The answer options
- When receiving a call
- When travelling at less than 30mph
- When safely parked upCorrect
- When driving an automatic transmission vehicle
Why that is the answer
You must only use a hand-held mobile phone when you are safely parked with the engine switched off. It is illegal to use a hand-held phone while driving, including when travelling at low speeds, driving an automatic vehicle, or receiving a call. Holding a phone distracts your attention from the road ahead. According to the Highway Code, the only exception while driving is to call emergency services in a genuine emergency.
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?