Get an exclusive 15% off - Offer ends next week!

    Fast Track Driving Lessons
    Log inGet me driving

    Before turning right into a side road, why should you check for motorcyclists?

    DVSA-style practice question · Vulnerable Road Users

    The answer options

    • They may be overtaking on the left
    • They may be following you
    • They may be overtaking on the rightCorrect
    • They may emerge from side road

    Why the other options are wrong

    • “They may be overtaking on the left” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which they may be overtaking on the right 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.
    • “They may be following you” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which they may be overtaking on the right 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.
    • “They may emerge from side road” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which they may be overtaking on the right 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

    Before turning right, always check your mirrors and right-hand blind spot. Motorcyclists often filter or overtake on the right, especially if traffic is slowing down ahead of a junction. Because motorcycles are small and easily obscured, you might not notice them straight away. Turning across an overtaking rider’s path can cause a serious crash. Always take extra care and look carefully before making the turn, as advised in the Highway Code.

    What vulnerable road users covers

    • · Passing distances for cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians in the road
    • · Blind spots and shoulder checks before turning or changing lane
    • · Pedestrian crossing types and who has priority at each
    • · Children near schools, ice-cream vans and residential streets

    Mistakes learners repeat on this topic

    • · Overtaking a cyclist just before turning left across them
    • · Passing a horse at speed or sounding the horn to warn the rider
    • · Failing to check the nearside blind spot before moving off
    • · Assuming a pedestrian waiting at a zebra crossing must give way to you

    Instructor tip: On any question involving a cyclist at a junction, the safe answer almost always involves waiting behind them.

    How this comes up in the real test

    Questions from vulnerable road users 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.

    Practise Vulnerable Road UsersSit a full mock test

    More vulnerable road users questions

    Passed your theory? Get the practical booked

    Your theory certificate lasts two years. Most learners who use it quickly do it with an intensive course — a block of hours with a DVSA approved instructor and a practical test at the end, instead of one lesson a week for months.

    Intensive course pricesAll coursesCrash coursesAutomatic lessonsAreas we coverDriving test centresHow it worksTest pass guarantee

    Cookies on this site

    We use essential cookies to make the site work. We would also like to set optional analytics cookies to see which guides help learners most. Nothing optional runs until you agree. See our cookie policy.