The answer options
- To see what is happening ahead
- So you can brake sharply and stop
- To accelerate out of danger
- To see how your actions will affect traffic behindCorrect
Why that is the answer
Checking your mirrors allows you to see what is happening behind you before you react to a hazard ahead. Any action you take, such as slowing down or changing position, will affect vehicles following you. Knowing what is behind helps you signal and adjust your speed smoothly and safely. You cannot use mirrors to see ahead, and braking sharply should always be avoided as it risks causing a rear-end collision.
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?
- How should you pass the cyclists?
- 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?