Vehicle safety and passengers theory test practice
Free, no accountBased on the Rules of the Road
What you need to know
Before you drive anywhere, the car itself has to be ready. Tyres, lights, mirrors and seatbelts are all safety equipment, and the theory test asks about each of them. Check the tyres for tread depth and pressure, make sure every light works, and keep the mirrors and windows clean so you can see clearly all around the car.
Seatbelts are the single biggest lifesaver in a crash. Everyone in the car must wear one where a belt is fitted. As the driver you are personally responsible for passengers under 17, so make sure they are buckled up before you move off. Children need the right restraint for their size: a proper child seat when small, and a booster until they reach 150 cm or 36 kg.
Lights are used to see and to be seen. Use dipped headlights at night and whenever visibility is poor, and switch to main beam only on unlit roads when nothing is coming towards you or in front of you. Fog lights are for dense fog or falling snow only, and must be switched off as soon as the air clears, because they can dazzle and hide your brake lights.
Tyres are your only contact with the road. The legal minimum tread depth is 1.6 mm across the main tread, but it is wise to replace tyres sooner, around 3 mm. Check the pressure regularly, spare included, against the manufacturer's figures. Loads must be tied down securely, and anything you tow must be properly coupled, braked where required, and clearly visible to others.
Rules of the Road: Vehicle safety · Tyres · Lights · Child restraints · Mirrors · Loads · Towing · Vehicle checks
20 practice questions
Pick an answer to see whether it is right and why.
You are about to set off with two friends aged 15 and 16 in the back. Who is responsible for their seatbelts?
Mark one answer · keys A to D
All the questions with answers
1. You are about to set off with two friends aged 15 and 16 in the back. Who is responsible for their seatbelts?
Answer: You, as the driver
The driver is responsible for passengers under 17 wearing a seatbelt or correct restraint.
Rules of the Road: Vehicle safety
2. What is the minimum legal tread depth across the main tread of a car tyre?
Answer: 1.6 mm
The legal minimum is 1.6 mm across the main tread, though replacing tyres sooner is wise.
Rules of the Road: Tyres
3. When may you use your front fog lights?
Answer: Only in dense fog or falling snow
Fog lights are for dense fog or falling snow only and must be turned off when it clears.
Rules of the Road: Lights
4. A child of 5 is about 120 cm tall and weighs 24 kg. How should they travel in your car?
Answer: In a suitable child seat or booster
Children must use a suitable restraint until they reach 150 cm or 36 kg.
Rules of the Road: Child restraints
5. What does dipping your headlights help you to avoid?
Answer: Dazzling other road users
You should dip your lights for oncoming traffic and when following another vehicle so that you do not dazzle other drivers.
Rules of the Road: Lights
6. How often should you check the pressure of your tyres, spare included?
Answer: Regularly, using the manufacturer's recommended figures
Tyre pressures should be checked regularly, including the spare, against the manufacturer's specification.
Rules of the Road: Tyres
7. Your car has a rear-facing baby seat fitted on the front passenger seat. What must you do first?
Answer: Make sure the front airbag is switched off
A rear-facing child seat in the front needs the passenger airbag deactivated, as an inflating airbag could injure the child.
Rules of the Road: Child restraints
8. You are driving on an unlit rural road at night with no other traffic about. Which lights should you normally use?
Answer: Dipped or main beam, dipping for other traffic
Outside lit areas you can use main beam when it is safe, and must dip when traffic approaches or you follow another vehicle.
Rules of the Road: Lights
9. At night you park your car on a road. Which lights should be on?
Answer: Sidelights
When parked at night on a road, use sidelights so that other drivers can see the car.
Rules of the Road: Lights
10. You are dazzled by the headlights of an oncoming car. What should you do?
Answer: Slow down, or stop, and look towards the verge
If dazzled, slow down or stop, and look towards the edge of the road until the car has passed.
Rules of the Road: Lights
11. What is the main danger of leaving your fog lights on when the fog has cleared?
Answer: They can dazzle others and hide your brake lights
Fog lights are very bright and can dazzle other drivers and make your brake lights harder to see.
Rules of the Road: Lights
12. Which of these is a good reason to replace a tyre sooner than the legal limit?
Answer: Grip in wet weather falls as tread wears
Tread clears water from under the tyre, so grip in the wet gets worse as the tread wears down. Many drivers change at about 3 mm.
Rules of the Road: Tyres
13. Why should your mirrors be clean and properly adjusted before you set off?
Answer: So you can see all around the vehicle
Clean, well-adjusted mirrors show what is behind and beside you, but you still need to check blind spots.
Rules of the Road: Mirrors
14. When must you use your mirrors?
Answer: Before signalling or changing speed or direction
You must use your mirrors before you signal, move off, change lane, turn, slow down or stop.
Rules of the Road: Mirrors
15. You are carrying items on a roof rack. What must you make sure of?
Answer: The load is properly secured before you set off
Loads must be safely distributed and securely tied down so that they cannot shift or fall onto the road.
Rules of the Road: Loads
16. A trailer has a maximum weight above 750 kg. What must it have?
Answer: Its own brakes
A trailer above 750 kg needs its own braking system, and a breakaway brake or secondary coupling for safety.
Rules of the Road: Towing
17. When must you give a child under 3 a child seat in a car?
Answer: Every time they travel in the car, apart from taxis
Children under 3 must always use the correct child restraint, except in a taxi.
Rules of the Road: Child restraints
18. A red warning light comes on on your dashboard while you are driving. What should you do?
Answer: Stop somewhere safe and find out what it means
A warning light means a fault that could make the car unsafe. Pull in where it is safe and check the handbook before going on.
Rules of the Road: Vehicle checks
19. Before a long journey, which set of checks makes most sense?
Answer: Tyres, lights, oil, coolant and screen wash
Simple checks of tyres, lights and fluid levels before a long trip catch faults that could leave you stranded or cause a collision.
Rules of the Road: Vehicle checks
20. A car and trailer together are 13 m or longer. What must you do?
Answer: Display a LONG VEHICLE sign
A combination 13 m or more in length must display the LONG VEHICLE sign on the rear.
Rules of the Road: Towing
Questions people ask
- What is the minimum tyre tread depth in Ireland?
- The legal minimum is 1.6 mm across the main tread of the tyre. It is sensible to think about replacing tyres once they get down to about 3 mm, because grip in wet weather drops off well before the legal limit.
- Who is responsible for a child not wearing a seatbelt in the car?
- The driver is responsible for making sure that all passengers under 17 are wearing a seatbelt or using the correct child restraint. Passengers older than that are responsible for their own belt.
- How tall does a child have to be to stop using a booster seat in Ireland?
- Children must use an appropriate child restraint until they are 150 cm tall or weigh 36 kg. Until then they need a proper child seat or booster that suits their size.
- When can I use fog lights in Ireland?
- Only in dense fog or falling snow. Switch them off as soon as visibility improves, as they can dazzle other drivers and hide your brake lights.
Other theory test topics
- Learner permits and licences
- Penalty points and offences
- Alcohol, drugs, phones and fatigue
- Speed limits and stopping distances
- Junctions and right of way
- Roundabouts and turning
- Road signs and markings
- Motorways, overtaking and lanes
- Pedestrians, cyclists and other road users
- Parking and stopping
- Hazards, emergencies and breakdowns
Rules summarised from the Rules of the Road (© Road Safety Authority). Questions written by PassRank. These are not the official Driver Theory Test questions.