The answer options
- To allow traffic to overtake
- To be positioned well if you happen to skid
- To improve your view of the road round the bendCorrect
- To counteract the effect of the road's slope
Why the other options are wrong
- “To allow traffic to overtake” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which to improve your view of the road round the bend does. Picking it in the real test costs a mark you cannot get back, and with a pass mark of 43 out of 50 you only have seven to spare.
- “To be positioned well if you happen to skid” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which to improve your view of the road round the bend does. Picking it in the real test costs a mark you cannot get back, and with a pass mark of 43 out of 50 you only have seven to spare.
- “To counteract the effect of the road's slope” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which to improve your view of the road round the bend does. Picking it in the real test costs a mark you cannot get back, and with a pass mark of 43 out of 50 you only have seven to spare.
Why that is the answer
Keeping well to the left when approaching a right-hand bend opens up your field of vision, helping you see further around the corner. This gives you extra time to spot potential hazards, such as pedestrians or slow-moving vehicles, and react safely. It also keeps you further away from oncoming traffic that might drift across the centre line. You should never move left to encourage overtaking, as doing so on a bend is dangerous.
What safety margins covers
- · Thinking, braking and overall stopping distances at each speed
- · The two-second rule and when to extend it
- · Skid causes, anti-lock braking and how to steer out of a skid
- · Driving in rain, fog, ice, snow and strong crosswinds
Mistakes learners repeat on this topic
- · Quoting the braking distance when asked for the overall stopping distance
- · Using the two-second rule unchanged in the wet instead of doubling it
- · Believing ABS shortens the stopping distance on loose or icy surfaces
- · Steering against the skid rather than into it
Instructor tip: Learn 20mph = 12m and add 6m per 10mph of thinking plus a growing braking figure — the pattern is easier than the raw table.
How this comes up in the real test
Questions from safety margins appear throughout the 50-question multiple-choice section, and the wording changes between versions. Learn the rule rather than the sentence: the DVSA can ask the same point from the opposite direction, and a memorised answer falls over the moment the phrasing moves.
The pass mark is 43 out of 50, so seven wrong answers is your entire margin. If a whole category is shaky, run the topic practice below until you are getting every question right for the right reason, then go back to full mocks under the clock.
More safety margins questions
- What circumstances will cause an increase in your total stopping distance?
- How can the engine of your car be used as a brake?
- How can you avoid wheelspin when you’re driving on an icy road?
- How can you tell if your vehicle's tyres are losing their grip on a wet road surface?
- How should you make sure your brakes are working properly after passing through floodwater?
- In very hot weather the road surface can become soft. What will be affected by this?