The answer options
- To overtake slow traffic
- When the pavement is wide
- If there are no pedestrians
- To gain access to a property
Why that is the answer
You are only permitted to drive over a pavement to gain lawful access to a property, such as crossing a lowered kerb to reach a driveway. Driving on the pavement for any other reason is illegal and poses a serious hazard to pedestrians. You must never use the pavement to overtake slow traffic, regardless of whether pedestrians are present or how wide the footway is. The Highway Code strictly prohibits this to keep pedestrians safe.
How this comes up in the real test
Questions from rules of the road 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 rules of the road questions
- A single carriageway road has this sign. What’s the maximum permitted speed for a car towing a trailer?
- At a roundabout, how should you signal that you're going straight ahead?
- At an un-marked crossroads, who has priority?
- How else can you indicate to other drivers besides using direction indicators?
- How far are you allowed to reverse?
- How should you park at night on a road with a 40mph speed limit?