Guinea-Bissau Driving Theory common mistakes
Guinea-Bissau Driving Theory · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Treating a stop sign or a red light as a yield: slowing to a rolling pace and pulling out if the road looks clear instead of coming to a complete halt before the line.
In Guinea-Bissau many junctions are uncontrolled or the signals are dark, so candidates get used to 'rolling' through and carry that habit into the exam, where a full stop is required and observed.
What to do instead
Drill the sequence until automatic: clutch and brake, full stop with the front wheels behind the stop line, look left-right-left, then move. Practise on a quiet road and have someone call 'stop' at random so you learn to stop completely, not just slow down.
Failing to give way to traffic already on a roundabout or on the priority road, entering because the driver is close to the junction and does not want to wait.
Right-of-way is decided by signs and markings, but in heavy mixed traffic local drivers often force a gap; candidates copy this and then misread the priority rule in the test.
What to do instead
Learn the rule as written: at a roundabout, give way to traffic already circulating; at a priority road, give way to vehicles on it. Before each junction, consciously name the sign or marking that decides who goes first, out loud during practice.
Driving at the same speed regardless of the area, treating the built-up limit as a target rather than a maximum, and not slowing for rain, dust, or pedestrians along the roadside.
Candidates memorise one number and do not connect speed to visibility and surface conditions, which change sharply in the rainy season and on unpaved roads.
What to do instead
Learn the limits by zone (built-up, outside built-up, motorway-class roads) and the rule that you must always be able to stop within the distance you can see to be clear. Practise judging stopping distance at different speeds and halve your speed in rain or poor visibility.
Following too closely, especially behind motorcycles, taxis that stop without warning, and lorries on unpaved roads where dust hides the road ahead.
Candidates underestimate stopping distance and think a one- or two-second gap is safe; in traffic they close up to prevent others cutting in.
What to do instead
Use the two-second rule in dry conditions and double it in rain or dust. Pick a fixed roadside object, count 'one thousand and one, one thousand and two' after the vehicle ahead passes it, and adjust until you pass it no sooner.
Overtaking on a blind crest, on a bend, at a junction, or where a solid centre line is present, and pulling back in too early in front of the overtaken vehicle.
Slow lorries and animal-drawn carts tempt quick overtakes, and candidates misjudge the distance needed or assume the road ahead is clear because they cannot see far.
What to do instead
Memorise the prohibited overtaking situations and the meaning of solid versus broken centre lines. Before overtaking, confirm clear view, no oncoming traffic, no junction, and enough space to return; signal, move out, pass, and do not return until you can see the overtaken vehicle in your interior mirror.
Ignoring pedestrians at crossings and roadside vendors, and passing too close to cyclists, motorcyclists and people walking along the edge of the road.
Crossings are often unmarked and pedestrians cross wherever they can; candidates focus on other vehicles and treat the road edge as empty.
What to do instead
Scan the road edges and any crossing area well ahead, cover the brake when pedestrians are near, and give way to anyone already on a crossing. When passing a cyclist or pedestrian, leave a wide lateral gap and be ready to stop; never squeeze past into oncoming traffic.
Driving with defective lights, bald or unevenly inflated tyres, a broken mirror, or an unsecured load, and being unable to explain when headlights, fog lights, or hazard lights must be used.
Vehicle upkeep is expensive and often deferred, so candidates have little hands-on familiarity with checks and light rules, and they confuse hazard lights with a parking or fog signal.
What to do instead
Learn a pre-drive check you can perform and describe: tyres (tread, pressure, no cuts), lights (head, tail, brake, indicators), mirrors, brakes, horn, and load security. Learn that hazard lights warn others of a stationary hazard, not of rain, and that fog lights are for seriously reduced visibility only.
Underestimating how long alcohol stays in the body, believing coffee, food, or a cold shower sobers you up, and driving while tired on a long trip without breaks.
Social drinking the night before is common and candidates assume sleep clears it; fatigue is dismissed as normal on long, hot, monotonous roads.
What to do instead
Learn the rule that any alcohol impairs driving and that the only safe approach is not to drink before driving; allow many hours after heavy drinking and remember that coffee only masks drowsiness. Plan a break at least every two hours, share driving, and stop at the first signs of yawning or heavy eyelids.
Being unable to produce the correct documents when asked, or not knowing what to do after a collision: moving an injured person, failing to secure the scene, or leaving without exchanging details.
Paperwork is often incomplete or left at home, and candidates have never rehearsed an accident procedure, so they panic and act on instinct.
What to do instead
Keep licence, registration, insurance and inspection documents in the vehicle and know which are required. Learn the post-collision order: stop, switch on hazard lights and place a warning triangle, call for help, do not move an injured person unless there is fire or traffic danger, give first aid within your training, and exchange names, addresses, and insurance details.
Coasting in neutral or riding the clutch downhill, harsh acceleration and braking, and unnecessary idling, with no awareness of how driving style affects fuel use and emissions.
Candidates see economy as irrelevant to passing and were never taught smooth driving as a safety as well as environmental skill.
What to do instead
Drive in the correct gear with engine braking on descents, accelerate and brake progressively, keep tyres correctly inflated, remove unnecessary weight, and switch off the engine during long waits. Learn that smooth anticipation reduces fuel use, wear, and crash risk at the same time.