You're teaching a pupil to stop. What should you teach them about using the gears to help slow the car?
- A No gear should be selected
- B A downward gear change should be made when possible
- C Changing gear is not always necessary
- D An upward gear change should be made when possible
Why this is the answer
When stopping a car, a gear change is often not needed. Modern cars have powerful brakes and tyres with good grip. This makes it generally unnecessary to select a lower gear before stopping.
Why the other answers don't fit
- A
- No gear should be selected — A gear change is sometimes useful; saying never is as wrong as saying always.
- B
- A downward gear change should be made when possible — Changing down on every stop wears the clutch and adds a task at a busy moment.
- D
- An upward gear change should be made when possible — Changing up while slowing is the wrong direction entirely.
Where this comes from
- Driving: the essential skills — section 5
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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