Theory Test Questions and Answers

1. Leave at the next exit or services and rest ✓
2. Open a window and carry on, as fresh air will help
3. Turn the radio up loud to keep yourself awake
4. Pull onto the hard shoulder and have a short nap

Answer: Leave at the next exit or services and rest. Tiredness greatly increases your risk of a collision. Leave the motorway and rest somewhere safe; the hard shoulder and emergency areas are only for emergencies.

Highway Code rules 91 and 262

1. At least 5 minutes after every hour of driving
2. At least 30 minutes after every four hours of driving
3. At least 15 minutes after every two hours of driving ✓
4. Only once you start to feel tired

Answer: At least 15 minutes after every two hours of driving. Planning regular breaks keeps you alert. A break of at least 15 minutes after every two hours of driving is the recommended minimum.

Highway Code rule 91

1. Staying in the middle lane when the left lane is clear
2. Overtaking another vehicle on its left-hand side
3. Driving with your boot or tailgate left open on the road
4. Following too closely to stop safely if the vehicle ahead brakes ✓

Answer: Following too closely to stop safely if the vehicle ahead brakes. Tailgating is when the gap in front is too small to stop safely. It is dangerous, intimidating and a common cause of collisions.

Highway Code rule 126

1. Brake sharply to warn them to back off
2. Gradually increase the gap in front of you ✓
3. Speed up to get away from them quickly
4. Switch on your hazard lights and keep going

Answer: Gradually increase the gap in front of you. A bigger gap in front gives you time to slow down gradually if needed, so the driver behind is less likely to hit you. Reacting aggressively only adds risk.

Highway Code rules 126 and 147

1. 1.0 mm
2. 1.6 mm ✓
3. 2.0 mm
4. 2.5 mm

Answer: 1.6 mm. Cars must have at least 1.6 mm of tread across the central three-quarters of the tread and around the whole circumference. 1 mm is the limit for motorcycles and large vehicles.

Highway Code: Annex 6 (Vehicle maintenance, safety and security)

1. Across the outer edges of the tread only
2. Across the full width, but only on the front tyres
3. At any single point on the tyre's surface
4. Across the central three-quarters, all the way round ✓

Answer: Across the central three-quarters, all the way round. The law requires at least 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters of the breadth of the tread and around the entire circumference.

Highway Code: Annex 6 (Vehicle maintenance, safety and security)

1. At least one second
2. At least two seconds ✓
3. At least five seconds
4. At least ten seconds

Answer: At least two seconds. Allow at least a two-second gap on high-speed roads, and more in poor conditions.

Highway Code rule 126

1. Keep it the same as on a dry road
2. Reduce it slightly, because traffic is slower
3. At least double it ✓
4. Make it ten times longer

Answer: At least double it. Tyres have less grip on wet roads, so the gap should be at least doubled.

Highway Code rules 126 and 227

1. The road is about to become one-way
2. You may now overtake if it's clear
3. There's a hazard ahead ✓
4. The speed limit is about to change

Answer: There's a hazard ahead. When the centre line lengthens and the gaps shorten, it warns of a hazard ahead. Don't cross it unless you can see the road is clear.

Highway Code rule 127

1. Keep your speed and move to the centre of the road
2. Speed up so you pass the van quickly
3. Sound your horn as you pass the van
4. Slow down, as children may run into the road ✓

Answer: Slow down, as children may run into the road. Children are more interested in ice cream than traffic and may run out without looking. Drive slowly and be ready to stop.

Highway Code rule 206

1. 0.5 metres
2. 1 metre
3. 1.5 metres ✓
4. 2 metres

Answer: 1.5 metres. Leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists at speeds of up to 30 mph, and give them more space at higher speeds.

Highway Code rule 163

1. Slow to no more than 10 mph and leave at least 2 metres ✓
2. Slow to 20 mph and leave at least 1 metre
3. Pass quickly to keep the time alongside short
4. Sound your horn first so the horse expects you

Answer: Slow to no more than 10 mph and leave at least 2 metres. Horses can be startled easily. Slow right down, be patient and pass wide and slow when it's safe.

Highway Code rules 163 and 215

1. To see further ahead and so the driver can see you ✓
2. To avoid breathing in fumes from its exhaust pipe
3. So that you can overtake it more quickly later
4. Because lorries can brake faster than cars

Answer: To see further ahead and so the driver can see you. Large vehicles block your view. Dropping back lets you see further ahead and makes you more visible to the lorry driver.

Highway Code rules 164 and 222

1. Overtake it quickly on the right
2. Sound your horn to warn the driver
3. Pass it on the left while there's still a gap
4. Hold back, as it needs extra room to make the turn ✓

Answer: Hold back, as it needs extra room to make the turn. Long vehicles may need to swing out to turn. Be prepared to stop and wait, and never try to squeeze past on the inside.

Highway Code rules 170 and 221

1. 23 metres (75 feet)
2. 36 metres (118 feet) ✓
3. 53 metres (175 feet)
4. 73 metres (240 feet)

Answer: 36 metres (118 feet). The typical overall stopping distance at 40 mph is 36 metres: about 12 metres of thinking distance plus 24 metres of braking distance. It will be longer in the wet, on ice or if you're tired.

Highway Code rule 126 (Typical stopping distances)

1. 36 metres (118 feet)
2. 53 metres (175 feet)
3. 73 metres (240 feet) ✓
4. 96 metres (315 feet)

Answer: 73 metres (240 feet). At 60 mph the typical overall stopping distance is 73 metres, made up of 18 metres thinking distance and 55 metres braking distance. That's roughly the length of 18 cars.

Highway Code rule 126 (Typical stopping distances)

1. A motorcyclist with a provisional licence ✓
2. A car towing a large touring caravan
3. A van driver who holds a full car licence
4. A coach carrying 50 seated passengers

Answer: A motorcyclist with a provisional licence. Holders of provisional motorcycle licences must not use motorways, along with pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and some slow vehicles. Cars towing caravans, vans and coaches may use them.

Highway Code rule 253

1. With any full licence holder aged 21 or over who has held it for three years
2. With an approved driving instructor, in a car with dual controls ✓
3. Never – learner drivers are banned from using all motorways
4. Only at night or early morning, when the motorway is quieter

Answer: With an approved driving instructor, in a car with dual controls. Learner car drivers may drive on a motorway only with a DVSA approved driving instructor, in a car with dual controls displaying red L plates (or D plates in Wales).

Highway Code rule 253

1. 30 mph
2. 50 mph
3. 60 mph ✓
4. 70 mph

Answer: 60 mph. The national speed limit for cars on a single carriageway is 60 mph. On dual carriageways and motorways it's 70 mph.

Highway Code rule 124

1. 20 mph
2. 30 mph ✓
3. 40 mph
4. 50 mph

Answer: 30 mph. In England and Scotland a 30 mph limit generally applies on roads with street lights (other than motorways) unless signs show otherwise. Some areas have local 20 mph limits.

Highway Code rule 124

1. No through road
2. Road closed ahead – diversion
3. No stopping or parking
4. No entry for vehicles ✓

Answer: No entry for vehicles. A red circle with a white horizontal bar means no entry for vehicular traffic. You'll often see it at the exit end of a one-way street.

Highway Code: Traffic signs (Signs giving orders)

1. Follow the one-way street
2. Go ahead only ✓
3. Use the right-hand lane
4. Overtaking is allowed

Answer: Go ahead only. A blue circle gives a positive instruction – this one means ahead only. Don't confuse it with the rectangular 'one-way traffic' sign, which also shows a white arrow.

Highway Code: Traffic signs (Signs giving orders)

1. Three years after it was first registered ✓
2. One year after it was first registered
3. Five years after it was first registered
4. Only when it's sold to a new owner

Answer: Three years after it was first registered. Cars must normally pass an MOT three years from the date of first registration, and every year after that.

Highway Code Annex 3: Motor vehicle documentation

1. Every two years
2. Every three years
3. Every year ✓
4. Only after a major repair

Answer: Every year. After the first test at three years, a car must have an MOT every year. Driving without a valid MOT when one is needed is an offence.

Highway Code Annex 3: Motor vehicle documentation

1. Switch on your hazard warning lights ✓
2. Pull injured people out of their cars straight away
3. Ask the drivers involved to switch off their engines ✓
4. Give the casualties a hot drink to calm them

Answer: Switch on your hazard warning lights; Ask the drivers involved to switch off their engines. Make the scene safer first: use your hazard warning lights to warn traffic and ask drivers to switch off their engines to reduce the risk of fire. Don't move injured people unless they're in immediate danger.

Highway Code rule 283; Annex 7: First aid on the road

1. Help them out of the car so they can lie down on the verge
2. Ask them to get out and walk around to see how badly hurt they are
3. Drive them to the nearest hospital A&E department yourself
4. Keep them still in the car and reassure them until help arrives ✓

Answer: Keep them still in the car and reassure them until help arrives. Don't move injured people from their vehicles unless they're in immediate danger, such as from fire. Moving them could make an injury worse.

Highway Code rule 283

1. You, the driver ✓
2. The person who loaded it
3. The trailer's owner
4. The company that sold you the goods

Answer: You, the driver. As the driver, you must make sure your load is secure and doesn't stick out dangerously. Check it before you set off and during long journeys.

Highway Code rule 98

1. It improves fuel economy but wears the seats
2. It only matters if you're driving on a motorway
3. It makes the indicators flash too slowly
4. It can affect braking, steering and stability ✓

Answer: It can affect braking, steering and stability. You must not overload your vehicle or trailer. Extra weight affects braking and acceleration and can make the vehicle unstable, especially on bends or when braking hard.

Highway Code rules 98 and 160