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Image: Rollingnews.ie
Image: Rollingnews.ie
YOU’RE A GREAT driver, aren’t you?
You’ve got the licence to prove it and years of experience behind the wheel. But how long has it been since you brushed up on your driving theory?
Do you know really know the rules of the road, or have you been coasting since you passed your test?
We’ve taken 40 questions from the Road Safety Authority’s Driver Theory Test to see how well you’d manage if you sat the test again.
Can you get 35 or more questions correct and pass? Take our quiz below.
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1. What must a driver do when this sign is NOT accompanied by a white stop line on the road?
Stop no more than one car length past the sign
Stop at the sign
Only stop if there is traffic at the junction
Only stop when you have passed the sign
2. What should a driver do if they arrive at the scene of a collision and a person is bleeding heavily?
Try to stop the bleeding by putting on a tight bandage
Lie the person flat on the ground and prevent him/her from moving
Raise the injured part of the body with as little movement as possible
Keep the person warm and give him/her something to drink
3. What stopping distance should a driver allow when they suspect that the road might be icy?
Up to ten times the normal distance
Twice the normal distance
The normal distance
Up to half the normal
4. What does this sign mean?
One-way street
Two way traffic ahead
Pass either side
Dual-carriageway ahead
5. When are children allowed to stand with their heads up through an open sun roof?
Children are never allowed to do so
When travelling at speeds below 50 km/h
When they are wearing eye protection
When they are aged more than 12 years
6. What should a driver do in this situation?
Allow the pedestrian to cross the road
Sound the horn and drive on
Wait at the zebra crossing until the van has turned off
Accelerate quickly to clear the crossing
7. When should tyre pressure be checked?
When the tyres are cold
When the vehicle is loaded
When the vehicle is unladen
When the tyres are hot
8. What is jack-knifing?
When the jack is not strong enough to lift an axle
When the trailer is too heavy to be drawing by the vehicle
When the trailer is travelling faster than the drawing vehicle
When the vehicle slides due to ice or water on the road
9. What can a driver do to maximise fuel efficiency while driving?
Avoid carrying unnecessary weight
Reduce your speed
Use different brands of fuel
Drive at a higher speed
10. What is the danger associated with applying the handbrake at speed?
The A.B.S. could disconnect
The vehicle will not skid
The back wheels could lock and cause the vehicle to skid
The engine will stall
11. What does this hand signal mean?
The driver intends to yield to oncoming traffic
The driver intends to slow down or stop
The driver intends to turn right
The driver intends to turn left
12. During what time periods can a driver be tested for drugs at a road side checkpoint?
Only during daylight hours
Any time of day or night
Only during night time hours
Only after an accident
13. What should a driver do if their vehicle gets into a front-wheel sideways skid?
Release the accelerator
Press the footbrake
Continue to accelerate
Apply the handbrake
14. When intending to turn right as shown, what should the car driver do?
The oncoming vehicle should wait
Wait; the truck may proceed first
Proceed before the truck
Proceed before both vehicles
15. When is a red flag a sufficient marker for a rear load overhang that exceeds one metre?
When glass or fragile material is overhanging
Only during the day
At all times
Only at night
16. What danger should a driver allow for over the brow of this hill?
There may be hedge-cutting taking place
Traffic calming measures may apply
There may be a pelican crossing ahead
A high-sided vehicle may be approaching
17. When driving along a dual carriageway, what lane position should a driver be in?
In the right-hand lane, except when driving a tractor or works vehicle
In either lane of their choice
In the left-hand lane unless the driver wishes to overtake or turn right
In the right-hand lane
18. Which roads are Learner Permit holders not allowed to drive on?
They may not drive on dual-carriageways
They may drive on all roads
They may not drive on national primary roads
They may not drive on motorways
19. What should drivers do if they become drowsy while driving?
Open a window or turn on the air conditioning to let cool air into the vehicle
Stop, take a break including a short walk if possible
Stretch their arms and close your eyes for short periods
Turn up the heating
20. What does this light mean?
Low oil level
Excessive level of battery fluid
Low level of battery fluid
Low level of brake fluid
21. What effect does automatic transmission have on engine braking power?
It increases it
It reduces it
It transfers the braking ability to the handbrake
It transfers the braking ability to all the wheels
22. Subject to the speed limit, what is the ‘safest’ speed to drive at?
The speed of other road users
At the speed limit
The speed of the slowest vehicle on the road
The speed that will enable the driver to stop the vehicle within the distance ahead that they can see to be clear
23. What should a driver do if an ambulance is stopped up ahead with its flashing blue lights on?
Reduce speed and prepare to stop if necessary
Stop to see what's happening
Stop to offer assistance
Drive in the centre of the road to prevent other drivers from overtaking
24. Which car, if any, is parked incorrectly?
The green car
The red car
Both cars
Neither car
25. What does a flashing left amber arrow at a traffic light mean?
A driver may turn left but yield to traffic on the other road
A driver may turn left if the green light is also shown
A driver may turn left
A driver may proceed straight ahead
26. At a level crossing with unattended gates, what should a driver do?
Open both gates and after passing the first stop and close it
Open both gates before proceeding to cross
Drive half-way across and close the first gate before opening the second
Telephone the nearest railway station before opening a gate
27. How should a driver proceed if their view is obstructed at a junction?
Move out slowly onto the road while watching carefully for other traffic
Flash lights on and off quickly before moving out
Sound the horn several times and proceed
Ask a passer-by to guide you out onto the other road
28. Which of the following is a driver required to keep in good condition?
Upholstery
Headlights
Radio
Air freshener
29. What should a driver do if a front tyre bursts?
Pull the handbrake
Brake as quickly as possible
Grip the steering wheel firmly
Continue on at a normal speed
30. What should a driver do when entering a tunnel?
Switch on dipped headlights
Switch on your headlights
Listen to the local radio
Switch on your hazard warning light
31. Why is a windscreen laminated?
So the glass shatters into large fragments when struck by an object
To block the harmful rays coming from the sun
So the glass can have the registration number etched on to it
So as not to shatter into large fragments when struck by an object
32. How does rain affect driving in this situation?
It increases the danger of skidding
It reduces your visibility
It reduces the danger of skidding
It increases the driver's visibility
33. What phrase is recommended for drivers to help them determine a ‘safe headway’ distance from the vehicle in front on a dry road?
Only a fool breaks the one second rule
Only a fool breaks the two second rule
Only a fool breaks the four second rule
Only a fool breaks the ten second rule
34. What should a driver do when approaching a roundabout?
Drive onto it as the traffic on it must give way to you
Give way only to heavy goods vehicles on the roundabout
Give way only if taking the second or third exit
Give way to traffic already on the roundabout
35. When attaching a trailer to their vehicle, what should a driver check?
That the load is positioned to the front of the trailer and the trailer pin is tightly secured
That the trailer has a spare wheel
That the load is evenly spread
That the trailer springs are well greased
36. What should a driver be aware of before crossing railway or tram lines?
Tyre grip may be improved crossing the rails
The wheels may become caught in the rails
There may be an uneven surface and tyre grip may be reduced when crossing
Oncoming trains
37. What can cause a vehicle to skid?
Using harsh acceleration
Stopping the vehicle in third gear
By using the steering wheel too freely
Low tyre pressure
38. What does this sign mean?
Pipe laying ahead
Series of steep hills ahead
Industrial estate ahead
Uneven surface ahead
39. When driving along and wishing to stop at a shop on the side of the street in order to make a purchase, what should a driver do?
Continue on to a safe parking space
Switch on you hazard warning lights and park slightly up on the footpath
Continue to a point where a 'U-turn' can be made safely and return to park on the footpath in the proper direction
Park on the footpath so as not to impede the free flow of traffic on the road
40. If driving from A to B, what do these road markings mean?
A driver may overtake by crossing the continuous white line
A driver may not cross the lines to overtake
A driver may not overtake
Only motorcyclists may overtake crossing the continuous white line
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You scored out of !
Fail
Better brush up on your rules of the road
Shutterstock
You scored out of !
Pass
Congratulations - you're ready to unleash yourself on Ireland's roads
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