THE Highway Code is about to be updated as it approaches its 75th birthday.

The code, first published in 1931, has come a long way since the first issue when there were just 2.3 million vehicles on the road compared with 30 million today.

Questions such as ‘what should drivers do with their whips?’* and ‘if a driver flaps his wrist out of the window, what does this indicate?’** appeared in the original version.

Last updated in 1999, the Highway Code has sales of more than one million every year and the new version is expected to cover issues such as congestion, the environment and satellite navigation.

* Drivers should rotate the whip above the head, then incline the whip to the right or left to show the direction in which the turn is to be made. ** The driver is stopping.