The answer options
- Sound your horn as you pass
- Keep close as you pass
- Select a lower gear to pass
- Leave plenty of roomCorrect
Why that is the answer
You must give cyclists plenty of room when passing them because they can easily be blown off course by wind or swerve to avoid hazards like potholes. The Highway Code advises leaving as much space as you would when overtaking a car. Avoid sounding your horn as you approach or pass, as this can startle the cyclist and cause them to lose balance or swerve dangerously into your path.
How this comes up in the real test
Questions from alertness 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 alertness questions
- Before making a U-turn, what should you do?
- Before slowing or stopping your vehicle, what is something you must do?
- How can you make sure that a satellite navigation (satnav) system doesn’t distract you when you’re driving?
- Something is hanging from your rearview mirror. Why might this pose a risk?
- The windscreen pillar is restricting your view when waiting to emerge from a junction. What should you be especially cautious of?
- There is a hazard ahead. Why should you use your mirrors?