Frequently asked questions
Is Roadcraft relevant to the ordinary driver or is it just for police drivers?
Roadcraft is written for police drivers and riders and covers safe effective driving techniques; however the majority of the material in the books is relevant to non-emergency service drivers and riders too.
Note that Roadcraft does not cover material found in the Official Highway Code, and as such should be read in conjunction with the Highway Code, which is available from the Safe Driving for Life website.
What formats are the Roadcraft products available in?
Roadcraft is available in the following formats:
Print: from the TSO Shop, the Safe Driving for Life website, Amazon, and all major booksellers. Note, if you are buying Roadcraft from an online store (other than from TSO or Safe Driving for Life) you may not be able to purchase the latest impression of the book. To ensure you have the latest impression, you can purchase online from TSO or Safe Driving for Life.
Online: Roadcraft and Motorcycle Roadcraft are now available online, providing a fast, simple and cost-effective way of making the content fully networked across your organisation. Contact roadcraft@tso.co.uk for more information and prices.
eBook: the 2013 editions are available from your device’s eBook store e.g. Kindle, iBooks and Kobo. Our publishers are working to make the 2020 editions of Roadcraft and Motorcycle Roadcraft available by autumn 2021.
PDF: from TSO Shop. Please note that PDF downloads are for single-user access and cannot be networked across an organisation.
Is Roadcraft available in audio book form?
No, Roadcraft is not currently available as an audiobook. However many e-readers, or e-reader apps have a ‘text-to-speech’ option, which allows text to be read to you; the voice (unlike an audiobook) is computer generated. The PDF version of Roadcraft is also ‘text-to-speech’ enabled.
Can I reprint/reproduce the material (either in full or in part)?
It depends what the material will be used for. For minor issues of reproduction there are a number of copyright exceptions under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, but these exceptions have to be considered as ‘Fair Dealing’. For a full list of exemptions and when they can be used refer to guidance issued by the Intellectual Property Office. If you want to reproduce significant parts of the text, illustrations, or video, or reproduce anything for commercial use, you must seek permission from the Police Foundation (the copyright owner) by emailing roadcraft@police-foundation.org.uk. If you have any other questions about copyright please use the same email address.
Is the Roadcraft DVD going to be updated?
At the moment we do not intend to update the Roadcraft DVD, however we developed an e-learning platform which includes short videos illustrating safe and effective driving. Find out more.
Can I get Roadcraft on a multi-user license for my organisation?
Roadcraft and Motorcycle Roadcraft Online
Roadcraft and Motorcycle Roadcraft Online is a flexible and cost-effective alternative to traditional learning. This comprehensive online package contains all the content of the book as well as quizzes designed to assess participants skills. With additional video resources and powerful administrator features, Roadcraft Online brings advanced driving techniques to life.
The licences can be purchased as a single licence, bulk purchase of multi licences and also as an annual subscription. Find out more.
Roadcraft and Motorcycle Roadcraft networkable PDF
A PDF version of Roadcraft and Motorcycle Roadcraft can be purchased and networked across an organisation. It is offered as an annual subscription and accessed via the TSO online library www.officialpublicationsonline.co.uk
A subscription will allow unlimited concurrent use across an organisation.
For more information about both products please contact: roadcraft@tso.co.uk.
Is Roadcraft available in other languages? If not, will it be in the future?
No, both Roadcraft and Motorcycle Roadcraft are only available in English and are based on UK law and policy with regard to safe driving.
We do not currently intend to translate the books into other languages or adapt them for other jurisdictions due to the considerable costs involved which would include translation, adapting diagrams for right-hand drivers and rewriting content to ensure compliance with another country’s laws, policies and driving standards.
Note: No Roadcraft materials can be translated without the express permission of the Police Foundation who own the copyright.
Which version of Roadcraft do I have?
Editions
The latest editions of Roadcraft and Motorcycle Roadcraft were published in 2020.
Impressions
New impressions of a book are issued when the current stock has run out – sometimes (but not all the time) minor changes are made between impressions. As the Roadcraft books are a teaching aid, changes between impressions are kept to a minimum; the advice given doesn’t change – but sometimes the way it is given it might.
Readers wishing to know which version of Roadcraft they own should refer to the bottom of page ii which will show the edition and impression dates - for example ‘New Edition 2013, Tenth impression 2018’.
When are the next editions of the books due?
We aim to publish new editions of the book approximately every five years. Any forthcoming new edition of the Roadcraft books will be publicised on the Roadcraft website, but not new impressions, as the changes (if we make any) are very minor.
Can the Roadcraft website promote our road safety event?
We do not promote commercial events on the Roadcraft website; however we are happy to consider promotion of non-commercial road safety events on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us at roadcraft@police-foundation.org.uk and let us know a bit about your event and we will get back to you.
Where can I do further training with a Roadcraft instructor?
The IAM RoadSmart runs advanced driving and riding courses, based on Roadcraft principles, all over the country. See the IAM RoadSmart website for more details.
