Road Safety and Road Rules: Safe Driving, Speed, and Giving Way
Core concepts
Road safety questions test whether you can apply general rules to everyday situations, not just recall them. You must know the default speed limits: 50 km/h in built-up areas unless signed otherwise, and higher limits on rural roads and motorways as signposted. You must understand safe following distances, the effect of speed on stopping distance, and the risks of fatigue, alcohol, drugs, and mobile phone use. Learn the give-way rules thoroughly: at an uncontrolled intersection you give way to vehicles on your right; at a roundabout you give way to vehicles already circulating; when turning across oncoming traffic you give way to vehicles going straight ahead. Pedestrians have priority at marked crossings, and you must not enter a crossing while it is occupied.
Traps in questions
Questions often place you in a situation with two competing rules. Watch for the words "must" versus "should", and for signs that override the default limit. A common trap is the four-way stop or an unmarked crossroad where the right-hand rule applies only when no signs or signals control the intersection. Another trap is overtaking near crossings, crests, and curves, where it is prohibited. Distraction questions may ask what is legal rather than what is safe: holding a phone is illegal even when stopped in traffic, though limited use may be allowed when legally parked.
Rule of thumb
Use the three-second gap in good conditions and double it in rain or at night. If you pass a fixed point less than three seconds after the car ahead, you are too close. This single rule answers many following-distance and wet-weather questions.