Cookies and Privacy
When we provide services, we want to make them easy, useful and reliable. Where services are delivered on the internet, this sometimes involves placing small amounts of information on your device, for example, computer or mobile phone. These include small files known as cookies. They cannot be used to identify you personally.
These pieces of information are used to improve services for you through, for example:
- enabling a service to recognise your device so you don't have to give the same information several times during one task
- recognising that you may already have given a username and password so you don't need to do it for every web page requested
- measuring how many people are using services, so they can be made easier to use and there's enough capacity to ensure they are fast
Our use of cookies
Cookies for improving service
Google Analytics sets cookies to help us accurately estimate the number of visitors to the website and volumes of usage. This to ensure that the service is available when you want it and fast.
Name: _utma
Typical content: randomly generated number
Expires: 2 years
Name: _utmb
Typical content: randomly generated number
Expires: 30 minutes
Name: _utmc
Typical content: randomly generated number
Expires: when user exits browser
Name: _utmz
Typical content: randomly generated number + info on how the site was reached (e.g. directly or via a link, organic search or paid search)
Expires: 6 months
For further details on the cookies set by Google Analytics, please refer to the Google Code website.
Cookies to make our site easier to use
Our site also uses 'session' cookies to remember your preference for either a 'high contrast' or 'normal' page view so that you don’t have to choose the option for each page you visit.
Name: standardsForHighwaysContrast
Typical content: contrastSwitchOn
Expires: when user exits browser
Quick Links
Find out how to make sure you're seeing the latest version of the site
Further Technical Documents
All the material previously located in the ‘Quick Links’ area of this page can now be found in the new ‘Further Further Technical Information’ section.
Quick Links
Find out how to make sure you're seeing the latest version of the site
Further Technical Documents
All the material previously located in the ‘Quick Links’ area of this page can now be found in the new ‘Further Further Technical Information’ section.

