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Safety Margins — free theory test practice
Safety margins is the maths band. Stopping distances are the single most tested fact in the theory test, and they are worth memorising because the numbers appear verbatim in the answers.
The rest of the topic is about how those distances change: doubled in the wet, up to ten times longer on ice, and longer again with a heavy load or worn tyres.
Once you're passing this topic comfortably, try a full mock test under real timed conditions, brush up on UK road signs, or browse the full question bank. Ready to drive? See our intensive driving courses.
Safety Margins
Question 1 of 33
What circumstances will cause an increase in your total stopping distance?
What the DVSA tests on safety margins
- Thinking, braking and overall stopping distances at each speed
- The two-second rule and when to extend it
- Skid causes, anti-lock braking and how to steer out of a skid
- Driving in rain, fog, ice, snow and strong crosswinds
- Contraflow and coasting, and why coasting reduces control
Common mistakes in this topic
- Quoting the braking distance when asked for the overall stopping distance
- Using the two-second rule unchanged in the wet instead of doubling it
- Believing ABS shortens the stopping distance on loose or icy surfaces
- Steering against the skid rather than into it
Instructor tip: Learn 20mph = 12m and add 6m per 10mph of thinking plus a growing braking figure — the pattern is easier than the raw table.