TAS rider knowledge test road surfaces and hazards practice questions

Question 1

You come around a bend and see loose gravel spread across your line. What is the best response?

• Brake hard on the gravel
• Get your braking done before you reach it if you can, then ride across it upright with a steady throttle and light gripCorrect answer
• Accelerate hard to get across quickly
• Swerve sharply at the last moment

Gravel takes away grip, so make your changes of speed and direction on the good surface either side of it. Being upright and relaxed lets the bike move under you without falling.

Rule cited: Tasmanian motorcycle rider handbook, topic: surface hazards

Question 2

Why should a rider avoid braking or turning hard on painted road markings when the road is wet?

• Paint damages tyres
• Wet paint offers much less grip than the surrounding surfaceCorrect answer
• It is against the road rules to ride on markings
• Paint makes the bike louder

Large painted areas such as turn arrows, stop lines, pedestrian crossings and bus stop boxes become slippery in the wet. Cross them upright and with no sudden inputs.

Rule cited: Tasmanian motorcycle rider handbook, topic: surface hazards

Question 3

You are approaching roadworks where steel plates have been laid over the road surface. How should you cross them?

• Brake on the plates to be safe
• Cross upright, at a steady speed, with no braking or turning while you are on themCorrect answer
• Cross at an angle with the bike leaned
• Accelerate hard across them

Steel plates are slippery, more so when wet, and their edges can catch a tyre. Set your speed early and keep your inputs neutral until you are back on the road surface.

Rule cited: Tasmanian motorcycle rider handbook, topic: roadworks and surface hazards

Question 4

You notice a rainbow coloured sheen on the road at a roundabout. What does it tell you?

• The road has just been resealed
• There is spilled oil or diesel, which is very slipperyCorrect answer
• The surface is drying out
• There is loose sand

Oil and diesel collect where vehicles slow, turn and idle, so intersections and roundabouts are the common spots. Ride around it if you safely can, otherwise cross it upright with no braking.

Rule cited: Tasmanian motorcycle rider handbook, topic: surface hazards

Question 5

It is raining and there is a metal service cover in the middle of your lane. What should you do?

• Ride straight over it while braking
• Adjust your position within the lane so your tyres miss it, if it is safe to do soCorrect answer
• Stop before it
• Nothing, metal covers give the same grip as bitumen

Wet metal covers and grates give very little grip. Riders have room inside their own lane to move a metre either way, which is often all you need.

Rule cited: Tasmanian motorcycle rider handbook, topic: surface hazards

Question 6

You must cross railway tracks that run across the road at a shallow angle. How should you cross them?

• Follow the tracks for a short distance first
• Change your line where it is safe so you cross the rails as close to a right angle as you canCorrect answer
• Cross at the shallowest angle possible
• Brake heavily just as the front wheel reaches the rail

A rail met at a shallow angle can catch the front tyre and slide it out. Cross squarely, upright and at a steady speed, staying in your own lane.

Rule cited: Tasmanian motorcycle rider handbook, topic: level crossings

Question 7

You are about to ride over a cattle grid on a rural road. What is the safest approach?

• Slow down before it, then cross square and upright at a steady speedCorrect answer
• Cross it fast so the wheels skip over
• Brake while crossing it
• Cross it at an angle

The bars are slippery, especially when wet or frosty, and they can deflect the front wheel. Get your speed right before you arrive and keep the bike straight.

Rule cited: Tasmanian motorcycle rider handbook, topic: rural road hazards

Question 8

On a narrow country road the sealed surface drops away to a loose gravel shoulder. What is the main risk if you put a wheel off the edge?

• There is no real risk
• The edge can grab the tyre and destabilise the bike, and pulling back on sharply can throw you across the roadCorrect answer
• The tyre will simply deflate
• The bike will slow down and nothing else

If you do drop off the edge, hold the bike straight, ease off the throttle without braking hard, and come back onto the seal gently at a shallow angle when the surfaces are close to level.

Rule cited: Tasmanian motorcycle rider handbook, topic: rural road hazards