Quiz: Think you’re a safe driver? Tackle these 10 common hazards

What is the Highway Code advice for a school crossing patrol?

Roads can be a dangerous environment. Drivers need to have their wits about them and their eyes out on stalks even on the briefest trip. From passing parked cars to negotiating zebra crossings, each obstacle represents a hazard that needs to be approached with a certain mindset and technique to ensure drivers, passengers and fellow road users stay safe at all times.

On longer journeys, there are more hazards and greater speeds, which can call for fast decision making. So it pays to brush up on the rules of the road, whether that’s by sitting down with a mug of tea and revisiting the Highway Code, or seeking more general advice and practical tips from expert organisations, such as the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) or Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

To help drivers stay on their toes, we’ve compiled 10 common hazards that are encountered on the road, and challenge all to see how well they tackle them. 

Results

Excellent stuff, you’re a safe driver.

There’s room for improvement to stay safe on the road.

#1. How much room should drivers give a cyclist when overtaking?

Watch out! There’s a hazard about.

#2. What rule applies to pelican crossings with an island in the middle?

Watch out! There’s a hazard about.

#3. What hazard is shown in this road sign?

Watch out! There’s a hazard about.

#4. What is the Highway Code’s advice for a school crossing patrol?

Watch out! There’s a hazard about.

#5. How much room is it advisable to give parked cars?

Watch out! There’s a hazard about.

#6. When bins are next to the road, what should drivers be wary of?

Watch out! There’s a hazard about.

#7. Before overtaking an HGV, what should drivers do?

Watch out! There’s a hazard about.

#8. When you see this sign for a steep hill, how should you descend?

Watch out! There’s a hazard about.

#9. What does this road sign warn of?

Watch out! There’s a hazard about.

#10. When a squirrel runs in front of your car, what should you do?

Watch out! There’s a hazard about.

Finish

 

111 comments on “Quiz: Think you’re a safe driver? Tackle these 10 common hazards

  1. Vicki Withers 07/06/2017 2:57 PM

    At end of Safety Quiz would have been more effective if incorrect answers had been identified with correct answer

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:45 PM

      Please try again, Vicki; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

      • Jeanette 15/06/2017 10:42 AM

        I just did the test but can’t find out which 2 I got wrong – so no point really as I can’t improve!

      • Blakey Amoghalila 17/06/2017 11:22 AM

        When was the quiz adjusted? I’ve just taken the quiz and have failed on two questions but am unable to find out which to and I won’t to learn so that I’m aware of waht to do behind the wheel.

  2. Margaret John 07/06/2017 3:22 PM

    WHICH QUESTIONS DID I ANSWER INCORRECTLY?

  3. Mrs. J. Hudson 07/06/2017 3:45 PM

    I know which ones |I got wrong but it doesn’t tell you which is the right answer, a few are obvious but not all

    • mr r williams 25/06/2017 8:57 AM

      if you look back on the quiz there is a red or green line underneath the answer green correct red wrong easy

  4. Michael Omezi 07/06/2017 3:55 PM

    Very interesting

  5. Graham Jessop 07/06/2017 5:34 PM

    Answers to questions 5 and 9 are incorrect. In both two options are actually correct. Suggest a reading of the Highway Code is required by the compiler..!

  6. Joyce farr 07/06/2017 9:03 PM

    Let us know which one we failed on.

  7. Susan Golden 07/06/2017 10:01 PM

    Ii can’t find which ones I got wrong. I want to learn!

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:43 PM

      Please try again, Susan; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  8. Norman Daughters 07/06/2017 11:31 PM

    Would like to know the 10pc I failed on.

  9. alan 08/06/2017 12:10 PM

    10 OUT OF 10 WHAT CAN I SAY…

  10. John Broom 08/06/2017 1:57 PM

    Did the test got 7/10 which did I get wrong

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:42 PM

      Please try again, John; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  11. Michael Taplin 08/06/2017 3:01 PM

    Crossings controlled by an authorised person. Do not cross the road unless you are
    signalled to do so by a police officer, traffic warden or school crossing patrol. Always
    cross in front of them.
    As the sign in the quiz is used by a school crossing patrol, the above extract suggests 2 correct answers to your quiz on this subject.

    • Chris Spencer 20/06/2017 4:02 PM

      You have quoted the instructions for pedestrians crossing the road – not for cars.

  12. Jeffrey Morgans 08/06/2017 3:44 PM

    What were the correct answers?

  13. Ray 08/06/2017 4:18 PM

    Would be nice to know the ones (only 2) I got wrong ?

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:42 PM

      Please try again, Ray; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  14. Alan Jackson 08/06/2017 6:39 PM

    Interesting and a good idea. Does stop that little complacency that creeps in.

  15. Brian. 09/06/2017 6:46 AM

    Question #5 seems to be incorrect. Highway code “Rules for pedestrians (1 to 35)” quote: –
    Rule 20
    Where there is an island in the middle of a zebra crossing, wait on the island and follow Rule 19 before you cross the second half of the road – it is a separate crossing.

    • Chris 16/06/2017 7:37 AM

      Has there been a change of rule since 1975? I was taught that an island designates two separate crossings and vehicles only have to stop at a Zebra crossing if a pedestrian is about to cross to or from the island on the side of the road the vehicle is traveling on.

    • Angie 19/06/2017 9:47 AM

      Yes, I suppose theoretically you should stop in case the pedestrian keeps going, but in practice we all stop in the middle – don’t we?

    • Eric Hayman 19/06/2017 5:49 PM

      You mentioned a zebra crossing with an island – and presumably Belisha beacons on the island. Not a Pelican crossing with lights only on the pavement. If the Pelican crossing is divided, then there will be an area for pedestrians to stand in, and another button to push for the second half of the road. The two parts are usually offset.

  16. mike murphy 09/06/2017 11:11 AM

    informative and made me aware that I do not know everything

    • audrey 21/08/2017 5:37 PM

      are you the mike murphy that taught my son and my husband to drive in mossley

  17. R.H. 09/06/2017 12:57 PM

    they do not advise which answer/s were incorrect so how can one rectify ?

  18. Peter Cairns 09/06/2017 1:41 PM

    Interesting what did I het wrong

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:41 PM

      Please try again, Peter; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  19. Jane Sexon 09/06/2017 2:19 PM

    Would like to have seen my 2 wrong answers and what the correct answers should have been.

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:40 PM

      Please try again, Jane; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  20. Geoff 09/06/2017 4:57 PM

    Would be nice to know which I failed on.

  21. Madelyn Collier 09/06/2017 6:44 PM

    Would be nice if you actually pointed out which answers were incorrect!

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:40 PM

      Please try again, Madelyn; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  22. M.Brill 10/06/2017 7:56 AM

    I got 9/10, but there is no indication of which one I got wrong. I am pretty sure I know which one because after 50+ years on the road, I disagree with the standard advice normally given. It would be useful however to be told which one(s) that were answered incorrectly, How else is one to know where you need to upgrade your knowledge?

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:39 PM

      Please try again; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  23. Graham 10/06/2017 9:49 AM

    Zebra crossings with an island in tha middle should be treated as two separate crossings therefore motorists are allowed to continue across the crossing if pedestrians on the other side have not reached the island

  24. Heather Watts 10/06/2017 10:55 AM

    What is the correct answer to the one I got wrong.

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:39 PM

      Please try again, Heather; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  25. BRIAN FAZACKERLEY 10/06/2017 2:44 PM

    I would like to know which questions I got wrong.
    Brian Fazackerley

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:38 PM

      Please try again, Brian; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  26. BRIAN FAZACKERLEY 10/06/2017 2:50 PM

    I like to think I am a good driver, not slow ( my wife says I sometimes drive too fast) but I have been driving for 60 years, cars and 2 tonne vans, I`ve probably picked up a few bad habits. One accident when I was 18 years old. Brian F.

  27. Anthony 10/06/2017 2:58 PM

    On overtaking parked cars give as much room as road allows as with bikes

  28. Zaheer Ahmad 10/06/2017 4:42 PM

    V good

  29. John Mabbitt 10/06/2017 6:23 PM

    I have taken the quiz and would like to know which questions I answered incorrectly and why.

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:37 PM

      Please try again, John; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  30. Christine 10/06/2017 7:26 PM

    Great to do this when you have been driving a long time. But you need to say witch question we fail on, so we are await of it.

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:37 PM

      Please try again; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  31. anthony armistead 10/06/2017 9:27 PM

    Very Good Reminders.

  32. robert Tyler 11/06/2017 8:10 AM

    it would be helpful to know what questions a participant in the test got wrong

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:36 PM

      Please try again; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  33. deborah 11/06/2017 8:56 AM

    Enjoyed doing that

  34. P Richatrds 11/06/2017 12:30 PM

    Whats the point if you dont give the correct answers anywhere ? People will learn nothing.

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:36 PM

      Please try again; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  35. Peter Biggs 11/06/2017 2:38 PM

    A good overall quiz , but I draw your attention to these two questions to which the answers I give are from the Highway code and the law , you may wish to review the choices you offer before making a correct as wrong !

    Q :5 If there’s an island in the middle of a zebra crossing this is treated as two separate crossings. As a driver you do not need to wait until the crossing is clear before you can move off. Pedestrians can wait in the centre island until it is clear to cross the second half of the crossing.
    Q : 7 Drivers of vehicles are required by law to stop
    when the authorised sign is displayed facing
    towards them by a Patrol who is wearing the
    approved uniform. FAILURE TO STOP MEANS
    THAT THE DRIVER CAN BE PROSECUTED.

  36. Alan Addison 11/06/2017 8:14 PM

    Good to keep us up to date and safe and a better driver

  37. Mr M. D. Hancocks 12/06/2017 6:57 AM

    Its a pity you cant see what you failed on

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:35 PM

      Please try again; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  38. Alan Fox 12/06/2017 8:34 AM

    It would be helpful if, at the end, an indication could be given of the questions answered incorrectly.

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:35 PM

      Please try again, Alan; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  39. gwendoline gardiner 12/06/2017 12:40 PM

    take a look at the highway code

  40. Anne 12/06/2017 1:16 PM

    Some of the ‘correct answers’ are rubbish. They don’t make any sense – but, that happens a lot nowadays

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:33 PM

      Thanks for the feedback, Anne. The correct answers come from the Highway Code. Hope that helps.

  41. David French 12/06/2017 3:05 PM

    9/10 ok got one wrong, not too bad for an 81year old, will try to improve.

  42. Moira Ridley 12/06/2017 4:23 PM

    Happy with 9/10 but would like to know which answer was incorrect.

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:32 PM

      Please try again, Moira; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  43. Andrew Stuart 12/06/2017 5:15 PM

    good idea brushing up on highway code

  44. Marian Donne 12/06/2017 5:52 PM

    It would be useful to know which answers were wrong

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:32 PM

      Please try again, Marian; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  45. geoffrey morgan 12/06/2017 6:42 PM

    question #5 highway code says treat it as two separate crossings, see rule 20. Undue courtesy stops only aggravate an already overloaded road system. Continuity of driving and being aware what is happening around you is paramount today. good test though. thank you.

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:31 PM

      Thanks for the feedback, Barry. We based on on this section of the Highway Code. Hope this helps:
      Rule 197
      Pelican crossings which go straight across the road are one crossing, even when there is a central island. You MUST wait for pedestrians who are crossing from the other side of the island.

      Laws ZPPPCRGD reg 26 & RTRA sect 25(5)

        • Brian 21/06/2017 8:23 AM

          I would like to know if my recollection of the wording for this question is correct and it was, indeed, changed prior to my comment above and before the picture was eventually replaced a few days later.

          It would be interested to know why my comment above is still “awaiting moderation”. Is there something unpublishable about it?

      • Jack 15/06/2017 11:24 AM

        Maybe the confusion arises from the question saying pelican crossing but the picture being a zebra crossing…

      • Roger 15/06/2017 11:59 AM

        Seems anomalous but rule 20 applies to pedestrians and 197 for cars.

  46. Douglas Hesketh 13/06/2017 6:53 AM

    I am a driving instructor, and question 4 is very ambiguous, it could be answer 1 or 3 depending on your interpretation!

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:30 PM

      Thanks for the feedback, Douglas. We based it on this part of the Highway Code:
      Rule 163 ‘give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car (see Rules 211 to 215).’

      • Brian 13/06/2017 6:46 PM

        Looking at the picture, I’d be cautious about passing that cyclist. Because she’s quite a way out in the road it would be difficult to pass far enough away and, more importantly, there’s a bend ahead and anything could be coming that is obscured by the grass bank.

    • Peter Biggs 13/06/2017 2:14 PM

      Are you sure you are looking at the right question Douglas ?

  47. Glen Slater 13/06/2017 7:32 AM

    What is the the point of doing the test when your site your site does not advise on the incorrect answer.

  48. Kathryn Whigham 13/06/2017 8:46 AM

    Be helpful to know which answers were wrong.

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:28 PM

      Please try again, Kathryn; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  49. Adrian Searle 13/06/2017 9:12 AM

    9 out of 10 but how do I know which one I did not get right

  50. Barry Tanner 13/06/2017 9:14 AM

    Unfortunately the answer to Q5 regarding zebra crossings is incorrect. The Zebra, Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulations and General Directions 1997 state that:-
    “Where there is a refuge for pedestrians or central reservation on a Zebra crossing, the parts of the crossing situated on each side of the refuge for pedestrians or central reservation shall, for the purposes of this regulation, be treated as separate crossings.”.
    Your given answer that the rules say to treat it as a single crossing is therefore wrong.

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:29 PM

      We based on on this section of the Highway Code, Barry. Hope this helps:
      Rule 197
      Pelican crossings which go straight across the road are one crossing, even when there is a central island. You MUST wait for pedestrians who are crossing from the other side of the island.

      Laws ZPPPCRGD reg 26 & RTRA sect 25(5)

      • Peter Biggs 13/06/2017 1:47 PM

        A pelican crossing is controlled by lights , and so you must stop when the lights show red , a better Question for the example you give would be What should you do on approaching a Pedestrian Crossing?

      • Barry Tanner 13/06/2017 4:06 PM

        A pelican crossing is NOT a zebra crossing. The rules are different.

    • Douglas Hesketh 13/06/2017 1:37 PM

      Even though there is is centre refuge for pedestrians, if it goes straight across without a pedestrian having to turn to the right or the left once in the middle, it is treated as one complete crossing.

  51. Jan 13/06/2017 9:36 AM

    It would be helpful to know which ones you got wrong.

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:27 PM

      Please try again, Jan; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  52. Ken 13/06/2017 12:29 PM

    This is a very good idea.

  53. Vernon Williams 13/06/2017 12:55 PM

    Would have been nice to know which two I failed on

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:28 PM

      Please try again, Vernon; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  54. AW 13/06/2017 1:07 PM

    How can you improve if you don’t know which answer(s) you got wrong?

    • James Mills 13/06/2017 1:28 PM

      Please try again; we’ve adjusted the way results are shown. Hope that helps.

  55. David Lee 13/06/2017 1:48 PM

    I don’t understand the most recent answers to comments. I have just finished the quiz and there were no answers available!

  56. CL 13/06/2017 3:01 PM

    You claim that you have changed the way results are shown but I cannot see any results.

    • Mike Shaw 13/06/2017 3:57 PM

      There are red and green lines that denote whether the question was answered correctly or not.

      For example: https://ibb.co/nCnV8Q

      The red line is under my incorrect response, while the green line is under the correct answer.

  57. Linda CS 14/06/2017 6:15 AM

    Thanks for that. As for the crossing debate, if your a driver I think you should stop. It’s a crossing! Put yourself in the pedestrians shoes, you would ‘expect’ the vehicle to stop wouldn’t you. People forget that their attitudes and mind set changes when they are driving and when they become the pedestrian, like 2 different people!

  58. Rob. Lane. 15/06/2017 12:24 PM

    Yes. How will I ever know how I failed or contest the point. I’m a cyclist who’s cycled in France and do as they invariably do – put my offside wheels virtually into the opposite grass verge. When it’s safe to do so of course.

  59. Jane Sweetman 16/06/2017 9:53 AM

    Would have liked the answers so I would know which three I got wrong.

  60. Tim McMorrow 19/06/2017 12:32 PM

    Isn’t it strange so many people think they know the rules of the road but failed to get 10 out of 10.
    I’m a Motorcyclist, Car driver and Van Driver I got 10 out of 10

  61. Eric Hayman 19/06/2017 6:23 PM

    What to do when confronted with a loose animal on the road depends very much on the speed one is travelling at and the size of the animal. “Continue to drive safely” is close to meaningless.

    I would say first check your mirror while braking reasonably, and keep driving in a straight line for any animal up to a domestic dog, including cats and foxes. Brake hard and try to stop for larger animals – badgers, sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, horses, etc – and only steer around it if it will not result in a skid. Striking trees, lamp posts and other vehicles can cause more injuries than hitting the animal.

    If there is time, a series of short hoots on the horn may alert the animal and send it off the road.

    In Scotland when driving a Merecedes Sprinter van at night, I was confronted with a stag coming out of the blackness of the roadside. Travelling at around 40-50 mph, I braked hard and gripped the steering wheel tightly. I did not try to swerve around it. Knowing I was going to hit the stag, I pushed my backside hard into the seat and my spine against the seat back. No injury to me, but the stag was killed and the radiator punctured.

    Some years ago in Africa, I was driving a Land Rover and caravan when a flock of sheep was driven across the road immediately in front of me. With no way to avoid the sheep, I braked hard and kept in a straight line. Result: the Land Rover and caravan rode over two sheep, killing them. No injuries to those in the Land Rover, or damage to it or the caravan.

    And loose dogs were a daily hazard in Africa.

  62. Myrtle 20/06/2017 10:55 AM

    Perhaps a question on double yellow line rules. Many motorist think that if they park partly on the pavement they are exempt from the law even if half the car is actually on double yellow lines. They also think that because they are on the pavement they can double park. Wonder what they would do if they are disabled and have to go onto the road to get past these parked vehicles?

  63. Frank 20/06/2017 9:48 PM

    It’s just a matter of common sense that is what safe driving is about.

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