When should your pupil use the 'two-second rule'?
- A Before restarting the engine after it has stalled
- B To keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front
- C Before using the 'Mirrors-Signal-Manoeuvre' routine
- D When emerging on wet roads
Why this is the answer
To check whether they've left a safe gap between their vehicle and the one ahead. Ask them to choose a fixed reference point such as a bridge, sign or tree. When the vehicle in front passes the object, get them to say, 'Only a fool breaks the two-second rule'. If they reach the object before they finish saying this, they're too close.
Why the other answers don't fit
- A
- Before restarting the engine after it has stalled — Restarting a stalled engine takes as long as it takes.
- C
- Before using the 'Mirrors-Signal-Manoeuvre' routine — The mirror routine is a sequence of checks, not a timed one.
- D
- When emerging on wet roads — On a wet road the gap doubles, so two seconds is the wrong figure there.
Where this comes from
- Driving: the essential skills — 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: Driving Instructor (ADI Part 1)
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