99TravelSafe.com
21 - Driving on the Motorway or Highway
The Website For The Smart and Savvy Traveler
MAKE sure your vehicle is roadworthy.
Never ever check a map on the move. Make sure you know which junctions you need beforehand
Obey speed limits including lower limits imposed due to congestion, weather or road works.
In bad weather, always use fog lights in fog.
Do not try to keep up with the car ahead.
Watch when the vehicle in front passes an object beside the road, then slowly count "one second, two seconds". If you pass the same object before you've finished counting, you are too close. In bad weather count to “four seconds”.
Unless overtaking, keep to the low speed lane.
Every two hours, take a break for at least 15 minutes.
If you break down, pull onto the hard shoulder as close to the verge as possible and turn on your hazard warning lights.
There are emergency phones every 1500m (about a mile).
Wait for help as far away from traffic as you can.
If you need to stop for any other reason - to read a map or use your mobile phone, for instance - pull into a service station.
If you have to drive through roadworks:
--Slow down and get into the correct lane in good time.
--If there is no hard shoulder, watch out for broken down vehicles.
--Don't switch lanes.
--Concentrate on the road ahead, not the roadworks.
--Watch out for works traffic entering or leaving the roadworks.
Keep to the speed limit - normally 50mph.
Keep a safe distance - there could be queues in front.
Overtake from the driver’s side only
When you have to change the lane after overtaking, have a look on the rearview mirror. If the car behind you is not visible in the rearview mirror then do not change the lane, rather wait for the car to appear in your rearview mirror
Use dippers NOT horns. Use a horn in the worst case when someone is not responding on your dipper or indicators
Drive your car in low speed lane and switch to overtake lane only when you have to overtake, then after overtaking return back to your original lane