Topic
Alertness
Last updated
Alertness covers everything that keeps a driver in tune with what is happening around the vehicle — using mirrors before signals and manoeuvres, judging hazards before they unfold, recognising fatigue, and resisting distractions like phones and in-car tech.
What’s tested
- Effective use of mirrors — what they show and when to check them
- The mirrors-signal-manoeuvre (MSM) routine
- The “lifesaver” shoulder check before changing direction
- Recognising and responding to fatigue on long or familiar routes
- Avoiding distractions: handheld phones, eating, conversations
Key Highway Code rules
Try a real DVSA question
Practice question
From the DVSA question bank
Why should you use your mirrors when you see a hazard ahead?
Show explanation
The correct answer is B.
You should be constantly scanning the road for clues about what's going to happen next. Check your mirrors regularly, particularly as soon as you spot a hazard. What's happening behind may affect how you respond to hazards ahead.
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Common mistakes
- Only checking mirrors when changing lanes — scanning should be constant
- Underestimating tiredness on motorways or familiar routes
- Using a handheld phone for navigation (illegal — and a points-and-fine offence)
- Skipping the final shoulder check before pulling out from the kerb
Keep going
All 14 topics
- Attitude Considerate driving: patience, following distance, behaviour at crossings and roundabouts.
- Safety and your vehicle Roadworthiness: brakes, tyres, lights, fluids, warning lights and securing the car.
- Safety margins Stopping distances, weather, road surface, and the space you need to react safely.
- Hazard awareness Anticipating risk: spotting clues, planning ahead, reading other road users’ behaviour.
- Vulnerable road users Pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, horse riders, children, older and disabled people.
- Other types of vehicle Sharing the road with lorries, buses, motorcycles, trams and emergency vehicles.
- Vehicle handling Driving in rain, fog, snow, dark and strong wind — how conditions change the car.
- Motorway rules Joining, lane discipline, speed, breakdowns and smart-motorway running lanes.
- Rules of the road Speed limits, junctions, roundabouts, parking, level crossings and one-way streets.
- Road and traffic signs The visual language of UK roads — shape, colour and meaning of every sign and signal.
- Documents Licence, insurance, MOT, V5C log book and SORN — the paperwork to be legally on the road.
- Incidents, accidents and emergencies First aid, CPR, AED, RTC procedure, breakdowns and tunnel safety.
- Vehicle loading Carrying passengers, luggage, roof loads and towing — and how each changes the car.