Vulnerable road users theory test questions

71 questions in this topic

Everyone who comes off worst in a collision with a car. How much room to give them, where to expect them, and which ones may behave unpredictably.

A large topic and an important one. It covers crossings, school areas, cyclists at junctions, and why a horse needs a wide berth and a slow pass.

Practise vulnerable road users

Questions come from the DVSA revision question bank, used under licence. You will not see whether an answer is right until you have committed to one, which is the point. A sample of every topic is free and needs no account.

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Who this topic is really about

Most of driving is about not hitting things. This topic is about the people who have nothing around them if you do: pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, horse riders, and anyone who moves more slowly or less predictably than a car. Since 2022 the Highway Code has said plainly that whoever can do the most harm carries the most responsibility, and behind the wheel of a car, that is you.

Where new drivers get it wrong

Passing a cyclist is the obvious one. A gap that feels generous from the driver's seat can feel very different from the saddle, and overtaking just before a traffic island or a row of parked cars squeezes the rider into the space you were supposed to leave them. If the room is not there yet, sit back and wait. It rarely costs more than a few seconds, and nobody behind you is entitled to those seconds.

Turning left is the other. A cyclist can come up alongside your passenger door without ever showing in the interior mirror, and a pedestrian at the kerb of the road you are turning into, about to step off, now has priority over you. Look properly before you commit to the turn, not halfway round it.

Reading people as well as the road

A lot of this topic is about guessing what someone is about to do, and being ready if you guess wrong. A teenager walking along the pavement with headphones in may step out without turning their head. A rider on a wet country lane might pull out round a pothole you cannot see from behind them. A horse that has been calm for the last minute can be startled by an engine revving or a hard brake right beside it.

None of this needs quick reactions so much as early ones. Lifting off the accelerator a little sooner, leaving a wider gap, and passing slowly when you do pass buys you time to respond to whatever they actually do.

In the test

Questions in this topic tend to test judgement rather than memory. When two answers both sound sensible, think about which one leaves the more vulnerable person with more time and more space.

How this topic appears in the real test

The car theory test is 50 multiple choice questions in 57 minutes, and you need 43 correct to pass. The questions are drawn from every topic, so you cannot skip one and hope. There is a hazard perception part as well, and you have to pass both on the same day.

These are revision questions rather than the questions you will be asked on the day.