When should you use the two-second rule?
- A To keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front when it's raining
- B To keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front when conditions are good
- C To keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front when it's icy
- D To keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front in queuing traffic
Why this is the answer
Use the two-second rule when conditions are good and you're driving on roads carrying faster-moving traffic. Choose a fixed reference point, and when the vehicle ahead passes that point say to yourself 'Only a fool breaks the two-second rule.' If you reach the object before you finish saying this, you're too close and you need to drop back and check again.
Why the other answers don't fit
- A
- To keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front when it's raining — Rain doubles it to four seconds.
- C
- To keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front when it's icy — Ice needs up to ten times the dry distance.
- D
- To keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front in queuing traffic — In a queue you are barely moving, and the gap is judged differently.
Where this comes from
- Driving Buses and Coaches — section 7
- Driving Goods Vehicles — section 7
- The Highway Code — rule 126
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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