The answer options
- Select a low gear and use no brakes
- Select a high gear and harshly brake
- Select a high gear and brake carefully
- Select a low gear and brake gentlyCorrect
Why that is the answer
The Highway Code advises selecting a lower gear before going down a steep hill to make use of engine braking. This helps control your speed without relying solely on your footbrake. Doing this stops your brakes from overheating and losing their effectiveness. Gently using your brakes alongside engine braking gives you complete, safe control. Using a high gear provides no engine braking and puts dangerous strain on your brakes.
How this comes up in the real test
Questions from safety margins 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 safety margins questions
- What circumstances will cause an increase in your total stopping distance?
- As you approach a right-hand bend, you should keep well to the left. Why is this?
- How can the engine of your car be used as a brake?
- How can you avoid wheelspin when you’re driving on an icy road?
- How can you tell if your vehicle's tyres are losing their grip on a wet road surface?
- How should you make sure your brakes are working properly after passing through floodwater?