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Difficulty: MediumLarge Goods Vehicles (LGVs)

In wet weather on a dual carriageway, dense spray thrown up by the wheels of a heavy goods vehicle ahead is severely obscuring your view of the road. What action should you take?

  1. A
    Move up close behind the vehicle so its body shields your windscreen from surface water
  2. B
    Flash your headlights repeatedly to demand that the lorry driver pulls over to let you pass
  3. Drop back to increase your following distance until your forward vision improves and switch on dipped headlightsAnswer
  4. D
    Move immediately into the adjacent offside lane to overtake without checking the mirrors

Answer

Drop back to increase your following distance until your forward vision improves and switch on dipped headlights
Large Goods Vehicles create extensive turbulent spray in wet weather. Easing off the throttle and dropping well back clears your windscreen of blinding spray, restores a clear view of the road ahead, and ensures you maintain the required wet-weather separation distance of at least four seconds.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Assess the hazard created by the heavy spray and poor forward visibility
Recognise that following closely impairs reaction time and sightlines around the large goods vehicle
Large goods vehicles have multiple heavy axles that generate significant road spray in wet weather
2
Ease off the accelerator to extend the separation gap
The vehicle moves outside the dense spray envelope, restoring clear forward vision and establishing at least a four-second gap
The Highway Code requires at least double the normal separation distance on wet roads
3
Ensure dipped headlights are illuminated
Your car remains conspicuous to the lorry driver and other road users without causing dazzling glare
Dipped headlights help others see you in heavy spray and dull daylight conditions

Key Concept

Safe following separation and spray management behind Large Goods Vehicles in adverse weather
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Large Goods Vehicles (LGVs)

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