The answer options
- When your direction indicators don't work
- When you are double-parked
- When your vehicle is broken down and causing an obstructionCorrect
- To warn oncoming traffic you wish to stop
Why the other options are wrong
- “When your direction indicators don't work” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which when your vehicle is broken down and causing an obstruction 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 are double-parked” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which when your vehicle is broken down and causing an obstruction 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.
- “To warn oncoming traffic you wish to stop” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which when your vehicle is broken down and causing an obstruction 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
Hazard warning lights should be used when your vehicle has broken down and is causing an obstruction, or on high-speed roads to warn traffic behind of sudden slowdowns ahead. You must never use them while driving in normal traffic, nor as an excuse for unsafe or illegal parking, such as double-parking. Turning on hazard lights does not give you permission to stop where it is unsafe or prohibited.
What hazard awareness covers
- · Static, moving and developing hazards and how they differ
- · Scanning, mirror use and planning your response early
- · Effects of tiredness, alcohol, drugs and prescription medicine
- · Weather, light and road-surface conditions that reduce your margin
Mistakes learners repeat on this topic
- · Choosing the reactive answer (brake hard) over the planning answer (ease off early)
- · Underestimating how long alcohol stays in the system overnight
- · Assuming a prescribed medicine cannot affect your fitness to drive
- · Treating a hazard as cleared before you have passed it
Instructor tip: If two answers both work, pick the one that acts earliest — the DVSA marks anticipation, not recovery.
How this comes up in the real test
Questions from hazard awareness 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 hazard awareness questions
- A friend has given you some cough medicine. You take some and wish to drive your car, what should you do first?
- A motorcyclist has just overtaken you. What should you do if the motorcyclist sharply cuts in front of you?
- A police officer is making this signal to oncoming traffic. What does this mean?
- Before taking any medicine you should always check the leaflet. Why is this?
- Certain two-way streets have three lanes on them. Why do they pose a special risk?
- Do you need to plan rest stops when you’re planning a long journey?