Rule H2 and Rule 170 Explained: When You Must Give Way to Pedestrians at Junctions

Few Highway Code rules trip learners up like Rule H2 and Rule 170. Both are about who has priority at a junction, and both are fair game on your theory test. They also come up in tricky multiple-choice questions where two answers look almost identical. If you want to walk into your test confident, this is one area you cannot afford to skim. Here is a clear breakdown of what the rules actually say, why they changed, and the exact wording the DVSA expects you to know.

What Rule H2 actually says

Rule H2 sits inside the Hierarchy of Road Users, introduced to the Highway Code in 2022. It places greater responsibility on drivers because the consequences of a crash are far worse for people on foot, on bikes or on horseback. Rule H2 makes it very clear: at a junction, you should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning. The key word is waiting. A pedestrian does not have to step into the road before they have priority over you.

This is a change from the older code, which only protected pedestrians who had already started to cross. Examiners know this is a common slip-up, which is why questions on Rule H2 appear so often in 2026 theory test papers.

How Rule 170 fits with H2

Rule 170 covers what to do at a junction more broadly. It tells you to take extra care, look out for cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians, and give way to pedestrians who are crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning. Rule 170 mirrors the wording of Rule H2 and reinforces it. If a theory test question asks which rule deals with giving way to pedestrians at a junction, both answers are correct in spirit, but Rule H2 is the one that frames the principle and Rule 170 is the one that spells out the driver action.

What this looks like on a real road

Imagine you are turning left from a main road into a residential side street. A pedestrian is standing on the kerb of the side street, glancing at you. Under the previous code you might have driven across the junction and they would have waited. Under Rule H2 and Rule 170 you must stop and let them cross. The same applies if you are turning out of the side road onto the main road and a pedestrian is waiting to cross your path.

This also covers people walking along the pavement who reach a junction at the same time you do. They have priority, you do not. If you are unsure whether they intend to cross, the safer answer, and the one the DVSA wants, is to give way.

The exceptions you should know

The rules do not apply to zebra and pelican crossings, which have their own rules elsewhere in the code. They also do not give pedestrians a green light to walk out without looking. The Highway Code still asks pedestrians to use their judgement. But for the purposes of your theory test, when a question asks what a driver should do at a junction with a pedestrian waiting, the answer is always to give way.

There is also no requirement to wave pedestrians across. The DVSA actively discourages this because the pedestrian may not be able to see other approaching vehicles. The right action is to slow down, stop if needed, and let them decide when to cross.

Typical theory test wording you will see

Questions on this topic often use phrases like "preparing to turn into a side road", "pedestrian waiting at the kerb", or "turning out of a junction". Treat any of those as a signal to apply Rule H2. The correct answer is almost always "give way to the pedestrian" or "stop and let them cross". Watch out for distractor answers that say "drive on if the pedestrian has not started to cross", which used to be correct under the old code but is now wrong.

How to lock this in before test day

Read Rule H2 and Rule 170 in the Highway Code, then run a mock test focused on rules of the road. When you get one wrong, write down the exact wording of the rule and revisit it the next day. Repetition matters more than re-reading. The DVSA-licensed question bank at Theory Test Passed includes hundreds of priority and junction questions, with the rule reference shown after every answer, so you can spot patterns fast and turn this from a weak spot into an easy mark.