You are in a queue of traffic waiting to turn right into a side road. As you reach the front of the queue, why is it important to check your right mirror just before turning?

To ensure the side road is clear

You are in a queue… — To ensure there are no…

The answer options

To ensure there are no overtaking vehiclesCorrect
To check for traffic
To look for pedestrians
To ensure the side road is clear

Why the other options are wrong

“To check for traffic” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which to ensure there are no overtaking vehicles 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 look for pedestrians” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which to ensure there are no overtaking vehicles 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 ensure the side road is clear” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which to ensure there are no overtaking vehicles 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

Highway Code guidance stresses checking your right mirror before turning right to ensure no other road user is overtaking the queue. Motorcyclists and cyclists frequently filter past queued vehicles on the right. If you turn without checking, you risk cutting directly into their path. While you must also look ahead into the side road for pedestrians, your right mirror specifically checks for hazards approaching from behind on your right side.

What vulnerable road users covers

· Passing distances for cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians in the road
· Blind spots and shoulder checks before turning or changing lane
· Pedestrian crossing types and who has priority at each
· Children near schools, ice-cream vans and residential streets

Mistakes learners repeat on this topic

· Overtaking a cyclist just before turning left across them
· Passing a horse at speed or sounding the horn to warn the rider
· Failing to check the nearside blind spot before moving off
· Assuming a pedestrian waiting at a zebra crossing must give way to you

Instructor tip: On any question involving a cyclist at a junction, the safe answer almost always involves waiting behind them.

How this comes up in the real test

Questions from vulnerable road users 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.

Practise Vulnerable Road Users Sit a full mock test