You're driving on a motorway. What should you do if the overhead signs show a red cross with red flashing lights above your lane?
- A Continue in that lane and look for further information
- B Move into another lane as soon as you can do so safely
- C Slow down but continue with your hazard warning lights on
- D Stop and wait for an instruction to proceed
Why this is the answer
A red cross with flashing red lights above your lane shows that your lane is closed. You should move into another lane as soon as you can do so safely. If the signal shows above all lanes, you must stop and not go beyond the signal.
Why the other answers don't fit
- A
- Continue in that lane and look for further information — A red cross means the lane is closed; carrying on in it is an offence and a danger.
- C
- Slow down but continue with your hazard warning lights on — A closed lane is closed at any speed, and hazard lights do not change that.
- D
- Stop and wait for an instruction to proceed — Stopping in a live carriageway creates a far worse hazard than moving over.
Where this comes from
- Driving: the essential skills — section 11
- The Highway Code — rule 271
- Know Your Traffic Signs — page 104
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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