The answer options
- Change to the opposite carriageway
- Switch to the lane on your leftCorrect
- Leave at the next exit
- Pull up on the hard shoulder
Why the other options are wrong
- “Change to the opposite carriageway” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which switch to the lane on your 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.
- “Leave at the next exit” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which switch to the lane on your 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.
- “Pull up on the hard shoulder” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which switch to the lane on your 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
This sign or signal indicates that the lane you are using is closed ahead, so you must move safely into the lane on your left. You should make the lane change in good time without causing danger to others. It does not instruct you to leave at the next exit or pull up on the hard shoulder, which must only be used in an emergency. Motorway matrix signs give essential lane instructions to keep traffic moving safely.
What road and traffic signs covers
- · Shape and colour rules for orders, warnings and information
- · Regulatory signs including no entry, no waiting and weight limits
- · Warning triangles for bends, junctions, crossings and gradients
- · Road markings: give way lines, hatching, box junctions, edge lines
Mistakes learners repeat on this topic
- · Reading a blue circle as advice rather than a compulsory instruction
- · Confusing the no-entry sign with the no-motor-vehicles sign
- · Assuming hatched areas bordered by a broken line may never be entered
- · Missing that the end-of-restriction sign returns you to the national limit, not to 30
Instructor tip: Answer from the shape first, then check the pictogram — it stops you second-guessing on the look-alike pairs.
How this comes up in the real test
Questions from road and traffic signs 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 road and traffic signs questions
- A police car is following you. If a police officer gestures to go left while flashing their headlights, what should you do?
- After turning at a junction you should ensure your indicators are cancelled promptly. Why is this?
- At traffic lights, what does it mean when the amber light shows on its own?
- How can you identify traffic signs that give orders?
- How should one indicate a left turn with their arms?