Road Etiquette, Courtesy and Environmental Awareness
Etiquette items look soft but they are scored like any other. The exam wants a rider who is predictable, quiet and clean - the three qualities other road users and enforcement officers actually notice.
Courtesy on the road
- Signal early, cancel afterwards, and acknowledge a driver who gives way.
- Do not queue-jump by riding down the shoulder or between stopped lanes at speed; filtering is only defensible at low speed with a clear gap.
- Give way to pedestrians at zebra crossings, to traffic already on a roundabout, and to buses leaving a stop where signed.
- Never ride on the five-foot way or pedestrian walkway. It is an offence and the fastest way to hit a child.
- Control your temper. Following, shouting at or kicking a car turns a minor incident into a road rage charge.
Environmental responsibility
- Keep the engine tuned; a badly tuned engine burns more fuel and emits more hydrocarbon.
- Correct tyre pressure cuts rolling resistance and fuel use.
- Do not remove the silencer or fit a loud exhaust - noise is an offence and turns public opinion against riders.
- Dispose of used engine oil, batteries and tyres at a workshop or collection point, never in a drain.
- Avoid unnecessary idling and revving, and plan a route that avoids congested stretches.
Worked example
You are behind a school bus showing hazard lights, with children crossing. Correct response: stop well back, give the children the whole road, and wait. Overtaking a stopped school bus is one of the clearest failures in both the etiquette and hazard sections.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating courtesy as unexamined common sense - it appears as scored items.
- Assuming a loud exhaust is a style choice rather than an offence.
- Forgetting that a pillion's helmet and behaviour are the rider's legal responsibility.