Skip to content

Search/

Today Practice Learn You

Reference

Highway Code Road signs Road markings 3D drives

Press ? for keyboard shortcuts

No account needed

Loading the Highway Code

Loading the parts of the Highway Code

DVSA revision material with source-checked Lanekind learning corrections. Lanekind is not a DVSA product and is not endorsed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. The Highway Code is Crown copyright, reproduced under the Open Government Licence.

Study

Car questions Motorcycle questions Lorry and bus questions Driving instructor questions

Reference

The Highway Code Road signs and markings Hazard perception 3D drives

Lanekind

What is free Premium Search Contact support Open the app

Legal

Terms Privacy Cookies

Today Practice Learn You

Loading this rule of the Highway Code

Loading the rules either side

LanekindThe Highway CodeMotorwaysRule 273

Motorways · Leaving the motorway

Rule 273: Unless signs indicate that a lane leads directly off the motorway

Unless signs indicate that a lane leads directly off the motorway, you will normally leave the motorway by a slip road on your left. You should

watch for the signs letting you know you are getting near your exit
move into the left-hand lane well before reaching your exit
signal left in good time and reduce your speed on the slip road as necessary.

Source note (app): Rule 273 refreshed from the Department for Transport’s GOV.UK Highway Code, checked 2026-09-06. This corrects the imported passage only; the rest of the archive has not been refreshed. © Crown copyright. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Licence details: The National Archives, Open Government Licence v3.0. No government endorsement is implied.

In the Highway Code, MUST and MUST NOT identify legal requirements. Advice using should, should not, do or do not can still be used as evidence in court proceedings under the Traffic Acts to establish liability. The introduction explains this distinction.

The rules either side

The Code reads in order, and each of these names the rule it goes to rather than saying only ‘next’.

Rule 272: You MUST NOT pick up or set down anyone, or walk on a motorway, except in an emergencyThe rule before this one Rule 274: On leaving the motorway or using a link road between motorwaysThe rule after this one

Leaving the motorway

2 rules

The rules the Code files beside this one, in its order.

Rule 273: Unless signs indicate that a lane leads directly off the motorwayyou will normally leave the motorway by a slip road on your left.Rule 274: On leaving the motorway or using a link road between motorwaysyour speed may be higher than you realise - 50 mph may feel like 30 mph.

Motorways

Rules 253 to 274

The other groups in this part of the Code, and the rest of it.

General2 rules Motorway signals4 rules Joining the motorway (rule 259)1 rule On the motorway4 rules Lane discipline3 rules Overtaking2 rules Hard shoulder (rule 269)1 rule Stopping3 rules Leaving the motorway2 rules

All of MotorwaysRules 253 to 274 on one page Road signs and markingsEvery sign this rule refers to, each one on a page you can link to.