Revision question · Band 2 traffic signs and signals, car control, pedestrians, mechanical knowledge

You're driving along a dual carriageway and have to brake hard in a straight line. Which wheels do most of the braking?

Revision material from the imported DVSA bank includes source-checked Lanekind learning corrections. These corrections are not newly issued official examination questions, and practice does not reproduce a live test paper.

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It's evenly distributed between the front and rear wheels

The rear wheels

It will alternate from one side of the car to the other

The front wheels

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The front wheelsThis was the right answer

When brakes are applied on a car moving in a straight line, they slow the rotation of the wheels but the rest of the car tries to continue moving forward. This shifts more of the car's weight onto the front wheels, making steering more difficult.

If the car is cornering when the brakes are applied, the weight shifts both forward and towards the outside of the bend, thus the weight is loaded onto one front wheel. In severe cases, this can lead to skidding or even cause the car to roll over.

Reviewed reading for this question

Prepare and control a car safelyReviewed guidance summary · Progressive straight-line braking transfers load forward; keep both hands available for steering and avoid abrupt combined inputs.

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