This theory test topic covers what to do when things go wrong on the road: breaking down, coming across a collision, being involved in one yourself, and incidents involving dangerous goods. It also covers the Highway Code’s own guidance on first aid. The questions reward calm, safety-first thinking, which is exactly what you need if it ever happens for real.
Last reviewed: September 2026. Checked against the Highway Code and GOV.UK.
What this topic covers in the theory test
Expect questions on:
- when you can and cannot use hazard warning lights
- where to place a warning triangle, and where you must never use one
- what to do if you break down on a motorway, including on a road with no hard shoulder
- how to behave when you pass or arrive at an incident
- what you must do if you are involved in a collision
- how to recognise vehicles carrying dangerous goods
- the first-aid principles set out in Annex 7 of the Highway Code
The main sources are the Highway Code’s breakdowns and incidents rules and Annex 7: first aid on the road.
Hazard warning lights
Rule 116 says hazard warning lights may be used when your vehicle is stationary to warn that it is temporarily obstructing traffic. They are never an excuse for dangerous or illegal parking.
You MUST NOT use them while driving or being towed, with one exception: on a motorway or unrestricted dual carriageway you may use them briefly to warn drivers behind of a hazard or obstruction ahead. Use them only long enough for the warning to be seen.
Breakdowns
Rule 275 asks you to find a “place of relative safety” if you can: a car park, a motorway service area, a lay-by, an emergency area or, as a last resort, a hard shoulder. The Code notes that a hard shoulder gives you less protection than the other options.
Rule 276 covers breakdowns on ordinary roads. The key points are:
- get your vehicle off the road if possible
- use hazard warning lights if your vehicle is causing an obstruction
- wear light-coloured or fluorescent clothing in daylight and reflective clothing at night or in poor visibility
- put a warning triangle on the road at least 45 metres behind your vehicle, on the same side of the road, if it is safe to do so
- keep sidelights on at night or in poor visibility
- do not stand between your vehicle and oncoming traffic
The same rule says you should never use a warning triangle on a motorway.
Breakdowns on motorways
Rule 277 organises the motorway advice around three steps.
Go left
Move into the left lane and, if you can, stop in an emergency area or on the hard shoulder, or leave at the next exit or service area. Turn your wheels to the left, stop beyond an emergency telephone if possible, and switch on your hazard warning lights.
Get safe
Get out of the vehicle by the side furthest from traffic (normally the left) if it is safe and possible, and wait behind the safety barrier if there is one and it is safe to get to. If you cannot get out safely, for example because you are in a live lane, stay in the vehicle with your seat belt on and hazard warning lights on, and call 999 straight away (or press the SOS button if your vehicle has one).
Get help
Use the emergency telephone if there is one, or call your breakdown provider. Always face the traffic when you speak, so you stay aware of vehicles or debris, and wait well away from moving traffic.
Rule 278 covers rejoining the motorway. From a hard shoulder, build up speed on the hard shoulder and watch for a safe gap. From an emergency area, you MUST use the emergency telephone and follow the operator’s instructions, because they may close a lane to let you back out. Rule 279 gives separate advice for disabled drivers who cannot follow these steps.
On motorways, a red X shown above a lane means you MUST NOT go any further in that lane (light signals controlling traffic).
Obstructions
If something falls from your vehicle, or you see debris, Rule 280 says do not try to remove it yourself on a motorway or high-speed road. Stop somewhere safe and call 999. On other roads, you should only move it if it is safe to do so.
Arriving at or passing an incident
When you see emergency or incident support vehicles with flashing lights, Rule 281 says slow down and be prepared to change lanes or stop. You MUST follow any directions given by police officers or traffic officers.
Rule 282 is about the drivers going past. Do not slow down unnecessarily to look, and keep your attention on the road ahead. “Rubbernecking” can cause another collision on the other carriageway or in the queue behind.
Emergency vehicles on the way to an incident need a clear path. Rule 219 asks you to look and listen for them and let them pass when it is safe, without braking harshly on the approach to a junction or roundabout, or mounting the kerb.
If you are involved in, or stop at, an incident
Rule 283 is the one to know best. If you are involved in a collision or stop to give help, you should:
- use your hazard warning lights to warn other traffic
- ask drivers to switch off their engines and stop anyone from smoking
- call the emergency services straight away with full details of the location and any casualties (on a motorway, use the emergency telephone if you can, so the operator knows exactly where you are)
- move uninjured people away from the vehicles to a place of safety
- not move injured people from their vehicles unless they are in immediate danger from fire or explosion
- not remove a motorcyclist’s helmet unless it is essential to do so
- be prepared to give first aid as described in Annex 7
- stay at the scene until the emergency services arrive
Dangerous goods
Vehicles carrying dangerous goods in packages display plain orange reflective plates. Road tankers and tank containers display hazard warning plates (Rule 284). If one is involved in an incident, Rule 285 adds to Rule 283: switch off engines and do not smoke, keep well away from the vehicle, do not try to rescue casualties yourself, and give the emergency services as much information as possible about the labels and markings. The Code also warns against using mobile phones close to a vehicle carrying flammable loads.
Exchanging details and reporting
If a collision causes damage or injury to any other person, vehicle, animal or property, Rule 286 says you MUST stop. You must give your name and address, the vehicle owner’s name and address, and the registration number to anyone with reasonable grounds for asking. If you do not give your details at the scene, you MUST report the collision to the police as soon as possible, and in any case within 24 hours.
Rule 287 adds that if another person is injured and you do not produce your insurance certificate at the time, you MUST also report it to the police as soon as possible and within 24 hours, and produce the certificate within seven days.
First aid on the road: what the Highway Code says
The theory test includes questions based on Annex 7 of the Highway Code. We summarise it here so you know what the test expects. This is not medical advice, and reading it is no substitute for training. Annex 7 itself says its guidance is not a substitute for proper training, and points to organisations such as St John Ambulance and the British Red Cross. If you want to be able to help at a collision, the best thing you can do is take a recognised first-aid course.
Annex 7 is organised in four parts:
- Deal with danger. Further collisions and fire are the main dangers after a crash. The annex mentions warning other traffic, switching off engines, switching on hazard lights, stopping anyone from smoking, and putting on the gloves from your first-aid kit.
- Get help. Call the emergency services on 999 or 112 and give full details of the location and the casualties, for example if anyone has difficulty breathing or is bleeding heavily.
- Help those involved. Do not move casualties still in vehicles unless further danger is threatened. Do not remove a motorcyclist’s helmet unless it is essential. Keep casualties warm and comfortable, and do not give them anything to eat or drink.
- Provide emergency care. The annex uses the memory aid DR ABC: Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation.
Theory questions sometimes test specific figures from Annex 7. As written in the Highway Code: for an adult who is not breathing, chest compressions are described as pressing down around 5 to 6 centimetres, about twice a second; a burn should be cooled with plenty of clean, cool water for at least 20 minutes; and the Code says not to remove anything stuck in a wound. Learn these as test facts, and rely on a proper course, and the emergency call handler, for how to actually help someone.
Common mistakes learners make
- Putting a warning triangle on a motorway. Rule 276 says never.
- Using hazard lights while driving on ordinary roads. They are only allowed while moving on motorways and unrestricted dual carriageways, to warn of a hazard ahead.
- Getting out of a broken-down car on the traffic side. On a motorway, Rule 277 says leave by the side furthest from traffic.
- Removing a motorcyclist’s helmet as a first step. Rule 283 and Annex 7 both say not to unless it is essential.
- Giving a casualty a drink. Annex 7 says do not give them anything to eat or drink.
- Slowing down to look at an incident on the other side of the road. Rule 282 says keep your attention on the road ahead.
Quick-reference table
| Situation | What the Highway Code says | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Hazard lights while moving | Only on motorways or unrestricted dual carriageways, to warn of a hazard ahead | 116 |
| Warning triangle | At least 45 metres behind, never on a motorway | 276 |
| Motorway breakdown | Go left, get safe, get help | 277 |
| At an incident | Warn traffic, engines off, no smoking, call 999, do not move the injured unless in immediate danger | 283 |
| Orange plates | Vehicle carrying dangerous goods | 284 |
| Not exchanging details | Report to police as soon as possible, within 24 hours | 286 |
| Burns (Annex 7 figure) | Cool for at least 20 minutes with plenty of clean, cool water | Annex 7 |
| Emergency numbers | 999 or 112 | Annex 7 |
Practice questions
These practice questions are written by Get Driving Test Ready to help you revise. They are not official DVSA questions.
Q1. Your car breaks down on a quiet country road. How far behind the car should you place a warning triangle, if it is safe to do so?
A) At least 25 metres.
B) At least 10 metres.
C) At least 45 metres.
D) Right next to the rear bumper.
Answer: C. The Highway Code says at least 45 metres behind your vehicle, on the same side of the road. (Highway Code rule 276)
Practise this on the road: Ask your supervisor to show you where the warning triangle and hazard light switch are in your practice car.
Q2. Your car breaks down on a motorway and you manage to stop on the hard shoulder. Should you place a warning triangle behind it?
A) No, never use a warning triangle on a motorway.
B) Yes, 100 metres behind.
C) Yes, 45 metres behind.
D) Only at night.
Answer: A. Rule 276 says never use a warning triangle on a motorway, because walking back along the carriageway is too dangerous. (Highway Code rule 276)
Practise this on the road: Talk through with your instructor what you would do if your car broke down on a motorway with a hard shoulder.
Q3. When may you use hazard warning lights while your vehicle is moving?
A) When you are driving slowly in a residential street.
B) To thank another driver.
C) When reversing into a parking space.
D) On a motorway or unrestricted dual carriageway, to warn drivers behind of a hazard ahead.
Answer: D. You must not use them while driving except on a motorway or unrestricted dual carriageway to warn of a hazard or obstruction ahead, and only long enough for the warning to be seen. (Highway Code rule 116)
Practise this on the road: Find the hazard warning light switch without looking, while parked safely, and discuss when you would use it on a dual carriageway.
Q4. You have broken down in a live lane of a motorway and cannot get out safely. What should you do?
A) Walk along the lane to the nearest emergency telephone.
B) Get out on the right and push the car to the verge.
C) Put a warning triangle behind the car.
D) Stay in the car with your seat belt on and hazard lights on, and call 999.
Answer: D. Rule 277 says if you cannot get out safely, stay in the vehicle with your seat belt fastened and hazard lights on, and call 999 immediately. (Highway Code rule 277)
Practise this on the road: Ask your instructor to talk you through the Go left, Get safe steps and how you would find your location on a motorway.
Q5. You stop your car in an emergency area on a motorway. Before you rejoin the motorway, what must you do?
A) Wait for a gap and accelerate out.
B) Use the emergency telephone and follow the operator's instructions.
C) Flash your headlights at approaching traffic.
D) Switch on your hazard lights and pull out slowly.
Answer: B. Rule 278 says you must contact the operator using the emergency telephone and follow their instructions before rejoining from an emergency area. (Highway Code rule 278)
Practise this on the road: On a motorway lesson with an instructor, point out emergency area signs and discuss how you would use the emergency telephone.
Q6. You arrive at a crash where a motorcyclist is lying injured in the road. Traffic has stopped. What should you avoid doing?
A) Staying at the scene until help arrives.
B) Asking drivers to switch off their engines.
C) Removing the rider's helmet when it is not essential.
D) Calling 999.
Answer: C. Rule 283 says do not remove a motorcyclist's helmet unless it is essential and you are trained to do so. Staying at the scene, asking drivers to switch off engines and calling 999 are all things rule 283 asks you to do. (Highway Code rule 283)
Practise this on the road: Discuss with your supervisor how you would make a crash scene safe and call 999 while waiting for help.
Q7. A lorry involved in a collision has a plain orange reflective plate. What does this tell you?
A) It is a slow-moving vehicle.
B) It is a breakdown recovery vehicle.
C) It is carrying dangerous goods.
D) It is over 7.5 tonnes.
Answer: C. Vehicles carrying dangerous goods in packages display plain orange reflective plates. (Highway Code rule 284)
Practise this on the road: While on a drive with plenty of lorries, point out orange plates you see and say what they mean.
Q8. You scrape a parked car and cannot find the owner. You do not leave your details at the scene. What must you do?
A) Report it to DVLA within seven days.
B) Report it to the police as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case within 24 hours.
C) Nothing, as there was no injury.
D) Tell your insurer at your next renewal.
Answer: B. If you damage another vehicle and do not give your name and address at the scene, you must report the collision to the police as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case within 24 hours. (Highway Code rule 286)
Practise this on the road: Practise parking carefully in tight spaces and discuss with your instructor what details you must leave if you ever touch another car.
Q9. According to Annex 7 of the Highway Code, which of these should you not do for a conscious casualty at a crash scene?
A) Keep them warm.
B) Keep them comfortable.
C) Call the emergency services.
D) Give them something to drink.
Answer: D. Annex 7 says do not give casualties anything to eat or drink. (Highway Code Annex 7)
Practise this on the road: Check where the first-aid kit is in your practice car and discuss the Annex 7 do and do not list with your supervisor.
Q10. What does the Highway Code say about slowing down to look at an incident on the opposite carriageway?
A) It is fine if traffic is light.
B) You should put your hazard lights on and slow right down.
C) It helps the emergency services.
D) You should not slow down unnecessarily, and should keep your attention on the road ahead.
Answer: D. Rule 282 says do not slow down unnecessarily to look at an incident, as it can cause further collisions or congestion. (Highway Code rule 282)
Practise this on the road: When you pass any roadside incident, practise keeping a steady speed and your eyes on the road ahead.
Next steps
Head back to the theory test hub for every topic. The motorway rules topic covers emergency areas and lane signals in more depth, and documents explains the insurance paperwork you need after a collision. The motorway signals, including the red X, are explained on our motorway signs page.