Safe Driving Practices and Hazard Perception
This domain tests whether you can see trouble early and keep space around your vehicle, rather than reacting late and hoping.
Look far and keep space
- Scan 12 to 15 seconds ahead and check your mirrors every 5 to 8 seconds.
- Use the two-second rule as a minimum following distance in ideal conditions; stretch it to three seconds in rain and four or more on snow or ice.
- Shoulder check before every lane change, because mirrors leave blind spots.
- Cover the brake when a hazard is forming - a pedestrian near the curb, a car edging out of a driveway.
Speed and conditions
A posted limit is a maximum for ideal conditions, not a target. Fog, rain, snow, darkness and heavy traffic all call for less speed and more space. Turn on headlights in rain, snow or fog and at night, and keep the windshield and lights clear.
Low traction
- Clear snow and ice from windows, mirrors, lights and the roof before driving.
- Expect black ice on bridges, overpasses, shaded stretches and intersection approaches.
- In a skid, ease off the accelerator, look and steer where you want to go, and avoid hard braking.
- In hydroplaning, ease off the throttle and keep the wheel steady until grip returns.
Attention, fatigue and impairment
Hand-held devices are banned while driving. Learners and intermediate drivers must have zero blood alcohol. Yawning, drifting and heavy eyelids mean stop and rest, not turn up the radio.
Worked example. At 100 km/h you are covering about 28 metres every second, so a two-second gap is roughly 56 metres - about the length of a hockey rink. On packed snow, double it. If the vehicle ahead brakes hard, that extra distance is your only margin.
Traps. Using cruise control on ice, braking hard in a skid, and tailgating to discourage lane-splitters.