The answer options
- The motorway causes more tyre wear
- Your brakes will be used more on the motorway
- Motorway service areas do not deal with breakdowns
- Continuous high speeds will increase the risk of break downCorrect
Why the other options are wrong
- “The motorway causes more tyre wear” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which continuous high speeds will increase the risk of break down 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.
- “Your brakes will be used more on the motorway” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which continuous high speeds will increase the risk of break down 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.
- “Motorway service areas do not deal with breakdowns” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which continuous high speeds will increase the risk of break down 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
Driving at continuous high speeds puts greater strain on your engine, tyres, and cooling systems than lower-speed driving. Any existing minor fault can quickly turn into a serious failure under this sustained stress, significantly increasing the risk of a breakdown. Brakes are actually used far less on motorways than in urban traffic. Following DVSA guidance by checking oil, coolant, and tyres before your journey helps keep you safe.
What motorway rules covers
- · Joining and leaving via slip roads and matching traffic speed
- · Lane discipline and who may not use the right-hand lane
- · Red X signals, variable limits and emergency refuge areas
- · Breakdowns, hard shoulder use and where to wait
Mistakes learners repeat on this topic
- · Treating the right-hand lane as a permanent fast lane rather than for overtaking
- · Stopping on the hard shoulder for a phone call or a rest
- · Driving in a lane marked with a red X because it looks clear
- · Reversing back along a slip road after missing an exit
Instructor tip: Every breakdown answer follows the same order: get left, get out on the nearside, get behind the barrier, then call.
How this comes up in the real test
Questions from motorway rules 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 motorway rules questions
- Following a breakdown on the hard shoulder, how should you rejoin the motorway?
- How do smart motorways avoid traffic clustering?
- How should you deal with traffic already on the motorway when joining from a slip road?
- In England and Wales, traffic officers work on motorways as well as some secondary routes. What powers do they have?
- On a motorway, how are the lanes to be used?
- On a three lane motorway, there are red reflective studs on your left and white ones on your right. Which lane are you in?