The answer options
- Stay in a lane that has the least traffic
- Find the clearest lane to conduct overtaking
- Choose a lane and stay in it until you reach your exit
- Unless you're overtaking, keep to the leftCorrect
Why the other options are wrong
- “Stay in a lane that has the least traffic” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which unless you're overtaking, keep to the left 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.
- “Find the clearest lane to conduct overtaking” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which unless you're overtaking, keep to the left 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.
- “Choose a lane and stay in it until you reach your exit” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which unless you're overtaking, keep to the left 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
The Highway Code states you should always drive in the left-hand lane unless you are overtaking slower traffic. The middle and right-hand lanes are designated for overtaking only, not for continuous cruising. Staying in an outer lane unnecessarily, often called lane hogging, disrupts traffic flow and causes dangerous congestion. Once you have safely passed slower vehicles, you must return to the left-hand lane when it is safe to do so.
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
- 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?
- In England and Wales, traffic officers work on motorways as well as some secondary routes. What powers do they have?
- On a three lane motorway, there are red reflective studs on your left and white ones on your right. Which lane are you in?