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Lesson 14 of 18 · Traffic skills

Hazards and defensive driving: spotting trouble early

See it early, give yourself room, and expect other people to make mistakes. Each step matches the numbers on the pictures, and there is a quiz at the end.

A hazard is anything that might make you change speed or direction. Deal with each one the same way as a junction: mirrors, signal if it helps, position, speed, then look and decide. The earlier you spot it, the calmer it is.

Spotting the clues · Your gap · Parked cars · People who need more room · Driving defensively · Quiz

A street from above with four numbered clues ahead of your car: a cyclist in your lane, a parked car with its driver's door opening, a ball in the road between parked cars with a child on the verge, and a bus at a stop with people beside it.

Spotting the clues

Look well ahead, not just at the car in front, and check your mirrors every few seconds. Most hazards give you a clue first.

  1. A cyclist ahead

    Give them plenty of room, and watch for a wobble or a sudden turn. If you cannot give at least 1.5 metres, wait behind.

  2. Someone in a parked car

    A door may open, or the car may pull out. Give more room, or slow down.

  3. A ball in the road

    A child may run after it. Slow right down and be ready to stop.

  4. A bus at a stop

    People may step out in front of it, and it may pull away. Give way to it if you safely can.

There is a risk of pedestrians, especially children, stepping unexpectedly into the road. The Highway Code, rule 205.

A street from above. Your car follows another, with a marked gap between them, and a post at the roadside as the fixed point to count from.

Your gap: two seconds, or more

The gap in front is your time to react. Measure it in seconds, so it grows by itself as you go faster.

  • Count it. When the car ahead passes a post or a mark, count two seconds. Reach the same point before you finish? Drop back.
  • Wet road: The gap should be at least doubled on wet roads.
  • Ice: up to ten times greater on icy roads.
  • Someone close behind you? Leave a bigger gap in front, so you never have to brake hard.

The Highway Code: allow at least a two-second gap between you and the vehicle in front, and Drive at a speed that will allow you to stop well within the distance you can see to be clear. Rule 126.

A street from above with cars parked on your side. A car comes the other way, so your car waits about a car length back and a little out. Once it has passed, your car moves out and goes past the parked cars with a door's width to spare, then moves back in.

Parked cars, with traffic coming

  1. Plan early

    Parked cars on your side and traffic coming: spot it well before you reach them, and check your mirror.

  2. Hold back, with a view

    The obstruction is on your side, so the oncoming traffic goes first. Wait about a car length back and a little out, where you can see past and be seen, and can pull out without a sharp turn. Not tucked in right behind them.

  3. Clear: mirrors, then move out

    Pass with about a door's width to spare, in case a door opens or someone steps out between the cars.

  4. Back to your normal position

    Once you are past, move back in gently. Do not cut in.

On a road like this, a door's width puts you on the centre line, with not even half a metre to a car coming the other way: one of you has to wait. The Highway Code says to give way to oncoming vehicles before passing parked vehicles or other obstructions on your side of the road. Rule 163.

People who need more room

  • Children near schools, parks, parked cars and ice cream vans may run out without looking.
  • Cyclists: at least 1.5 metres when you overtake at lower speeds, more when going faster. Watch for a wobble or a sudden turn.
  • Motorcyclists: It is often difficult to see motorcyclists and cyclists, and they could be approaching faster than you think. Look twice.
  • Horse riders: pass slowly and at least 2 metres away, or wait.
  • Older people and anyone who is slow to cross: be patient.
  • Buses: give them priority when you safely can, especially when they signal to pull away from stops.

The Highway Code, road users requiring extra care, rules 204 to 225.

Driving defensively

Defensive driving means expecting other people to make mistakes, and leaving yourself the time and room to deal with them.

  • Assume they have not seen you. A driver looking your way may still pull out.
  • Do not trust a signal on its own. Wait until a car is actually turning.
  • Cover the brake when something might happen: a child near the road, a car edging out.
  • Keep a way out. In traffic, stop where you can see the tyres of the car in front touching the road.
  • Stay calm. Let others make their mistakes without joining in: no racing, no tailgating, no horn in anger.

Hazards quiz

Ready when you are

  • 10 questions
  • About 3 minutes
  • Answers explained
  • Nothing saved

The plans from above are drawn for this page. The Highway Code on road users requiring extra care.

Questions people ask

What is the two-second rule?

Leave at least two seconds between you and the vehicle in front. When it passes a fixed point, count two seconds; if you get there before you finish, drop back. Double it in the wet, and leave far more on ice.

Who gives way when parked cars narrow the road?

If the parked cars are on your side, you do. The Highway Code says to give way to oncoming vehicles before passing parked vehicles or other obstructions on your side of the road.

How much room should I give a cyclist?

At least 1.5 metres when overtaking at lower speeds, and more when going faster. If you cannot give that room safely, wait behind until you can.

What does defensive driving mean?

Driving as if other people may make mistakes: they may not see you, signal wrongly, or step out. You look further ahead, keep a gap, and keep your speed so you always have time and room to react.

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Lesson 14 of 18 · Traffic skills

The driving skills course

More to practise

Junctions

Turning in, pulling out, and looking properly.

Pedestrian crossings

Zebra, pelican, puffin and toucan.

The daily quiz

Five questions a day until your test.