A & C Driving School

Here are some of the Typical Questions and Answers that may come up during your driving test.

1. When can you overtake on the left?

• When the driver in front of you is turning right-
• When you intend turning left-
• When the vehicles in the lane to your right are moving more slowly than you.

2. At an uncontrolled junction with roads of equal importance, to whom would you give way?
Traffic on your right and traffic already turning.

3. At a stop sign that has no white line, where would you stop?
At the stop sign.

4. What position would you take up for a right hand turn on a one-way street?
The extreme righthand lane.

5. How would you turn right on a major road?
Mirror and signal and then move into the righthand lane when clear, keeping left of the centre line of the road. When a safe gap occurs complete your turn. NEVER CUT THE CORNER always give way to pedestrians crossing.

6. How would you know a zebra crossing at night?
By the flashing yellow beacons.

7. What does the island in the centre of a pedestrian crossing mean?
Each side of the island is a separate crossing.

8. What restrictions are there in relation to the use of the horn?
It must not be used between the hours of 11.30pm and 7.00am in a builtup area except in an emergency.

9. When driving at night, when should you dip your headlights?

• When meeting oncoming traffic.
• When following close behind another vehicle.
• On continuously lit roads.
• At the beginning and end of lighting up hours.
• In fog or snow.

10. What should you do if dazzled by the lights of an oncoming vehicle?
Slow down and stop if necessary.

11. What is a clearway?
Stopping and parking are prohibited (except by buses or taxis) for a period indicated by the sign.

12. What does a broken yellow line indicate?
A broken yellow line marks the edge of the road.

13. What does a single yellow line mean?
No parking at certain times.

14. What is the maximum legal parking distance from the kerb?
Half a metre.

15. How close to a junction can you park?
5 metres.

16. What is the legal parking distance away from a pedestrian crossing?
15 metres before or 5 metres after.

17. Where should you not park?

• Near a bend or the brow of a hill.
• Near a hump-back bridge.
• Near a junction.
• At a bus stop.
• At an entrance.
• Where your vehicle would obstruct a sign.
• On the footpath.
• In a Buslane.
• Opposite another vehicle on a narrow road.

18. What is a safe distance to drive from the car in front of you?

• Allow 1 metre per Km/h
• Allow a two second gap between vehicles.
• Double this if the surface is wet.

19. Where should you not overtake?

• At a bend.
• At a junction.
• At the brow of a hill.
• At a hump-backed bridge.
• At a continuous white line.
• Wherever your view of oncoming traffic is restricted.

20. When may you use the outside lane on a dual carriageway?

• When you are overtaking another vehicle.
• When you intend to turn right a short distance ahead.

21. If you saw a red triangle on the side of the road, what would it indicate?
There is an obstruction on the road ahead.

22. What is the sequence of the traffic lights?
Green / Amber / Red.

23. What does the green traffic light mean?
Proceed with caution.

24. What does the amber traffic light mean?
Stop unless it is unsafe to do so.

25. What does the red traffic light mean?
Stop.

26. At pedestrian lights, what does the flashing amber light mean?
Give way to pedestrians.

27. At traffic lights, what light comes after Amber?
Red.

28. What do flashing red lights mean?
Stop Train approaching.

29. At a junction where the traffic lights are not working, to whom would you give right of way?
Traffic coming from the right.

30. Name three people in authority for whom you must stop.

• A Garda.
• A School Warden.
• A Person in charge of animals.

31. If you were entering a one-way street from the no entry end, what road markings would you expect to see?
A continuous white line with a broken white line behind it.

32. What does a continuous white line in the centre of the road mean?
You must not cross the line.

33. When are you allowed to cross a continuous white line?

• To avoid an obstruction.
• For access.

34. What procedure should you follow if crossing a dual carriageway with a narrow central median?
If the median is too narrow for your vehicle to clear the central median, you must wait until you have enough space in the traffic on both sides of the central median before you can complete the crossing.

35. What are the main differences between a dual carriageway and a motorway?

• You can only turn off a motorway on the left.
• There are no right turns on motorways.
• The speed limits on a motorway are higher.
• You are not allowed to pull in and stop on a motorway.
• There are no traffic lights on a motorway.
• There are no roundabouts on a motorway.

36. What is the national speed limit?
Cars – 100km/h.

37. What is the Motorway speed limit?
120 km/h.

38. What is the legal minimum tyre thread depth?
1.6mm.

39. What rules apply to a yellow box junction?
You cannot enter it unless your exit is clear except when you are turning right, provided you are not obstructing other traffic.

40. If you see two sets of white lines in the centre of the road, one continuous and one broken, which one do you obey?
The one closest to your side of the road.

41. What do two sets of broken white lines in the centre of the road mean?
There will be a single broken white line ahead.

42. What does a broken white line in the centre of the road mean?
You may overtake if it is safe to do so.

43. What do horizontal white lines in the centre of the road mean?
Treat them like you would a traffic island. Do not enter them.

44. What do two continuous yellow lines at the side of the road mean?
No parking at any time.

45. What does a single continuous yellow line at the side of the road mean?
No parking during certain hours.

46. What do white zigzag lines mean?

• No Stopping.
• No Parking.
• No Overtaking.

47. Where would you find white zigzag lines?
Approaching a pedestrian crossing.

48. Who has the right of way at a crossroads, roundabout or an uncontrolled junction?

• Traffic coming from your right.
• Traffic already on the junction or roundabout.

49. What should you do if you had an accident?
Stop.

50. Where would you never do a U-Turn?

• On a one-way street.
• Where there are continuous white lines.

51. What do you check before starting the engine?

• The handbrake is on.
• The gearstick is in the neutral position.

52. When asked to check your tyres, what would you be checking for?

• The tyre thread depth is above the minimum 1.6mm.
• There is no damage to the wall of the tyres.
• There is enough air in the tyres.
• There are no foreign objects stuck in the tyre.

53. How do you check if your brake lights are working if you are on your own?
Reverse up to a reflective surface and press your brake pedal and look out you rear window.

54. What does it mean if your brake pedal feels spongy?
There is Air in the braking system. This needs to be dealt with by a trained mechanic immediately.

You can print a copy of this page by clicking on the PDF file attached.