Safe Driving and Hazard Awareness
What this domain tests
Safe driving and hazard awareness tests whether you scan, anticipate and plan rather than simply react. LGV questions often use everyday Hong Kong scenes: a bus stop, a row of parked vans, a wet flyover, a pedestrian emerging between vehicles. The correct answer usually involves earlier observation and a speed or position change, not a sudden swerve.
The system of control
Use a planned system: information, position, speed, gear, acceleration. Gather information early - mirrors, road signs, side roads, brake lights, pedestrians. Position correctly before slowing. Adjust speed so you can stop within the distance you can see to be clear. Select the appropriate gear and accelerate only when the hazard is passed.
Reading hazards
- Fixed hazards: bends, junctions, parked vehicles, road works, low bridges.
- Moving hazards: buses pulling out, cyclists, motorcyclists filtering, children near schools.
- Weather hazards: rain, fog, glare, wet leaves, standing water.
- Vehicle hazards: a full load, a tall body, a trailer, poor brakes.
Look for clues: brake lights, wheels turning, a driver's head, a pedestrian's feet, a ball rolling into the road.
Wet and poor visibility
In rain, stopping distances can double. Ease off, increase the gap, use dipped headlights and avoid sudden steering or braking. In fog, use dipped headlights and fog lights if fitted; do not use high beam because it reflects back. Slow down so you can stop within the visible distance. At night, reduce speed and watch for unlit pedestrians and cyclists.
Space and escape routes
Keep at least a two-second gap in good conditions; more when loaded, wet or following a large vehicle. Leave room to the side, especially near cyclists and parked cars. Have an escape route in mind: a gap, a lower speed, a lane with more space.
Worked example
A bus is stopped at a bus stop on your left. Passengers are on the pavement. You see a person turn towards the road. The correct response is to ease off, cover the brake, increase your clearance from the bus and be ready to stop. Sounding the horn and maintaining speed is wrong because the person may step out without looking; the hazard was visible early.
Traps that cost marks
- Looking only at the vehicle immediately ahead.
- Keeping the dry-road gap in rain.
- Using high beam in fog.
- Assuming a pedestrian has seen you.