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.
Vulnerable Road Users – a total of 67 driving theory test questions, vulnerable road users’ question bank has a mixture of identifying and approaching pedestrian crossings to dealing with animals on the road. This is one of the more serious topics in the driving theory test that the DVSA feel that many drivers are not paying enough attention to and the DVSA want to ensure that all learner drivers understand the risks involved.
Below is a question that seems to trick most current drivers as well as learner drivers:
You see a pedestrian carrying a white stick that also has a red band. What does this mean?
- They have limited mobility
- They’re Deaf
- They’re Blind
- They’re Deaf and Blind
The common answer is here is that ‘they’re blind’ but unfortunately that is incorrect. Although blind people often carry a white stick to help them feel the road and their surroundings a person with a white stick that has a red band on it signifies that the person is Deaf as well as Blind. If the person has limited mobility then they may use some support to get around like a wheelchair, a walking stick, or some sort of device to physically support them. A person that is Deaf only does not need any physical support to help them get around although it is common for many Deaf people to have a pre-written badge on them to produce to others to explain that they are Deaf and may not be able to communicate verbally.
Giving a safe distance to cyclists while driving may seem obvious to some but can you predict which direction they will be heading towards? Below is a driving theory test question that requires some extra thought:
You’re following two cyclists as they approach a roundabout in the left-hand lane. Where would you expect the cyclists to go?
- Left
- Right
- Any direction
- Straight ahead
Generally, when most road users are in the left-hand on the approach to a roundabout, they are expected to go either left or straight so the answer should seem obvious here. Cyclists may have just as much priority as any other road user but due to the issue that cyclists tend to be a lot slower than most road users it is not easy (and not always safe) for them to change lanes and therefore they tend to stick more to the left lane. So, if you are following a cyclist that is in the left hand lane on the approach to a roundabout then it is safe to understand that it is likely that, that cyclist can go in any direction on the roundabout and so it is safe to allow the cyclist plenty of room. Sometimes cyclists signal right with their arm sticking out when they want to turn right on a roundabout but it is not always possible especially if the roundabout is large, the cyclist is inexperienced, it’s a windy day or the cyclist just doesn’t feel safe enough to have their hand and arm sticking out in the road.
Always leave vulnerable road users plenty of space and please show them as much respect on the road as possible.