A great many candidates for the Highway Code exam get this question wrong.
Some questions on the Highway Code exam are more difficult than others. En Voiture Simone, a state-approved driving school, recently revealed which ones posed the most problems for candidates. Among the 1,600 questions on their app, several have a rate of incorrect answers well over 80%! As a reminder, during the exam, the candidate must correctly answer a minimum of 35 out of 40 questions to pass the Highway Code test, known as the “theoretical test” which is essential for obtaining a driving license.
The following question (see large image below) misleads 84.3% of learner drivers who answered on the application. More than 8 out of 10 people are therefore wrong on a question concerning the speed limit. Will you be able to find the right answer(s), which would place you among the 15.7% of good students?
The question is: In rainy weather, speed limits are lowered because…
– Answer A: from reduced visibility.
– Answer B: from the decrease in adhesion.
It is then asked whether: this lowering is imposed on all drivers…
– Answer C: yes
– Answer D: no
Have you made your choice? So here are the answers you had to get right: A, B, and D. Answers A and B seem pretty obvious, given how dangerous the roads are when it rains. Rain can significantly reduce drivers’ visibility. Water splashing from other vehicles, fogging up windows, and windshield wipers all reduce vision through the windshield. Unsurprisingly, roads are more slippery when it rains, which reduces tire grip. This increases braking distances and reduces the ability of vehicles to stop quickly. Again, it’s no surprise that speed adapts to these weather conditions.
The trap lies in the second part of the question. Are all drivers affected by the lowering of the speed limit when it rains? In case of rain or snow, the motorway is limited to 110 km/h instead of 130 km/h, the roads with separate carriageways to 100 km/h instead of 110 km/h, and the sections normally limited to 90 km/h are reduced to 80 km/h. One is entitled to wonder why some motorists should drive less quickly and others not.
But it’s all in the term “lowering”. Indeed, young drivers, who have held a probationary driving licence for the first 3 years, must respect the same speed limits whether it’s raining or not. They must therefore already drive at 110 km/h on motorways, 100 km/h on roads with separate carriageways and 80 km/h on those limited to 90 km/h. This lowering in rainy weather is not imposed on them. However, nothing prevents them from slowing down if the conditions require it.