triangular signs warn, circles give orders and rectangles inform.

You must stop if there's a red cross with red lights flashing above every lane on the motorway. However, if the signs over any of the other lanes don't show this signal, you may move into one of those lanes and continue, if it's safe to do so.

A toucan crossing is designed to allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross at the same time. Look out for cyclists approaching the crossing at speed.

You may only stop on the carriageway of a motorway
- when told to do so by the police
- when a red cross with flashing red lights shows above every lane - in a traffic jam
- in an emergency or breakdown.

You must stop and wait behind the white stop line when the red traffic light is showing. The white line is generally positioned so that pedestrians have room to cross in front of waiting traffic. Don't move off while pedestrians are crossing, even if the lights change to green.

Where there are double white lines in the middle of the road and the line nearest to you is broken, you may cross the lines to overtake, provided it's safe and you can complete the manoeuvre before reaching a solid white line on your side.

The flashing amber light comes on after the red light, and people may still be crossing. If the crossing is clear and it's safe, you may drive on without waiting for the green light.

The flashing amber light allows time for pedestrians to finish crossing. If the crossing is clear and it's safe, you may drive on before the green light shows.

The lane under a gantry signal showing a red cross with flashing red lights is closed to traffic. You shouldn't proceed past that point in that lane. Should other lanes be open, move to a different lane and proceed with care. If red signals are shown above all lanes, then all lanes are closed: you must stop and wait for the lights to change or until you're directed to move.

When parking a vehicle with automatic transmission, the gear selector should be moved to the 'P' (Park) position. This locks the transmission and prevents the vehicle from moving forwards or backwards. This will stop it from rolling away should the parking brake fail.

A circular sign with a red border tells you what you mustn't do. If the circle contains a speed limit, you mustn't exceed the limit, whether the sign is temporary or not.

Letting your vehicle roll or coast in neutral reduces your control over steering and braking. This can be dangerous on downhill slopes, where your vehicle could pick up speed very quickly.

The level of electrolyte in a battery may fall below the level of the plates. If this happens, you'll need to top up the electrolyte with distilled water. Make sure that the plates in each battery cell are covered, but don't overfill the cells.

Waiting restrictions help to keep the road clear by preventing parking that will hinder the flow of traffic. Waiting restrictions on urban clearways allow vehicles to stop and pick up or set down passengers, even during their hours of operation.

This sign reminds all road users that they're entering an area where cameras will monitor traffic regulations. This could include traffic-light cameras and bus-lane cameras, as well as the more common speed cameras.

Loose gravel or chippings can easily be thrown up by vehicles' tyres. At roadworks or on newly surfaced roads, check your speed and keep a good distance away from vehicles ahead to avoid any flying chippings.

Where it's necessary to temporarily close a motorway or other main road, signs will be displayed advising drivers to follow a particular symbol in order to rejoin their route. These symbols are often permanently displayed on direction signs.

At a pelican crossing, there's a phase where the amber light flashes. This will show after the red light and gives pedestrians time to finish crossing safely. For drivers, the flashing amber light means they may drive on if the crossing is completely clear, but they must wait if pedestrians are still on the crossing.

If your tyres show uneven or excessive wear, have the alignment checked. This is often called tracking, and it can be carried out by most garages or tyre-fitting businesses.

Buses that carry children to and from school may stop at places other than scheduled bus stops. Be aware that they might pull over at any time to allow children to get on or off. This will often be when traffic is heavy during the daily commute.

If you operate the brakes when air is in the hydraulic system, they'll have a spongy feel and braking efficiency will be reduced. This is because the air in the system is being compressed as you brake; hydraulic brake fluid alone can't be compressed. If you notice there's a fault with your brakes, have them checked as soon as possible. Don't drive with faulty brakes.