When does 'brake fade' occur?
- A When the brakes get too hot
- B When the brakes get too cold
- C When the brakes get too dry
- D When the brakes get too wet
Why this is the answer
Continuous use of the brakes can result in them overheating and losing their effectiveness. This is known as 'brake fade' and it's most likely on long downhill gradients.
Why the other answers don't fit
- B
- When the brakes get too cold — Cold brakes are less effective for a moment, but that is not fade.
- C
- When the brakes get too dry — Dry is the normal state of a brake and causes no loss at all.
- D
- When the brakes get too wet — Wet brakes lose grip briefly and recover as they dry. Fade is the heat problem.
Where this comes from
- Driving Buses and Coaches — section 7
- Driving Goods Vehicles — section 3
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: Lorry & Bus (LGV/PCV)
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