The answer options
- Stop and take into custody violating drivers
- Fix vehicles that are broken down on the motorway
- On a motorway, halt and direct anyone.Correct
- Issue penalty notices
Why that is the answer
National Highways traffic officers have the legal authority to stop and direct anyone on motorways and certain major roads to manage incidents and keep traffic moving safely. Under the Highway Code, failing to obey their directions is an offence. Traffic officers are not police officers, so they cannot arrest drivers or issue penalty notices, nor are they mechanics who carry out vehicle repairs.
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
- Before making a journey on the motorway it is important to check your vehicle fully. Why is this?
- 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?
- 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?