---
title: "Before taking any medicine you should always… | Theory Test"
description: "Before taking any medicine you should always check the leaflet. Why is this? The correct answer is “Medicine may affect your ability to safely drive”. Read th"
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# Before taking any medicine you should always check the leaflet. Why is this?

DVSA-style practice question · Hazard Awareness

## The answer options

-   Medicine may affect your ability to safely drive**Correct** 
-   Drug companies wish to receive feedback 
-   Medicine may affect your hearing 
-   You may have to inform your insurer of your medicine 

## Why that is the answer

Many medicines, including over-the-counter remedies like cold cures, can cause side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, or reduced concentration. The Highway Code warns that you must be fit to drive at all times. Checking the leaflet ensures you know if the medication will impair your driving ability. Driving while impaired by medicine is unsafe and illegal, regardless of whether it was prescribed by a doctor or bought in a pharmacy.

## How this comes up in the real test

Questions from hazard awareness 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.

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## More hazard awareness questions

-   [A friend has given you some cough medicine. You take some and wish to drive your car, what should you do first?](/theory/questions/a-friend-has-given-you-some-cough-medicine-you-take-some-and-wish-to-drive-your-car-what-s)
-   [A motorcyclist has just overtaken you. What should you do if the motorcyclist sharply cuts in front of you?](/theory/questions/a-motorcyclist-has-just-overtaken-you-what-should-you-do-if-the-motorcyclist-sharply-cuts)
-   [A police officer is making this signal to oncoming traffic. What does this mean?](/theory/questions/a-police-officer-is-making-this-signal-to-oncoming-traffic-what-does-this-mean)
-   [Certain two-way streets have three lanes on them. Why do they pose a special risk?](/theory/questions/certain-two-way-streets-have-three-lanes-on-them-why-do-they-pose-a-special-risk)
-   [Do you need to plan rest stops when you’re planning a long journey?](/theory/questions/do-you-need-to-plan-rest-stops-when-you-re-planning-a-long-journey)
-   [How can drinking alcohol affect your ability to drive?](/theory/questions/how-can-drinking-alcohol-affect-your-ability-to-drive)

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