Tema 1: basic concepts and traffic factors in the DGT exam

Vocabulary first: the exam asks what each thing is. Learn the Annex I definitions in the pairs that get confused.

Reviewed on 6 October 2026 · sources: BOE and DGT

The exam asks what each thing is. These are the Annex I definitions, and they get confused in pairs.

The carriageway (calzada) is the part of the road for vehicles; neither the pavement nor the shoulder (arcén) is part of it.
A lane (carril) needs no marking and no 3.5 m. The platform is the carriageway plus the shoulders.
A built-up area (poblado) starts and ends at its signs; inside, the road is urban and outside, interurban.
A motorway (autopista) and a dual carriageway (autovía) have separate carriageways per direction and no same-level crossings.
A passenger car (turismo) has up to 8 seats plus the driver's; a bus has more than 9 in total.
A moped (ciclomotor) is at most 45 km/h and 50 cm³ (4 kW if electric).

Watch out: Buildings do not mark the edge of a built-up area; the signs do.

Source: TRLSV anexo I.

Key rules of topic 1

The calzada (carriageway) is the part of the road for vehicles; neither the pavement nor the arcén (hard shoulder) is part of it.

Carril (lane): a strip of the carriageway for one line of cars; it needs no marking and no 3.5 m.
Platform: carriageway plus hard shoulders. Hard shoulder: paved strip beside the carriageway, for exceptional cases only.
Pedestrian area: pavement, platform, promenade; a refuge too, even though it is on the carriageway.

The built-up area starts and ends at its signs; inside, the road is urban and outside, interurban.

Carretera: paved and outside a built-up area. Urban road: inside one. Both exclude the travesía.
Travesía: a stretch of carretera through a built-up area; if an accessible bypass exists, it is not one.
Conventional: the carretera that is not an autopista (motorway), autovía (dual carriageway) or road for cars.

A motorway and an autovía (dual carriageway) have separate calzadas (carriageways) per direction and no same-level crossings.

Access from adjoining property: none on a motorway, limited on a dual carriageway.
A road for cars admits cars only and has one carriageway.
Roundabout: a ring with traffic circling a central island. Level crossing: crossing with a railway on its own track.

A turismo has up to 8 seats plus the driver's; a bus has more than 9 in total.

Mixed adaptable: goods and up to 9 people. Farm tractor: a special vehicle, not an automóvil.
Moped: at most 45 km/h and 50 cm³ (4 kW if electric).
Light trailer: up to 750 kg MMA. Road train: with a trailer. Articulated: with a semi-trailer resting on the tractor.

A pedestrian is anyone on foot, including someone pushing a pram, a wheelchair or a cycle on foot.

Driver: whoever operates the vehicle, and also whoever has animals in charge on the road.
Owner: the person registered in the Vehicle Register; the administrative duties are his.
Habitual driver: whoever drives the vehicle most. A private person without a licence who registers a vehicle must designate one.

All road users must behave so as not to hinder traffic or cause danger or nuisance.

The driver must drive with the care and caution needed to avoid any harm, to himself or others.
Driving negligently or recklessly is forbidden.
He must always be in a position to control the vehicle and take extra care near children, the elderly, blind people and people with impaired mobility.

Study topic 1 step by step: the rule, its citation and exam-style questions.