Theory course · Topic 2 of 14
Topic 2
The human risk factor
The technology is rarely at fault. The person at the wheel usually is.
In short
Topic 2 takes the driver seriously as the largest single source of danger. It deals with distraction, with emotion, with peer pressure in a full car, and with alcohol and drugs — in other words with everything that stands between knowing the right thing and doing it. The double lesson teaches no new rules. It teaches one skill: judging your own behaviour honestly afterwards instead of explaining it away.
Probationary period
The probationary period lasts two years. A serious offence leads to an Aufbauseminar and extends it to four years. That applies regardless of the age at which you took your licence.
What this topic teaches you
The first part is distraction, uncomfortably precisely. The phone is the obvious case — picking it up and holding it is forbidden at the wheel, including at a red light with the engine running. The quiet distractions are the interesting ones: the navigation system being reprogrammed, the cup that tips over, the conversation with three friends in the back. You learn that distraction does not mean looking away. It means no longer perceiving what you are looking at.
The second part is emotion. Anger, time pressure and showing off measurably change how you drive: the gap shrinks, glances get shorter, and gaps in traffic are judged smaller than they are. The lesson works through typical patterns — the driver who wants to „be right“ after an incident, or the one who drives faster because somebody he wants to impress is in the passenger seat.
The third part is the hard frame: alcohol, cannabis, medication. For novice drivers in the probationary period and for everyone under 21 the limit is zero, regardless of how fit anyone feels. On top of that comes the probationary period itself: it lasts two years, and one serious offence means an Aufbauseminar and an extension to four years.
- Distraction from phone, passengers, controls
- Emotion, time pressure, showing off
- Zero alcohol in the probationary period and under 21
- Self-assessment instead of self-justification
What it looks like in Düsseldorf
Between the Kö and Berliner Allee the traffic stands still for long stretches in the late afternoon. That is exactly where most novice drivers reach for the phone, because a jam feels like a break. It is not one: ahead of you the queue dissolves in seconds, cyclists filter past on the right, a bus pulls out of a stop. Anyone typing at that moment has missed several seconds of traffic that cannot be caught up.
The second classic is the full car at the weekend. Driving out of the Altstadt towards Flingern or Oberbilk you often have three or four friends aboard, and the mood inside the car shapes the driving more than any sign outside it. For BF17 drivers this matters especially: during the accompanied phase an adult sits beside you, and afterwards nobody does — and that social pressure is precisely the difference.
What the test does with it
Topic 2 supplies a good share of the questions people „basically know“ and still get wrong, because a phrase suggests an exception. Typical ones cover phone use at a red light, residual alcohol the next morning, and who decides whether you are fit to drive. The probationary-period rules — Aufbauseminar, extension to four years — appear here too.
In the practical test this topic shows up as composure. The examiner gives instructions that sometimes come late; anyone thrown by that makes follow-up mistakes. A missed turn is not a reason to fail. A panicked reaction to it can be.
- Phone at the wheel, including stationary with the engine on
- Residual alcohol and the zero limit on probation
- Consequences of a serious probationary offence
- Staying calm when an instruction comes late
Common questions
May I use my phone at a red light?
Not while the engine is running. An automatic start-stop system does not count as the engine being switched off. Operating the phone through a hands-free system or by voice is permitted, as long as you do not pick the device up.
Does the zero-alcohol limit still apply after the probationary period?
For everyone under 21 it does, independently of the probationary period. Anyone over 21 who has finished probation falls under the general limits — which nobody in the classroom should treat as a licence, because the effect starts well before any limit.
What counts as a serious probationary offence?
A so-called A-Verstoß: for example substantially exceeding the speed limit, running a red light, or drink-driving. One is enough to trigger an Aufbauseminar and extend the probationary period to four years. Less serious offences count as B-Verstöße and only take effect from the second one.
Can I repeat topic 2 if I missed it?
Yes, as often as you like. Only topics 13 and 14 have to be attended at least once. The other twelve you can sit again as often as you want — it costs nothing extra, and with a topic like this one it is often worth it.