When you are studying for the car theory test you will need to study and practice 14 car theory test subjects. These subjects range from your attitude towards road users around you to the rules regarding the motorway.
Here we cover the second subject (in alphabetic order)
Attitude – consisting of 39 car theory test questions, the subject ‘Attitude’ is about teaching the learner driver to be more vigilant on the road and the potential dangers of not following the DVSA guidelines.
A typical car theory test question under the subject ‘Attitude’ is listed below:
What’s the minimum time gap you should leave when following a vehicle on a wet road?
Is it
- One second
- Two seconds
- Three seconds
- Four seconds
Many of us are aware that when a driver is following another road user on a dry day, they should keep a minimum of 2 seconds from the vehicle in front but what is the distance to keep in wet conditions? The UK government states that in conditions when the road is wet then it should be at least double the normal minimum time distance. Thus, the correct answer here is ‘four seconds’. An additional question here is how do you apply the four second rule? Well in order to apply the two second rule then when the vehicle in front passes an object like a road sign or a lamppost for example then you should count two seconds by either saying ‘only a fool breaks the two second rule’ or by counting ‘one thousand and one, one thousand and two.’ If you haven’t passed that object by the time you finished counting then you have a safe distance from the vehicle in front but if you find yourself passing that object before you complete the count, then you need to increase the distance from the vehicle in front. If you just count ‘one two’ then that’s not quite two seconds and that will not be enough to judge a safe distance. With regards to judging the four second rule then you should say ‘only a fool breaks the two second rule’ twice or by counting ‘one thousand and one, one thousand and two, one thousand and three, one thousand and four.’ It is vital to keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front because if they decide to brake sharply then you will need to ensure that you can stop safely in time in order not to hit the vehicle in front. When the road conditions are wet then you should keep at least double the distance from the vehicle in front as your car can skid and hit the car in front because of the loss of friction regarding the wet road and your car tyres.
Another car theory test question that can be found is
When should you use your vehicle’s horn?
- To alert others to your presence
- To allow you right of way
- To greet other road users
- To signal your annoyance
This may seem like a simple car theory test question, but it actually takes some thought. We have all seen road users beep their horn to show other road users that they are annoyed with them. There are times when road users are beeping other road users or pedestrians just to say ‘hi’ or gain their attention but none of these methods are the correct way to use you car horn as it can be misleading and frightening to those not expecting it. For example, if a driver beeps to gain attention of his friend walking on the pavement, the road user in front might think they are beeping them and can lose their concentration on the road ahead. Also, imagine if a cyclist or a pedestrian is close to the car that is beeping, it will sound pretty loud and could make that person jump with fright.
The correct answer to the car theory test question above is ‘to alert others to your presence.’ So if you’re driving along and there’s another road user reversing into you and doesn’t look like they’ve seen you or you feel another road user is about to crash into you without realising then it may be a good idea to honk your horn in order to let them know that you are there so they have time to react to situation. The car theory test exists in order for car drivers to be aware and be clear of what to do in situations that need to addressed. Many car drivers misuse the horn and think its ok as they see other drivers do so hence why the car theory test was put together to help clarify the rules of the road.