The answer options
- Continue in the lane you are inCorrect
- Stop and signal that you need to change
- Stop until there is no more traffic
- Force your way into the correct lane
Why the other options are wrong
- “Stop and signal that you need to change” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which continue in the lane you are in 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.
- “Stop until there is no more traffic” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which continue in the lane you are in 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.
- “Force your way into the correct lane” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which continue in the lane you are in 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
If you realise you are in the wrong lane at the last minute, you must continue in that lane. Stopping or forcing your way into the correct lane creates a severe hazard for traffic behind you and increases the risk of a collision. The Highway Code advises that if you make a mistake, you should follow the lane you are in safely, then find a suitable place to turn around or alter your route further ahead.
What rules of the road covers
- · National speed limits for cars, cars towing, and built-up areas
- · Priority at crossroads, roundabouts and unmarked junctions
- · Where waiting, loading and stopping are prohibited
- · One-way streets, bus lanes and contraflow systems
Mistakes learners repeat on this topic
- · Assuming street lighting always means 30mph without checking for repeater signs
- · Forgetting the reduced limits when towing on dual carriageways and motorways
- · Believing a roundabout always gives priority to the right regardless of markings
- · Parking within 10 metres of a junction because there were no yellow lines
Instructor tip: When a limit question names a vehicle type, answer for that vehicle — the trap is applying the car limit to everything.
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?