The answer options
- To make a phone call
- If your vehicle has a breakdown
- If you wish to overtake slow traffic
- At all times when the road ahead is clearCorrect
Why that is the answer
You should always drive in the left-hand lane when the road ahead is clear, regardless of your speed. The Highway Code states that middle and right-hand lanes are strictly for overtaking. Remaining in the middle or outer lanes when the left lane is empty causes unnecessary congestion. Never stop in any carriageway lane to make a phone call, and if you break down, you should use the hard shoulder or an emergency area.
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?