A driving instructor has described how simple it is to be misled by a typical road sign that most people “never know.”
The creator of Spot On Driving School, Cheshire-native Annie Winterburn, has over 825,000 followers on her TikTok account Theory Test Practice.
The social media celebrity gained fame when she focused on a specific road sign that, in her opinion, frequently puts even the most experienced drivers in danger.
Annie said in a video she recorded while standing in front of a neighboring illustration: “I’ve been asked to explain signs like this one.”
Along with a capital ‘P’ highlighted in blue, the sign reads: ‘Mon – Sat. 8am – 6pm.
‘1 hour. No return within 1 hour.’
Annie said: “This sign is saying that between Monday and Saturday, you can park between 8 o’clock in the morning and 6 o’clock at night, but only for one hour.”
Highlighting the way it catches people out, she continued: “No return within one hour.”
“That simply means that you’re not allowed to drive out of your parking space, drive around the block, and go straight back into that parking space.
“Well, not for an hour anyway.”
She emphasized in the caption that these regulations don’t apply outside of the specified hours.
She added: “At other times you can park for as long as you want to.”
It’s also important to remember that you have an hour after leaving before you can park anywhere else on this road or in a car park.
Since it was posted, Annie’s video has received over 1.2 million views, and viewers appreciated the clarification.
One replied: “I always thought no return within one hour meant you’re not allowed to come back to the car for at least an hour lol.”
Annie then responded: “You’re not the only one!”
Another added: “I thought it meant you can’t park between [those] hours.”
“I never got the no return within one hour,” a third said. “Thanks for that!”
Reassuring the person that they weren’t alone, Annie replied: “Loads of people don’t!”
Although a fourth said they “can’t believe this needs an explanation”, Annie sarcastically responded with: “Can’t believe people think everyone is the same and we all understand the same things.”
Watch the TikTok video here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/embed/video/2875609.html
5 thoughts on “Driving instructor highlights misunderstood road sign that people ‘never know’ the meaning of”
I do like Annie’s response “Can’t believe people think everyone is the same and we all understand the same things.”
Seriously, how do these people pass the theory test. It’s a simple easy to understand road sign. If you don’t understand road signs, you shouldn’t be driving. Don’t make excuses for laziness in reading the Highway Code.
I suppose we need to think, are the signs too complicated? People are not reading the Highway Code? The Highway Code is not as thorough as it should be? Or we need to make a legal requirement that drivers need to take Theory Tests throughout their driving life? All of the above?
There are soo many people in England who can’t read English…. Motorways signs saying keep to left unless overtaking …. Motorways are a mess regarding this rule…. Maybe time to put in several languages
The theory test is multiple guess. I have had some truly thick people pass the theory test without even being aware of the Highway Code, never mind having read it. They just did test after test until they understood the word association. They did not understand either question or answer and certainly had no context. Of course, on the road they were hysterically bad.
As a training aid, the Highway Code is catastrophically bad. As a reference book, it is great. It is rather like memorising the dictionary and then imagining that you can speak the language fluently. Without context and grammar, words along do not work.
There is also a ton of stuff that theory test does not cover. How about the red warning lights on the dashboard? Nothing. Basic vehicle maintenance such as brake fluid contamination? Zilch. Safe cornering? In your dreams.
The theory education needs to be an evening college course covering everything about car ownership, including how to buy second hand, avoid getting stitched up with a hooky motor, what needs doing when, driving rules and scenarios, tyres and much more. Every week, there needs to be a simple test and at the end of the course, a proper exam with a combination of multiple guess and free text.
Doubtless the cry will go up that not everyone is very good at writing. If, having spent 10 years at school, you cannot make yourself clear in writing in your mother tongue, education, or rather lack of it, has a lot to answer for. If you are a non native speaker, your standard must be up to the point where you can make yourself understood in writing otherwise how can you comprehend written instructions?
The current thinking is that everyone has a right to a licence and therefore the bar must be lowered to accommodate such people. This is completely wrong. The bar should be raised. If you cannot write fairly comprehensible English, then go away until you can. Allowing idiots on the road is no good to anybody.
The practical test must also be toughened up in that candidates must pass 4 ADI conducted tests – urban, national speed limit rural and dual carriageway and finally, night. These must be drives of at least 10 miles, urban 5 miles, to test standards. Then they can go for the government test which can remain the same and would serve as a check on ability, both candidate and ADI. They would also get real test experience. Mock tests are all well and good, but nothing can replace the real thing.
The 4 tests could easily be computerised. ADIs have a unique number as do candidates. Most people have a tablet or lap top so the same system as used by examiners could be employed. Yes, there will be ADIs who will accept a bung, the same as there are ADIs, far too many, who simply teach test routes. The bulk of them would be winkled out in the DVSA test. If the candidate was really poor, then the ADI would come under the spotlight.