Theory Test #8

Missing out intermediate gears when appropriate, helps to reduce the amount of time spent accelerating and decelerating - the time when your vehicle uses most fuel.

Every vehicle used on the road has a registration document. It shows vehicle details including date of first registration, registration number, previous keeper, registered keeper, make of vehicle, engine size, chassis number, year of manufacture and colour.

Don’t travel in icy or snowy weather unless your journey is necessary. Drive extremely carefully when roads are or may be icy. Stopping distances can be ten times greater than on dry roads.

Unlike someone in the car with you, the person on the other end of the line is unable to see the traffic situations you are dealing with. They will not stop speaking to you even if you are approaching a hazardous situation. You need to be concentrating on your driving all of the time, but especially so when dealing with a hazard.

Deep water can affect your brakes, so you should check that they’re working properly before you build up speed again. Before you do this, remember to check your mirrors and consider what’s behind you.

It is your responsibility as a driver to ensure that children are secure and safe in your vehicle. Make sure you are familiar with the rules. In a few very exceptional cases when a child restraint is not available, an adult seat belt MUST be used.

Check the casualty for shock and if possible try to cool the burn for at least ten minutes. Use a clean, cold non-toxic liquid preferably water.

When approaching a contraflow system reduce speed in good time and obey all speed limits. You may be travelling in a narrower lane than normal with no permanent barrier between you and the oncoming traffic. Be aware that the hard shoulder may be used for traffic and the road ahead could be obstructed by slow- moving or broken down vehicles.

You should always stop at the first white line. Avoid going into the marked area which is reserved for cyclists only. However if you have crossed the first white line at the time the signal changes to red you must stop at the second line even if you are in the marked area.

If a young child has stopped breathing, first check that their airway is open and then begin CPR. With a young child, you may only need to use one hand and you shouldn’t press down as far as you would with an adult. Continue the procedure until the child is breathing again or until a medical professional takes over.

Take care if you have to pass a parked vehicle on your side of the road. Give way to oncoming traffic if there isn’t enough room for you both to continue safely.

Except in a genuine emergency you MUST NOT use your mobile phone when driving. If you need to use it leave the motorway and find a safe place to stop. Even a hands-free phone can distract your attention. Use your voicemail to receive calls. Driving requires all of your attention, all of the time.

Active Traffic Management schemes are intended to reduce congestion and make journey times more reliable. In these areas the hard shoulder may be used as a running lane to ease congestion at peak times or in the event of an incident. It may appear that you could travel faster for a short distance, but keeping traffic flow at a constant speed may improve your journey time.

Look out on the approach especially for children and older pedestrians. They may walk across without looking. Zebra crossings have flashing amber beacons on both sides of the road, black and white stripes on the crossing and white zigzag markings on both sides of the crossing. Where you can see pedestrians waiting to cross, slow down and prepare to stop.

Always use your headlights at night on a motorway unless you have stopped on the hard shoulder. If you break down and have to stop on the hard shoulder, switch off the headlights but leave the sidelights on so that other road users can see your vehicle.

These lines may be painted on the road on the approach to a roundabout, a village or a particular hazard. The lines are raised and painted yellow, and their purpose is to make you aware of your speed.

If it's possible, and you can do so without causing further danger, it may be safer to drive a vehicle which is on fire out of the tunnel. The greatest danger in a tunnel fire is smoke and suffocation.

Don’t drive or park in a bus lane when it’s in operation. This can cause disruption to traffic and delays to public transport.

If you see a triangular sign with a row of cars on it, it's warning you that you're approaching a congested area, so be prepared to stop. The queues ahead might be hidden, so make sure you're aware of vehicles behind you that could be following too closely.

Brown panels show the route to tourist attractions. The name of the junction may be shown at the top of the sign.

This sign gives advance warning of a staggered junction ahead with roads to the left and right. Be aware that vehicles may be emerging from these roads.

You may have to pull forward slowly until you can see up and down the road. Be aware that the traffic approaching the junction can’t see you either. If you don’t know that it’s clear, don’t go.

Pedestrians and riders on two wheels can be harder to see than other road users. Make sure you keep a look-out for them, especially at junctions. Good effective observation, coupled with appropiate action, can save lives.

At certain times of the day, traffic might be heavy. If traffic is moving slowly in queues and vehicles in the right-hand lane are moving more slowly, you may overtake on the left.

On a motorway all traffic should use the left-hand lane unless overtaking. Use the centre or right-hand lanes if you need to overtake. If you’re overtaking a number of slower vehicles move back to the left-hand lane when you’re safely past. Check your mirrors frequently and don’t stay in the middle or right-hand lane if the left-hand lane is free.

Try not to brake or steer heavily as this will only make matters worse and you could lose control altogether. Keep calm and regain control by easing off the accelerator.

Motorcyclists and cyclists are often more difficult to see on the road. This is especially the case at junctions. You may not be able to see a motorcyclist approaching a junction if your view is blocked by other traffic. A motorcycle may be travelling as fast as a car, sometimes faster. Make sure that you judge speeds correctly before you emerge.

Depending on relevant speed, it will usually take you longer to pass a lorry than other vehicles. Some hazards to watch for include oncoming traffic, junctions ahead, bends or dips which could restrict your view, and signs or road markings that prohibit overtaking. Make sure you can see that it’s safe to complete the manoeuvre before you start to overtake.

When a long vehicle is going to turn right it may need to keep close to the left-hand kerb. This is to prevent the rear end of the trailer cutting the corner. You need to be aware of how long vehicles behave in such situations. Don’t overtake the lorry because it could turn as you’re alongside. Stay behind and wait for it to turn.

The 'dual carriageway ends' sign appears in a red triangle. It shows two carriageways coming together to indicate two-way traffic will continue ahead on a single carriageway road. You'll soon notice the central reservation coming to an end and lanes beginning to merge.

A ford is a crossing over a stream that’s shallow enough to go through. After you’ve gone through a ford or deep puddle the water will affect your brakes. To dry them out apply a light brake pressure while moving slowly. Don’t travel at normal speeds until you are sure your brakes are working properly again.

The exit from a motorway is indicated by countdown markers. These are positioned 90 metres (100 yards) apart, the first being 270 metres (300 yards) from the start of the slip road. Move into the left-hand lane well before you reach the start of the slip road.

You should give way to traffic already on the motorway. Where possible they may move over to let you in but don’t force your way into the traffic stream. The traffic may be travelling at high speed so you should match your speed to fit in.

When parking at night, park in the direction of the traffic. This will enable other road users to see the reflectors on the rear of your vehicle. Use your parking lights if the speed limit is over 30 mph.

You should only flash your headlights to warn others of your presence. Don’t use them to, greet others, show impatience or give priority to other road users. They could misunderstand your signal.

This sign is found on slow-moving or stationary works vehicles. If you wish to overtake, do so on the left, as indicated. Be aware that there might be workmen in the area.

Towing a large trailer or caravan can greatly reduce your view of the road behind. You need to use the correct equipment to make sure you can see clearly behind and down both sides of the caravan or trailer.

If you’re following a cyclist who’s signalling to turn right at a roundabout leave plenty of room. Give them space and time to get into the correct lane.

The longer traffic lights have been on green, the greater the chance of them changing. Always allow for this on approach and be prepared to stop.

Too much oil in the engine will create excess pressure and could damage engine seals and cause oil leaks. Any excess oil should be drained off.

You should never overtake as you approach a junction. If a vehicle emerged from the junction while you were overtaking, a dangerous situation could develop very quickly.

No phone call is important enough to risk endangering lives. It’s better to switch your phone off completely when driving. If you must be contactable plan your route to include breaks so you can catch up on messages in safety. Always choose a safe and convenient place to take a break, such as a lay-by or service area.

At some junctions, there may be separate signals for different lanes. These are called 'filter' lights. They're designed to help traffic flow at major junctions. Make sure that you're in the correct lane and proceed if the way is clear and the green light shows for your lane.

This is a method used by insurance companies to keep annual premiums down. Generally, the higher the excess you choose to pay, the lower the annual premium you will be charged.