How should you teach your pupils to apply the footbrake when they're stopping normally?
- A Progressively and smoothly, easing off the brake as the car comes to a rest
- B Sharply, maintaining firm pressure until the car stops
- C Lightly at first, then by rapid cadence braking
- D Gently, well after selecting a low gear
Why this is the answer
Progressive braking is a safe driving technique, which allows other drivers time to react and is more comfortable for your passengers. This will help to prevent skidding, and saves wear on brakes, tyres and suspension.
Why the other answers don't fit
- B
- Sharply, maintaining firm pressure until the car stops — Firm pressure held to the stop makes the car nod sharply as it settles.
- C
- Lightly at first, then by rapid cadence braking — Cadence braking is an emergency technique, not a normal stop.
- D
- Gently, well after selecting a low gear — The gear is selected as part of the stop, and gentleness alone is not the whole answer.
Where this comes from
- Driving: the essential skills — section 3
- The Highway Code — rule 117
Rule numbers link to The Highway Code on gov.uk.
Where this question comes from
The question, its options and the explanation are reproduced word for word from the DVSA revision question bank under licence. The licence requires them to appear unaltered, so we cannot reword them and neither can anyone else — that is why you will meet the same wording on other sites. Everything else on this page is written by Theory Hub: the explanation of why each wrong answer is wrong, the topic guide and the revision notes.
Asked in: Driving Instructor (ADI Part 1)
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