You're riding on a busy dual carriageway. What should you do before you change lanes?
- A Rely totally on your mirrors
- B Always increase your speed
- C Signal so that others will give way
- D Use mirrors and shoulder checks
Why this is the answer
Before changing direction, as well as using your mirrors, you may need to take a quick sideways glance to check for vehicles in your blind spots. These are the areas behind and to the side of you that are not covered by your mirrors.
Why the other answers don't fit
- A
- Rely totally on your mirrors — Mirrors miss the blind spot, and on a dual carriageway that is where a car will be.
- B
- Always increase your speed — Speeding up does not clear the space beside you, and it shortens your own reaction time.
- C
- Signal so that others will give way — A signal is a statement of intent, not a claim on the lane. Nobody is obliged to let you in.
Where this comes from
- Riding: the essential skills — section 8
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: Motorcycle
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