Chapter 4 – Hazard Awareness

Hazards are anything that may make you slow down, change direction, or stop. In general, whenever you drive towards a hazard you should reduce your speed.

Always use hazard warning lights when your vehicle has broken down and is causing an obstruction.

The only time you are permitted to use hazard warning lights while moving is if you are on a motorway or dual carriageway and you need to warn other road users of a hazard ahead.

Alcohol

In the context of the theory test, no alcohol is always better, and the right answer when one of the options. Drinking alcohol will give a driver

1. Less control
2. A false sense of confidence
3. Poor judgment of speed
4. Reduced coordination
5. Reduced concentration
6. Slow down your reaction to hazard

If you get a conviction for driving whilst unfit through drink or drugs and your car insurance premium will rise significantly.

Tiredness

1. When driving, if you start to feel tired you should always find a safe, convenient place to stop and rest.
2. If no such place is immediately available, you should open a window and allow a good supply of fresh air into the car.
3. On a long journey always take regular rest breaks.
4. Regular stops help maintain concentration.
5. On a long journey, it is recommended that you take breaks of at least 15 minutes for every two hours of driving.
6. Try to stop every so often for a walk.

Health & Illness

1. If you have any illness that is likely to negatively affect your driving ability, then don’t drive.
2. Taking medicine that might impact negatively on your driving i.e. make you feel drowsy? Then consult your doctor to make sure you can safely drive.
3. Always read the label of any medicine, even cough medicine.
4. If you start to suffer from ill health, which affects your driving, you should inform the licensing authority (DVLA)
5. If your eyesight becomes poor, you should tell the licensing authority(DVLA)
6. If you need glasses, then you need to wear your glasses at all times when you are driving.
7. You should not wear tinted glasses when driving at night, in a tunnel, or when the visibility is reduced.

Concentration

Maintaining high levels of concentration is essential for road safety. Whenever a driver’s concentration levels dip or are under threat they should stop and rest until they are capable of maintaining the high levels of concentration needed to drive safely.

Cyclists

1. Give cyclists plenty of time and room. They may wobble or swerve to avoid drains or potholes.
2. When traveling in slow traffic, before you turn left, check for cyclists filtering through the traffic on your left.
3. At junctions or traffic, lights give them time to turn or pull away.

At roads where cars are parked on both sides be careful of cyclists as they can swerve and come in front of your vehicle.

Motorcyclists

Look out for motorcyclists, especially when you’re:

1. Emerging from a junction
2. Turning into a road on your right
3. Changing lanes or moving out to overtake.

Junctions and roads

1. At a junction where traffic lights have failed, you must be prepared to stop for any vehicle.
2. Never overtake when your view ahead is blocked, when approaching a junction, when turning left shortly afterward.
3. The junction on your left should always be left clear to allow vehicles to enter and emerge.
4. Don’t overtake when there is junction ahead, stay behind a vehicle until you have passed the junction.
5. When you want to turn at a junction and the view of the main road is blocked then approach the junction slowly and edge out until you can see more clearly.
6. At Blind Junction, you must always stop behind the line and then edge forward to see clearly.
7. When driving always be aware of hazard warning signs, such as road work, bridges, level crossing, etc.

When waiting to emerge at a junction and your view is restricted Reflections in the shop window can help you see the road that you are joining.

In areas and roads where there are traffic calming measures, you should drive at a reduced speed.

When driving passed parked cars at the side of the road lookout for car doors opening and children running into the road from between the parked cars

On a two-way road with three lanes, the middle lane is used for overtaking. If you intend to use the middle-lane to overtake be careful, an approaching vehicle may be about to also use the lane to overtake.

Never reverse or do a U-turn in a one-way street, keep going to the end of the road.

When following a large vehicle in rain, be aware of spray reducing your vision

and allow at least a 4 second gap.

When driving you will sometimes notice that names of places are painted on the road this is to enable you to change the lanes early.

When driving past a stationary bus on the road you have to be careful of the bus suddenly moving off and people may cross in front of it or the bus may move off.

Other Facts to Know   

1. An automatic car uses ‘kick-down’ for quick acceleration.
2. A driver does something to upset you, you should try not to react, ignore the error, and stay calm.
3. If you are involved in an argument before driving, calm down before you start to drive.
4. Convex mirrors are slightly curved. This allows a wider field of vision.

An elderly person’s driving ability could be affected because they are unable to react quickly. Be patient with them.

When approaching this hazard, you have to slow down because of the bend and level crossing.

This sign is found on slow-moving or stationary works vehicles. Overtake on the left, as indicated by the arrow.

This sign on a vehicle indicates that the vehicle is a school bus.

These warning markers are fitted to vehicles over 13 meters long, large goods vehicles and rubbish skips placed in the road.

This sign means a sharp deviation to the left (right if the arrows face right)

When approaching staggered junction do not overtake and reduce your speed.

When there are lane closures reduce your speed and move to the working lanes and be aware of other vehicles moving at the front of you and keep a safe separation distance.

This means that the two right lanes are closed and two left lanes are open.

When at barrier crossing, the steady amber light will be followed by flashing red lights which means you have to stop.

The solid white line at the side of the road is the edge of the motorway/carriageway.

Low bridges – give way to buses and Lorries when approaching them. In order to drive under the bridge, tall vehicles will have to take up a position in the center of the road, as this is where the highest point of the bridge is.