05 January 2024 , 15:00
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Passing your driving theory test is essential if you want to take to the roads, but apparently there are certain questions many people fail.
In order to move on to your practical driving test, you first have to pass a theoretical one, which consists of multiple choice questions and hazard perception videos, with a separate test. But according to data from the UK government, just 44.6% of hopeful drivers have passed their theory test since April 2023.
So whether you're studying for your test, or you took it a long time ago, there are certain things you might struggle to answer. In order to test your knowledge, cinch, a car retailer, has looked at some of the questions that stump most budding motorists, as per Driving Test Success, to help learners nail their upcoming test.
Find the most common wrongly-answered questions below, and head down to the bottom of the page for the answers.
1. When driving a car with an automatic transmission, what would you use 'kick-down' for?
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2. What is a cover note?
3. What colour follows the green light at a puffin crossing?
4. What should you do before turning right onto a dual carriageway?
5. In good driving conditions, what is the average stopping distance at 20mph?
6. How long is a Statutory Off-Road Notification (SORN) valid for?
Answers:
1. Quick acceleration
Sam Sheehan, motoring editor at cinch, explained: "In short, kick-down is a feature in vehicles fitted with automatic transmissions that allows you to accelerate faster. By pressing the accelerator pedal to the floor, the transmission receives the signal to downshift to a lower gear, providing the car with a surge of power and helping it pick up speed.
"Kick-down is particularly useful in scenarios in which, for example, you're overtaking other vehicles or driving up steep hills. So, what would you use kick-down for? The answer is 'quick acceleration'."
2. A cover note is a temporary document confirming a vehicle is insured while you wait for the final documents to be sent.
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In today's digitised world, temporary cover notes aren't as common, as you can get an insurance certificate almost immediately. However, that cover notes still do exist, so it's important to know what they are ahead of your theory test.
3. Steady amber.
There are up to six different types of crossings on UK roads, including zebra, puffin, pelican and toucan, which makes this question quite tricky. Puffin crossings have two sensors on top of the traffic lights that can monitor pedestrians, making the crossing safer and more efficient.
Puffin crossings detect a person's movements and prompt the traffic lights to stay red until the road is clear - meaning there's no flashing amber on the crossings.
4. Consider whether the central reservation has enough space to accommodate your car while you wait.
If you need to turn right onto a dual carriageway, you'll need to cross two lanes and wait in the central reservation for a gap in the traffic. Central reservations are strips of road that divide the opposing lanes of traffic on a dual carriageway.
If this bit isn't wide enough, your car might poke into one in the lanes, which can be a serious collision risk, which is why it's important to consider this before turning.
5. 40ft.
Stopping distances change based on many factors, such as weather, road conditions and car tyres, but in optical conditions you can use a calculation to work it out.
At 20mph, multiply the speed by two and this is the total stopping distance in feet (40 feet). From 20mph up, multiply by an extra 0.5 every 10mph after that. For example:
- 20mph x 2 = 40 feet
- 30mph x 2.5 = 75 feet
- 40mph x 3 = 120 feet
- 50mph x 3.5 = 175 feet
6. Until your car is re-taxed, sold or scrapped.
The Statutory Off-Road Notification (SORN) is a declaration to the DVLA that your car isn't being used on public roads. Learner drivers might assume this is only valid for a year, but that's not the case.
How many of these questions could you answer correctly? Let us know in the comment section below.