The answer options
- In queuing traffic when your lane is moving faster than the rightCorrect
- When you signal left before you do so
- When you can see the hard shoulder ahead is clear
- When the traffic in the right hand lane signals left
Why the other options are wrong
- “When you signal left before you do so” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which in queuing traffic when your lane is moving faster than the right 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.
- “When you can see the hard shoulder ahead is clear” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which in queuing traffic when your lane is moving faster than the right 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.
- “When the traffic in the right hand lane signals left” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which in queuing traffic when your lane is moving faster than the right 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
On a motorway, you should normally only overtake on the right. However, the Highway Code allows you to pass on the left if traffic is moving in slow queues and your lane is moving faster than the lane to your right. You must never weave between lanes to pass vehicles, use the hard shoulder to overtake, or pass on the left simply because you signalled.
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 motorway, how are the lanes to be used?