Drivers who may have missed recent Highway Code changes are being encouraged to brush up on the rules in an unusual way - by listening to them as they fall asleep.
The Highway Code has been turned into a free bedtime audiobook, following concerns that millions of motorists remain unaware of updates to road rules brought in over recent years.
The calming recording is narrated by Fifth Gear presenter Vicki Butler-Henderson and has been designed to gently guide listeners through key rules on junctions, road markings, pedestrian crossings and priorities.
Its release comes as research shows that around half of all drivers fail to revisit the Highway Code after passing their test.
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The changes to the Highway Code include important updates on parking rules in Scotland that took effect earlier this year, where drivers must not park on lowered kerbs or partially on pavements to make way for wheelchair users, pedestrians and cyclists.
Rule 244 states: "Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments and people with prams or pushchairs."
Other recent rule changes motorists should be aware of include updated traffic signs for buses, cycles and trams that no longer require the word "only" underneath them.
These updates build on earlier major revisions to the Highway Code that introduced a "hierarchy of road users" and clarified priority at junctions and crossings.
The audiobook will be available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Podcast and YouTube
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Under those changes, drivers, cyclists and motorcyclists are expected to give way to pedestrians waiting to cross or already crossing at junctions, and allow vulnerable road users extra space and priority.
YouGov research suggested almost six out of 10 drivers struggle to get good-quality sleep, with audio content increasingly used to help people wind down at night.
The recording covers road safety regulations as well as essential topics such as junction priorities, road markings and pedestrian crossings.
Sleep expert Dr Deborah Lee said the idea has a scientific basis, explaining that the brain continues to work on consolidating information learned during the day.
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Reports found more than half of drivers have not looked at the Highway Code since passing their test
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She shared: "The hippocampus, which plays a major role in memory, is even more active when asleep than awake.
"We also know that if you play sounds to the brain during REM sleep, EEG brain waves show recognition of these sounds when they are played to the person when awake the next morning."
While the audiobook is not intended as a replacement for proper study of the Highway Code, the theory behind the listening version was that repeated exposure to key rules may help reinforce awareness of important regulations.
Motoring expert Vicki Butler-Henderson said recording the audiobook was a very different challenge.
The Highway Code was updated in 2022 to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists
| DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORTShe said: "Recording it was different to my usual energy-filled delivery - instead, having to read the Highway Code in the softest, slowest voice I could manage.
"There were moments where even I felt myself drifting, which is exactly the point!"
Meanwhile, Matt Clamp from Scrap Car Comparison added: "Road safety sits at the heart of everything we do.
"The Highway Code isn’t something you should learn once and then forget - the rules evolve, roads change, and driving habits need constant refreshing if we're all going to stay safe and compliant."