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Difficulty: MediumStopping and the Hard Shoulder

Under the Highway Code, in which of the following situations is a driver legally permitted to stop on the motorway hard shoulder?

  1. A
    To safely place a red warning triangle behind the vehicle to alert approaching traffic
  2. In a genuine emergency, vehicle breakdown, or when directed by the police or motorway signalsAnswer
  3. C
    To pull over and take a short rest if you begin to feel drowsy while driving
  4. D
    To check vehicle blind spot adjustments and program satellite navigation settings

Answer

In a genuine emergency, vehicle breakdown, or when directed by the police or motorway signals
Stopping on the hard shoulder is strictly reserved for genuine emergencies, vehicle breakdowns, or when directed to stop by police, traffic officers, or official emergency signals. Stopping for routine non-emergency reasons is illegal and highly dangerous.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the legal restrictions governing the use of the motorway hard shoulder
Highway Code Rule 270 states that drivers must not stop on the carriageway, hard shoulder, slip road, central reservation, or verge except in an emergency, breakdown, or when directed by an authorised person.
The hard shoulder is an active emergency refuge corridor, not a general stopping lane.
2
Evaluate the proposed scenarios against the legal definition of an emergency
Convenience stops (resting, programming navigation, checking mirrors) and forbidden actions (walking to place warning triangles) are illegal on the hard shoulder.
Stopping for non-emergencies severely increases the risk of high-speed rear-end collisions.

Key Concept

Lawful and safe use of the motorway hard shoulder
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Stopping and the Hard Shoulder

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