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Motorway Rules

10 cards · UK Driving Theory · answer each one, then read the explanation. Your score tallies below.

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UK Driving Theory · Motorway Rules · Card 001/010 easy

You hold a provisional car driving licence and want to practise on a motorway before your driving test. According to the Highway Code, are you allowed to do this, and if so, under what conditions?

  1. No, provisional car licence holders must never drive on a motorway under any circumstances until they pass their test
  2. Yes, but only during off-peak hours (before 7am or after 10pm) and only in the left-hand lane
  3. Yes, but only when accompanied by a DVSA approved driving instructor, in a car fitted with dual controls and displaying L plates
  4. Yes, provided a fully qualified driver who passed their own test at least three years ago sits in the passenger seat
UK Driving Theory · Motorway Rules · Card 002/010 easy

A rider wants to take a 50cc moped onto a motorway to save time on a short trip. According to the Highway Code, is this allowed?

  1. No, motorcycles under 50cc (4kW) must not be used on a motorway, regardless of how short the journey is
  2. Yes, as long as the rider keeps to the hard shoulder rather than the main carriageway
  3. Yes, but only in fine weather with good visibility, since the restriction is a safety guideline rather than a legal rule
  4. No, but only riders under 17 years old are affected by this restriction — an older rider on the same moped may use the motorway
UK Driving Theory · Motorway Rules · Card 003/010 easy

You are joining a motorway from a slip road and notice a gap in the traffic on the main carriageway. According to the Highway Code, what should you do?

  1. Slow right down at the end of the slip road and wait there for a gap to appear, since traffic already on the motorway must give way to joining vehicles
  2. Accelerate to the motorway's national speed limit before you reach the end of the slip road, then check for traffic once you are already on the carriageway
  3. Flash your headlights at drivers on the motorway so they move over and create space for you to join
  4. Use the slip road to adjust your speed to match the traffic already on the motorway, giving priority to that traffic as you merge into a suitable gap
UK Driving Theory · Motorway Rules · Card 004/010 easy

You are driving on a three-lane motorway. Traffic is light and there is nothing ahead of you to overtake. According to the Highway Code, which lane should you normally be driving in?

  1. Whichever lane keeps you furthest from slip roads joining the motorway, regardless of the traffic around you
  2. The left-hand lane, moving out only when you need to overtake and returning to it once it is safe to do so
  3. The middle lane, since it gives you the most space on both sides in case of a hazard
  4. The right-hand lane, so that you do not need to keep changing lanes as other traffic joins and leaves
UK Driving Theory · Motorway Rules · Card 005/010 hard

You are driving a car that is towing a small trailer on a motorway with four lanes in your direction. According to the Highway Code, which lane must you not use?

  1. The right-hand (fourth) lane — a vehicle towing a trailer must not use the right-hand lane on a motorway with three or more lanes
  2. Both the two right-hand lanes — trailers are restricted to only the two lanes nearest the hard shoulder
  3. None of the lanes — the right-hand lane restriction only applies to vehicles over 7.5 tonnes, not to a car towing a small trailer
  4. The left-hand lane only, because slower vehicles must stay out of the lane nearest the hard shoulder
UK Driving Theory · Motorway Rules · Card 006/010 medium

You are driving in the middle lane of a three-lane motorway and want to pass a lorry ahead of you that is also in the middle lane, travelling slower than you. Traffic is otherwise free-flowing, not congested. According to the Highway Code, what should you do?

  1. Move into the left-hand lane instead and pass the lorry on its left, since that lane is clearer
  2. Flash your headlights at the lorry so it moves into the left-hand lane and lets you pass on the inside
  3. Check your mirrors and blind spot, then move to the right-hand lane to overtake, signalling in good time before you do
  4. Stay in the middle lane and gradually edge past by drifting toward the left side of your own lane as you go
UK Driving Theory · Motorway Rules · Card 007/010 medium

You are driving on a smart motorway section where the hard shoulder has been permanently converted into a running lane. According to the Highway Code, when are you allowed to drive in that lane?

  1. Only during rush hour, when every hard shoulder lane on every smart motorway automatically opens to traffic
  2. Only if you are overtaking, in the same way as the right-hand lane
  3. Never — a converted hard shoulder can only be used by vehicles that have broken down and are waiting for recovery
  4. At any time it is shown as open by a speed limit displayed above it on the gantry — if no speed limit is shown above it, you must not drive in it
UK Driving Theory · Motorway Rules · Card 008/010 hard

You accidentally drive past the exit you wanted on a motorway. According to the Highway Code, what must you not do to correct your mistake?

  1. Continue to the next exit and rejoin the motorway travelling in the other direction if you need to get back
  2. Reverse back along the hard shoulder or slip road, make a U-turn, or drive against the flow of traffic to reach the exit
  3. Radio for a police or traffic officer escort back to the missed exit before attempting anything else
  4. Pull into the next service area to check a map or satnav before deciding how to proceed
UK Driving Theory · Motorway Rules · Card 009/010 easy

Your passenger asks to be dropped off right away while you are on the motorway carriageway, with no breakdown or emergency reason to stop. According to the Highway Code, what must you do?

  1. Keep driving to the next exit or service area — you must not stop on the carriageway, hard shoulder, or verge, or set anyone down, except in a genuine emergency
  2. Pull onto the verge just long enough to let them out, since a very brief stop is treated differently from a full breakdown stop
  3. Use the hard shoulder, since setting down a passenger counts as a permitted reason to stop there
  4. Slow to a stop in your current lane with your hazard lights on, since the hazard lights make it safe to pause briefly
UK Driving Theory · Motorway Rules · Card 010/010 hard

You have been driving for an hour at a steady 70mph on the motorway and are now approaching your exit slip road, which ends at a sharp bend. According to the Highway Code, why does it specifically advise checking your speedometer at this point?

  1. Because motorway speedometers and slip-road speedometers are calibrated differently, so the same needle position shows a different actual speed
  2. Because fatigue after an hour of driving typically causes drivers to misjudge distances rather than speed, and the speedometer corrects for that
  3. Because after sustained high-speed driving, your sense of speed adjusts, so a much slower speed, such as 50mph, can feel like driving at only 30mph
  4. Because slip roads have no speed limit at all, so the speedometer is the only way to know your actual speed