"John Rowland" wrote in message ...
Hi all,

I've seen a lot of signs recently declaring roads to be private. What does
this mean? Am I allowed to drive down it? If I crash or kill someone, will
the outcome be different to the outcome on a public road?

Not sure about the answers to your specific questions but some 'road'
or 'traffic' laws/regulations do apply to private roads and some
don't.

If the legislation refers to 'Highways' then it does not apply to
private roads which are not Highways (careful - some private roads are
Highways, for example where there is a public right-of-way even though
the road is not maintained by the local authority). Highways are,
basically, public roads and footpaths although the Highways Act 1980
famously states "A Highway is a Highway or any part of a Highway."

If the legislation refers to 'roads' or 'streets' then it may well be
applicable to private roads as well as highways. A good example is
the New Roads & Street Works Act 1991, which regulates how roadworks
should be signed and layed out - this certainly applies to both public
and private roads.