Safe Driving and Hazard Perception
Core concepts
Safe driving questions test observation, anticipation and the two-second rule. Understand stopping distance as reaction distance plus braking distance, and how it grows with speed, load, wet or icy surface, and driver fatigue. Learn the meaning of defensive driving: scanning far ahead, checking mirrors before any manoeuvre, blind-spot checks, and leaving an escape route. Hazard perception means reading cues - brake lights two cars ahead, a pedestrian hesitating at the kerb, a ball rolling into the road, a bus indicating at a stop, wet patches under trees, and the reduced grip of shaded or bridge surfaces in winter. Heavy vehicles add specific hazards: longer stopping distances, large blind spots, tail swing, and the need to brake earlier and smoother.
Traps in questions
Watch for the phrase "the safest action". The answer is usually to slow down and increase the following gap, not to swerve or sound the horn. Questions on aquaplaning expect: ease off the accelerator, do not brake sharply, hold the wheel steady. Questions on fog expect dipped headlights and fog lamps, not main beam, which reflects back. Fatigue is answered by stopping and resting, never by opening a window or drinking coffee. On ice, the answer is gentle inputs and engine braking in a low gear.
Worked example / rule of thumb
Rule of thumb: at 50 km/h, a two-second gap is about 28 metres. Example: if a truck ahead passes a marker and you reach it in under two seconds, you are too close - double the gap in rain and triple it on ice, because braking distance can grow several times over while reaction distance stays the same.