Timed Theory Test #1

If you are driving at night or in poor visibility, tinted lenses will reduce the efficiency of your vision, by reducing the amount of available light reaching your eyes.

Try not to use your car as a matter of routine. For shorter journeys, consider walking or cycling instead – this is much better for both you and the environment.

Keeping your vehicle’s tyres correctly inflated is a legal requirement. Your vehicle will use less fuel and have a shorter stopping distance with correctly inflated tyres.

If you are towing a caravan or trailer you must not use the right-hand lane on a motorway with three or more lanes, except in certain circumstances, such as lane closures.

Active Traffic Management schemes are being introduced on motorways. Within these areas at certain times the hard shoulder will be used as a running lane. A red cross above the hard shoulder shows that this lane should NOT be used, except for emergencies and breakdowns.

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.

Slow down and be ready to stop if you see animals in the road ahead. Animals are easily frightened by noise and vehicles passing too close to them. Stop if signalled to do so by the person in charge.

When a car is three years old (four years old in Northern Ireland), it must pass an MOT test and have a valid MOT certificate before it can be used on the road. Exceptionally, you may
• drive to a pre-arranged test appointment or to a garage for repairs required for the test
• drive vehicles that are more than 40 years old without an MOT test, but they must be in a roadworthy condition before being used on the road. See GOV.UK for more details.

Don’t use the hard shoulder for stopping unless it is an emergency. If you want to stop for any other reason go to the next exit or service station.

You MUST NOT park or stop on a road marked with double white lines (even where one of the lines is broken) except to pick up or set down passengers.

With-flow bus and pedal cycle lane sign showing hours of operation. Where no times are shown, the bus lane operates at all times. The word 'local' on the bus symbol means the only buses that may use the lane are those running a local service.

Only travel if you have to. Making unnecessary journeys in bad weather can increase the risk of having a collision. It’s important that you can see and be seen. Make sure any snow or ice is cleared from lights, mirrors, number plates and windows.

It is important to make sure that emergency services arrive on the scene as soon as possible. When a person is unconscious, they could have serious injuries that are not immediately obvious.

As you drive, look well ahead and all around so that you’re ready for any hazards that might occur. There may be occasions when you have to stop in an emergency. React as soon as you can whilst keeping control of the vehicle.

On a motorway it is best to use a roadside emergency telephone so that the emergency services are able to locate you easily. The nearest telephone is shown by an arrow on marker posts at the edge of the hard shoulder. If you use a mobile, they will need to know your exact location.
Before you call, find out the number on the nearest marker post. This number will identify your exact location.

Route for trams only. The sign may include the bus symbol, the pedal cycle symbol and/or the word ‘taxi’ where these vehicles may use the tram route.

You should plan your overtaking to take into account any hazards ahead. In this picture the marking indicates that you are approaching a junction. You will not have time to overtake and move back into the left safely.

This distance is the equivalent of 18 car lengths. Try pacing out 73 metres and then look back. It’s probably further than you think.

Be especially careful if you’re on a motorway in fog. Reflective studs are used to help you in poor visibility. Different colours are used so that you’ll know which lane you are in. These are
• red on the left-hand side of the road
• white between lanes
• amber on the right-hand edge of the carriageway
• green between the carriageway and slip roads

Police officers may need to direct traffic, for example, at a junction where the traffic lights have broken down. Check your copy of The Highway Code for the signals that they use.

In windy conditions, care must be taken on exposed roads. A strong gust of wind can blow you off course. Watch out for other road users who are particularly likely to be affected, such as cyclists, motorcyclists, high-sided lorries and vehicles towing trailers.

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.

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.

This sign tells you that you are not permitted to make a U-turn. It is commonly displayed on approach to junctions on dual carriageways.

Some bus lanes only operate during peak hours and other vehicles may use them outside these hours. Make sure you check the sign for the hours of operation before driving in a bus lane.

If you’re following a large vehicle but are so close to it that you can’t see the exterior mirrors, the driver can’t see you. Keeping well back will also allow you to see the road ahead by looking past either side of the large vehicle.

Sign warns road users that they are approaching a Zebra crossing and should be prepared to stop if necessary.

Mandatory speed limit signs above all lanes including the hard shoulder, show that you are in an Active Traffic Management (ATM) area. In this case you can use the hard shoulder as a running lane. You must stay within the speed limit shown. Look out for any vehicles that may have broken down and be blocking the hard shoulder.

Traffic officers don't have enforcement powers but are able to stop and direct people on motorways and some 'A' class roads. They operate in England and Wales and work in partnership with the police at incidents, providing a highly trained and visible service. They're recognised by an orange-and-yellow jacket and their vehicle has yellow-and-black markings.

You shouldn’t use rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced. If you forget to turn them off when the weather improves they can
• be confused with brake lamps
• dazzle following drivers.
A warning light will show on the dashboard to indicate when your rear fog lights are on. You should know the meaning of all the lights on your dashboard and check them before you move off and as you drive.

This broken white line is a reminder to give way to traffic from the right at roundabouts. You can expect to find these at larger roundabouts.

You must obey these signs even if there appear to be no problems ahead.

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.

Before moving off you should use both the interior and exterior mirrors to check if the road is clear. Look around to check the blind spots and give a signal if it’s necessary to warn other road users of your intentions.

You should normally travel in the left-hand lane unless you are overtaking a slower- moving vehicle. When you are past that vehicle move back into the left-hand lane as soon as it’s safe to do so. Don’t cut across in front of the vehicle that you’re overtaking.

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.

If you need to display a warning triangle make sure that it can be clearly seen by other road users. Place it on the same side of the road as the broken down vehicle and away from any obstruction that would make it hard to see.

While driving your concentration is required all the time. Even using a hands-free kit can still distract your attention from the road. Any distraction, however brief, is potentially dangerous and could cause you to lose control. Except in a genuine emergency, it is an offence to use a hand-held phone while driving.

You should change lanes as directed by the sign. Here, the right-hand lane is closed but the
left-hand and centre lanes are available. Merging in turn is recommended when it's safe and traffic is going slowly; for example, at roadworks or a road traffic incident. When vehicles are travelling at speed, this isn't advisable and you should move into the appropriate lane in good time.

Fitting a stabiliser to your tow bar will help to reduce snaking by the caravan especially where there are crosswinds. However, this does not take away your responsibility to ensure that your vehicle/caravan combination is loaded correctly.