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Saskatchewan Class 7 overview

Saskatchewan Class 7: Basic driving skills and getting ready

Seatbelts, car seats and airbags, seat and mirror adjustment, steering hand positions, the IPDE method, gates, blind spots, following distance and eye use.

  • 24 questions
  • Topic drill
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Basic driving skills and getting ready · Question 1Score 0/0

What is the minimum following distance in ideal conditions?

Study reference: Saskatchewan Driver's Handbook (online edition, Rev. 2026), Ch. 5 Basic driving skills — Hazards, The IPDE method, Time - the key to judgment, Eye use, Before you drive, Steering

All 24 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

  1. What is the minimum following distance in ideal conditions?

    1. Two seconds
    2. One second
    3. One car length
    4. Three seconds

  2. Children under what age must ride in an approved car seat or booster seat?

    1. Seven
    2. Nine
    3. Twelve
    4. Five

  3. You are following a large truck that blocks your view of the road ahead. What should you do?

    1. Move closer to draft behind it
    2. Keep exactly three seconds
    3. Drive on the shoulder to see
    4. Drop back more than three seconds

  4. About how long does it take to glance down and check your speed?

    1. Three seconds
    2. One and a half seconds
    3. Five seconds
    4. A quarter of a second

  5. Where should the lap part of a seatbelt sit?

    1. Loose over the thighs
    2. High across the ribs
    3. Across the stomach, below the ribs
    4. Low and snug over the pelvis

  6. With a three-second gap, how does your distance at 100 km/h compare with 50 km/h?

    1. Half as far back
    2. About twice as far back
    3. Four times as far back
    4. About the same distance

  7. How do you check a blind spot before changing lanes?

    1. Use the backup camera
    2. Look in the inside mirror
    3. Watch the car ahead
    4. Glance over your shoulder

  8. A driver is tailgating you, closing your rear gate. What should you do with your following distance?

    1. Keep it at exactly three seconds
    2. Shorten it to two seconds
    3. Increase it to five or six seconds
    4. Brake to push them back

  9. Airbags typically inflate in crashes above what speed?

    1. 5 km/h
    2. 40 km/h
    3. 16 km/h
    4. 60 km/h

  10. A child is usually big enough for a regular seatbelt alone at about age seven and over what weight?

    1. 27 kg (60 lb)
    2. 18 kg (40 lb)
    3. 45 kg (100 lb)
    4. 36 kg (80 lb)

  11. Which foot should you use to brake in a car with an automatic transmission?

    1. Both feet together
    2. Either foot
    3. Your left foot
    4. Your right foot

  12. Your 15-year-old passenger refuses to buckle up. Who can be charged?

    1. The vehicle owner only
    2. The passenger's parents
    3. You, the driver
    4. The passenger

  13. Why should young children never ride in a front seat that has a passenger airbag?

    1. It is harder for them to see
    2. They distract the driver
    3. The airbag can seriously injure them
    4. The seatbelt won't fasten

  14. How many open gates should a safe driver always try to keep around the vehicle?

    1. All four
    2. At least two
    3. At least three
    4. At least one

  15. Which hand positions on the steering wheel does the handbook recommend?

    1. 10 and 2, or 12 and 6
    2. 9 and 3, or 8 and 4
    3. 11 and 1, or 7 and 5
    4. One hand at 12 o'clock

  16. Which of the six basic driving conditions does the handbook call the most important?

    1. Traffic condition
    2. Weather condition
    3. Road condition
    4. Driver condition

  17. How do you measure your following distance?

    1. Use your speedometer reading
    2. Count seconds as you pass a fixed object
    3. Count car lengths to the vehicle ahead
    4. Watch the other car's brake lights

  18. You and another car approach an intersection, and it stays in the same spot in your view. What does this mean?

    1. It is going much slower
    2. It is turning away from you
    3. It is stopped and waiting
    4. You are on a collision course

  19. Who must wear a seatbelt in Saskatchewan?

    1. Only passengers under 16
    2. Only the driver
    3. Every occupant where belts are provided
    4. Only front-seat occupants, including the driver

  20. How should your head restraint be adjusted?

    1. Touching your shoulders for full support
    2. Level with your neck
    3. Top level with the top of your head
    4. As low as it goes

  21. What do the letters IPDE stand for?

    1. Inspect, Plan, Drive, Exit
    2. Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute
    3. Indicate, Pass, Decelerate, Enter
    4. Identify, Prepare, Drive, Escape

  22. About how far ahead should you look to steer straight?

    1. About 2 seconds ahead
    2. At the hood of your car
    3. About 12 seconds ahead
    4. At the centre line beside you

  23. How do you set your left side mirror to reduce the blind spot?

    1. Sit normally and adjust it to show lots of your car
    2. Lean to the window, then just see your car's side
    3. Aim it at the lane two over
    4. Point it at the ground behind you

  24. A car parked on the shoulder ahead might pull out into your lane. What kind of hazard is it?

    1. A real hazard
    2. A fixed hazard
    3. A potential hazard
    4. No hazard at all

Basic driving skills and getting ready: key rules to remember

Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗

The six basic driving conditions

  • Driver, vehicle, light, weather, road and traffic conditions. Driver condition (physical, mental, emotional fitness) is the most important.
  • Night-time fatal collision rate is more than double the daytime rate.

Hazards

  • Real hazard: something you must react to (stop light, slow or stopped car in your lane, a curve needing slowing, a pedestrian blocking you).
  • Potential hazard: something that might happen (car signalling a lane change, car on the shoulder that might pull out, pedestrian who might cross, light that might change).

The IPDE method

  • Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute. Tired or ill: reduce the IPDE load by slowing down, avoiding heavy traffic, or not driving. Alcohol, drugs and distraction make IPDE very hard.

The concept of gates

  • Four imaginary gates around the vehicle: front, rear, each side. Always try to keep at least two gates open.
  • A tailgater closes your rear gate; increase following distance to five or six seconds.
  • Check inside mirror and left outside mirror often.

Blind spots

  • Area beside the vehicle not visible in any mirror. Shoulder check the blind spot for the gate you are moving into. Don't drive in others' blind spots. Properly adjusted mirrors reduce blind spots.

Time - the key to judgment

  • Count "thousand one, thousand two..." to measure seconds.
  • Minimum following distance: three seconds in ideal conditions; longer behind motorcycles or large trucks, and when conditions are poor.
  • At 100 km/h a three-second gap is about 84 m; at 50 km/h about 42 m (twice as far at 100 as at 50).
  • Looking far enough ahead, you can see problems 12 to 60 seconds ahead.

Eye use

  • You steer where you look. Look about 12 seconds ahead to steer straight.
  • Look up to the horizon (on a straight road up to 90 seconds ahead) and reference down to about 12 seconds ahead.
  • Checking your speed takes about one and a half seconds; check instruments on straight roads with open gates.
  • City: look several lights or blocks ahead; never drive with fewer than two gates open.
  • Collision course check: if another vehicle stays in the same position relative to you as you both approach, you are on a collision course; slow and be ready to yield. Turn your head rather than relying on peripheral vision.

Before you drive

  • Learn the controls of an unfamiliar vehicle; doors closed, loose objects secured, seat, head restraint, mirrors, seatbelt adjusted; warning lights go out after start.
  • Head restraint: top never lower than the top of your head (adjusted level with the top of your head).
  • Seatbelts: every occupant must wear one where provided. Lap belt low over the pelvis; shoulder belt over the chest, never behind the back or under the arm.
  • Driver is legally responsible for passengers under 16 using seatbelts and child seats; 16 and older are responsible for themselves.
  • Children under seven must use an approved car seat or booster seat; back seat away from airbags. Regular belt usually fits at age seven and over 36 kg (80 lb).
  • Airbags inflate in crashes over 16 km/h; never put children in the front seat with a passenger airbag; airbags do not replace seatbelts.
  • Seating: right foot flat on the floor under the brake, leg slightly bent; eyes halfway between top of wheel and top of windshield; a fist's space above the head.
  • Mirror adjustment: lean left until your forehead touches the side window, then set the left mirror to just see the car's side; lean to centre for the right mirror.
  • Left foot brace against the firewall; always brake with the right foot.

Steering

  • Hand positions: "9 and 3" or "8 and 4". Hand on top of an airbag wheel can be forced into your face.
  • Hand over hand for sharp turns at low speed; don't let the wheel slide back through your hands.
  • Hand-to-hand (push/pull): left hand 7-8 o'clock, right hand 4-5 o'clock; hands never cross.

Accelerating

  • Push the accelerator down gradually; accelerating too fast can cause loss of control on gravel, snow or ice.

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