How to do an emergency stop on your driving test

Quick answer

• DVSA's examiner guidance says an emergency stop should be done on 1 in every 7 car driving tests, chosen at random. GOV.UK says you might be asked to do one.
• The examiner pulls you up and explains it first. The signal is the word 'Stop' with their right hand raised to face level, both at once.
• React straight away: brake firmly, keep both hands on the wheel, and in a manual push the clutch down just before the car stops.
• You are marked on how quickly you react and on your control of the car - stopping without locking the wheels and losing control.
• Once you have stopped, secure the car and do full observations before you drive on. You are stopped in the road, not at the kerb.

Most learners are never asked for one on test. That is not a reason to skip it. It is the one exercise that practises something you hope never to need, and when you do need it there is no time to work out how.

How often it comes up

DVSA's examiner guidance (DT1, updated 14 September 2026) says an emergency stop should be conducted in 1 out of every 7 driving tests. It tells examiners to avoid patterns of times and routes so the choice stays random, and gives the reason for keeping it at all: as a road safety critical exercise, it continues to be taught. You cannot predict it from the time of day or the route.

Two exceptions in the same guidance. If a real emergency has already happened during your test, the examiner does not need to set the exercise and will tell you so. And the extended test, taken after a driving ban, includes it every time.

What the examiner says, and the signal

The examiner asks you to pull up on the left first, so the car is stationary while they explain. DT1's script for it reads: 'Shortly I shall ask you to carry out an emergency stop. When I give this signal, "Stop," I'd like you to stop as quickly and as safely as possible. Before giving the signal, I shall look round to make sure it is safe, but please wait for my signal before doing the exercise.' They show you the signal as they say it, and ask whether you understand.

The signal is the word 'Stop!' with the examiner's right hand raised to face level, at the same moment. Before giving it, they look round directly behind - DT1 says they must not rely on the mirrors - and they must not give it on a busy road or where it could put other traffic at risk. So when you see the examiner look over their shoulder, that is the check, not the signal. Wait for the hand and the word.

Afterwards the examiner tells you they will not ask you to do that exercise again, and asks you to drive on when you are ready.

How to do it

This is how I teach it. DVSA does not publish a step-by-step method, but each step below lines up with what the examiner records as a fault.

1. 01

   React to the signal, not to the look round

   The moment the hand comes up and you hear 'Stop', move your right foot straight from the accelerator to the brake. A late or slow reaction is the first fault DVSA lists for this exercise.

2. 02

   Brake firmly, straight away

   The Highway Code's advice in an emergency (rule 118) is to brake immediately, while trying to avoid braking so harshly that you lock the wheels. It is a firm, fast press - not the early, gentle braking of a normal stop, and not a stamp.

3. 03

   Keep both hands on the wheel

   Hold the car straight. Letting go of the steering wheel is one of the faults examiners record under this exercise.

4. 04

   Clutch down just before the car stops

   In a manual, brake first, then push the clutch down just before the car comes to rest so the engine does not stall. DVSA's marking guidance says the clutch should be pressed down before the vehicle stops.

5. 05

   Secure the car once it has stopped

   Handbrake on and neutral once you are stationary, not before. Applying the handbrake before the car has stopped is another fault on the list.

6. 06

   Full observations before you move off

   You have stopped in the road, not at the kerb, so traffic could pass on either side. Check your mirrors and look over both shoulders, signal if it would help someone, take a final look round, and move off only when it is safe.

ABS, and what to do if the car skids

If your car has anti-lock brakes (ABS), the Highway Code (rule 120) says to follow the vehicle handbook, but in an emergency to apply the footbrake firmly and not release the pressure until the car has slowed to the speed you want. ABS should keep your steering control - but the Code is explicit that you should not assume it will stop you in a shorter distance.

Without ABS, braking too hard locks the wheels and the car skids. GOV.UK's guide to your result names that fault for cars without ABS in particular. The Highway Code's advice on a skid (rule 119) is to remove the cause by releasing the brake pedal fully. In an emergency stop, my advice is to then brake again straight away, a little less hard, so the wheels keep turning while the car slows.

How it is marked

GOV.UK's guide to your result lists this as 'controlled stop (emergency stop)'. You are marked on how you reacted to the examiner's signal and your control of the car while stopping: stopping safely, without locking the wheels and losing control. DT1 lists these as the faults recorded under it:

• Late or slow reaction to the signal.
• Applying the handbrake before stopping.
• Skidding out of control.
• Missing the footbrake pedal.
• Letting go of the steering wheel.

DT1 also shows where the line falls between a driving fault and a serious one. Its example of a driving fault is locking the wheels and skidding a short distance, while showing effective skill in regaining control. Its example of a serious fault is very harsh braking that locks the wheels, with the car skidding out of control and little or no effective attempt to regain it. The drive away afterwards is a normal move-off, with the usual checks.

Why it matters after the test

The Highway Code's typical stopping distances put the overall stopping distance at 30 mph at 23 metres - 9 metres of thinking distance and 14 of braking, about six car lengths. At 20 mph it is 12 metres. The Code calls these a general guide, because they depend on your attention, the road surface, the weather and the car. DT1 reminds examiners that in wet weather it can take twice as long to stop safely. The thinking distance is the part an emergency stop trains: the less time between seeing the problem and braking, the less of that distance you use.

Practise it properly

Practise only with your instructor or supervising driver giving the signal, on a quiet road, after they have checked behind - the same conditions an examiner insists on. GOV.UK's result guide suggests working on keeping control of the car while braking, and braking in different weather conditions in a safe environment.