Safe and responsible driving behaviour
Domain 3 covers fitness to drive, protection and the everyday conduct the exam expects: alcohol and drugs, seat belts and child seats, phone use, fatigue, lighting and following distance.
Alcohol and drugs
Experienced drivers may not exceed 0.5 g/l, measured as 220 µg/l in breath. Drivers in their first five years after passing hold a 0.2 g/l limit, or 88 µg/l in breath. Refusing a breath test is treated as seriously as driving over the limit. Drugs and impairing medicines are prohibited, and coffee, fresh air or a cold shower do not lower blood alcohol.
Protection
Seat belts are compulsory in every seat, front and rear, on every trip however short. Children shorter than 1.35 m must travel in an approved child restraint matched to their weight and height. Head restraints should sit level with the top of the head to protect the neck in a rear impact.
Distance and attention
Keep at least two seconds behind the vehicle in front in dry weather and three in rain or behind a large vehicle; at 100 km/h two seconds is about 55 metres. Holding a phone while driving is banned, including at a red light, because you are still in traffic. Hands-free calls are legal but still take attention. Tiredness is impairment: stop and rest, do not open a window.
Worked example
A driver who passed two years ago drinks two glasses of beer, roughly 0.4 g/l. Under the 0.2 beginner limit that is a serious offence with a fine and a compulsory course; the same amount in an experienced driver would sit under 0.5 g/l and not breach the alcohol limit, though it still impairs judgement.
Traps that cost marks
- Believing coffee or food sobers you up.
- Treating rear belts as optional for a short trip.
- Using a phone while stationary at a light.
- Underestimating the stopping distance behind a truck.