There is no denying it – tackling the motorway for the first time is real challenge for new drivers. Any driving school worth its salt will never offer any new driver a license without adequate motorway training, but even still, the first time you do it for real can be pretty scary.
There are even experienced drivers who still see motorway driving (especially over long distances and certainly in other countries) as a real challenge that takes concentration, alertness, and a constant eye on the road.
You can take some comfort, of course, from the fact that most accidents do not actually occur on the motorway. Moreover, when you are cruising at a steady speed over long distances, it can actually be pretty gentle. However, when crashes happen on the motorway, they are bad crashes, usually occurring at significant speed. And then there is the behaviour of all the other drivers to worry about – not least the lorries!
Motorway driving is, however, something most drivers need to learn how to do. You might have met those drivers who never like to do it, but they are a minority. For most, it is a necessity at some point or other – if having a car is going to be any use at all.
So, how can driving on the motorway be made a little easier on new drivers, what are the most important tips and tricks, and how should you approach it for the first time? As it happens, the tips for motorway driving can be split into several different categories.
There are of course the driving tips for driving on the motorway – all the things you should remember to do as well as the skills of using the right lane and learning how to overtake and so on. Another area of expertise is how to prepare your car for the motorway. And a further one still is how to react when things go wrong – it is different from when on the A or B roads!
Preparing Your Car for Motorway Driving
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The thing about motorway driving is that it is usually over long distances. This means that many of the tips for preparing your car for a long journey also apply to preparing it for motorway driving. Before learning about how to drive on the motorway then, it is also wise to simply learn how to prepare your car for the experience. Here are some tips:
Check Your Fluid Levels
Things like your water tank, your engine oil, brake fluid and, in winter, antifreeze, should be well topped up before heading out onto the motorway. Your car is under more stress in these situations, and it should, quite literally, be a well-oiled machine. Breakdowns can be dangerous on a motorway.
Check Your Brakes
Braking hard on a motorway is usually a tough situation because you will be braking at real speed. Accordingly, the brakes should be in perfect working order, and you should be able to apply them gently so as not to come to an immediate halt.
Tyre Pressure
You really do not want to compromise on grip when out on the motorway. Although you might be cruising for most of it, you will be doing so fast enough to mean that slipping around can really be a hazard. Check your tyre pressure and bear in mind that it can be reduced in cold weather.
Lights
Naturally, you need to see where you are going, especially at night. However, it is also vital that you make sure your emergency lights are working, as indicating a problem to other speeding drivers on the motorway is a safety essential.
Ensure You Have Top Cover
Motorway accidents are sure to be more damaging to your vehicle than accidents that occur elsewhere. Naturally, the biggest risk is death, but the chances of your car being totalled are also higher. You will want insurance cover that can cope with this.
Get a New Driver Sign
By affixing a “new driver” sign to your vehicle, you can appeal to other divers to be more considerate of you, give you space, and so on. They will not always do this, but there is no shame in indicating that you don’t have much experience out on the motorway.
Motorway Driving Tips
So, your car is prepared for your first time tackling the motorway as a new driver. But what are the most important tips to keep in mind. Here are a few:
Adjust Speed for Slip Roads
The moment you join the motorway will normally involve taking a slip road. It is very tempting to slow down and come to a halt when you get on the slip road, but the whole purpose of slip roads is to allow drivers to match their speed to that of the motorway so that they are going at a safe speed the moment they join. You should take the slip road, and gradually speed up to join the motorway.
Stick to the Left Lane
There is no such thing as a “fast lane”. Careful drivers should always stick to the left lane. Lane’s two and three are for overtaking slower traffic, not for coasting along at great speed. If you want to get in front of a lorry (which is wise), speed up and move out of lane one; otherwise, stick to the left lane.
Learn About the Motorway Signals and Signage
Even though you may have gone over this in your driving lessons, the average driver simply doesn’t see motorway signals and signage as often as the signage of smaller roads. You can often forget what they all mean – especially the rarer ones. Accordingly, brush up on your knowledge and know what to do when you see them.
When Things Go Wrong
Th final thing you should know about before tackling the motorway is what to do when things go wrong. Drive on the motorway for long enough, and you are sure to come across an accident or a problem of some sort.
Perhaps its winter and the roads are especially slippery, or it’s raining and your visibility is compromised. It could even be something more dramatic, like a leaking car or tanker dripping oil and necessitating the highway maintenance to get out with their spill kits and granules, protected only be a few traffic cones.
The most important thing to do in such situations is not to come skidding to an immediate halt, as there will be cars behind you that maybe haven’t noticed the issue yet. Rather, you should slow down significantly, put on the emergency lights, and make it known that there is an issue and you are looking for a place to pull over. Then, it is time to make for the hard shoulder if you can.
Doing any of this suddenly and without warning could cause even further troubles, so it is important to keep this in mind.
And this is how you drive on the motorway. It is never without risk, and it can always throw challenges at you. However, this is just the reality that millions of drivers face every day.