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Demands of Freeway Driving
Planning a Route in Advance
Speed and traffic place special demands on freeway driving. You need to be able to make decisions instantaneously. Therefore, unless you're familiar with your route, you should plan your trip in advance. Consult a road map or freeway guide, determine your place of entry and exit on the freeway and approximate distance of travel. It may help to remember the names of a couple of exits prior to the one you'll be getting off; this will allow you to move into the right lane for a safe exit from the freeway.
Plan for the contingency that your exit may be closed due to an collision or construction. You should plan for an alternate route to get to where you're going.
Guide signs are placed on freeways every 1/4 of a mile, and route direction signs 1 or 2 miles before the change of direction or exit. Use these signs to make your freeway driving safe and error-free.
Driving on the freeway also requires working around traffic jams, if your schedule will permit. Avoid early morning or late afternoon rush hours.
Entering the Freeway
Enter the freeway at or near the speed of traffic. (Remember that the maximum speed allowed is 65 mph on most freeways.) Do not stop before merging with freeway traffic unless absolutely necessary. Freeway traffic has the right of way. Stay with the traffic flow.
| Any time you merge with other traffic, you need a gap of
four seconds. That will give both you and the car behind you a two-second following distance. You
need a four-second gap whenever you change lanes, enter a freeway from an entrance lane, or merge
with another road. |
| Don't try to squeeze into a gap that is too small. Leave
yourself a big enough space cushion. |
| Watch for vehicles around you. Use your mirrors and turn
signals. Turn your head to look quickly to the side before changing lanes. Leave three seconds of
space between you and the vehicle ahead. Make sure you can stop safely if you must. |
| If you have to cross several lanes, take them one at a
time. Filter through traffic slowly. If you stop to wait until all lanes are clear, you will tie up
traffic and may cause an collision. |
Common Mistakes Entering From Acceleration Lane
Many inexperienced drivers have a difficult time in judging the speed and distance of vehicular traffic on the freeway while attempting an entry. They'll slow down or even stop before merging into the traffic flow. Such a maneuver is dangerous and likely to result in a rear-ended collision or multicar pileup. You should get up to the speed of the traffic and smoothly merge into the flow.
Entering Directly Onto the Freeway
Sometimes, there's no acceleration lane available to you to merge into the flow of traffic. In such a case, you should accelerate while you're on the on-ramp, look over your shoulder, find a sufficiently longer gap in the traffic and accelerate to blend into the traffic. Always keep four-second following distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you.
Special Situations
Many freeway on-ramps are controlled by timed entrance lights which usually allow one vehicle per green light. The object is to avoid having too many cars getting on the freeway at the same time and causing traffic jams.
Double merge lanes are provided to give slower moving vehicles more time to get up to the speed of freeway traffic. Many freeway ramps also have diamond lanes designed to provide multi-passenger cars faster access to the freeway; they do not have to stop at the entrance lights. If you're the only person in the car, do not use these lanes. The fine is too stiff.
Leaving the Freeway
When you plan to exit the freeway, make sure to give yourself plenty of time. You should know the freeway exit you want as well as the one that comes before it.
To exit safely, you should:
| Change lanes one at a time until you are in the proper
lane for either a right hand or left hand exit from the freeway. |
| Signal you intention to exit–approximately five seconds. |
| Be sure you are at the proper speed for leaving the traffic lane–not too fast (so you won't lose control) and not too slow (so the flow of traffic can still move freely). |
Exit Lanes
Deceleration lanes on the freeways allow drivers to reduce speed prior to exiting without endangering traffic to the rear. Signal your intention to make lane change at least 100 ft. in advance. Slow down gradually, and when you're sure it's safe and clear, move over to the far right lane and proceed to exit.
If you see a driver trying to get into the deceleration lane ahead, slow down and give space to the driver to get into the lane.
While making the exit, follow the posted speed limit signs. Many engineering hours have gone into determining the safe speed at which you should exit. Some of the off-ramps have extreme curves. If you're driving too fast, you're likely to lose control of the vehicle and hit the ramp or another vehicle.
Choosing Lanes of Travel
On a two-lane freeway, right lane is reserved for slow-moving vehicles or those getting ready to exit. Left lanes are used for faster driving or passing.
On a three-lane freeway, use the center lane for smoother travel, or to pass a slow-moving vehicle on the right.
When approaching an interchange, move over to the left of the merging lane; you'll avoid merging conflicts.
Speed Limits
The maximum speed limit is 55 mph except in areas where there's a posted sign indicating 65 mph. Remember, you may not drive faster than the posted or maximum speed limit, even if you think it's safe to do so.
Adjusting Speed
California's "Basic Speed Law" says that you must never drive faster than is safe for the current conditions. No matter what the speed limit sign may say your speed should depend on:
| The number, and speed, of other cars on the road. |
| Whether the road surface is smooth, rough, graveled, wet, dry, wide, or narrow. |
| Bicyclists, or pedestrians walking on the edge of the road. |
| The amount of rain, fog, snow, ice, wind, or dust. |
Slow driving is just as dangerous as fast driving. You'll be impeding the smooth flow of traffic, forcing the drivers behind you to make lane changes and increase chances of collisions.
Making a Safe Lane Change
Before making a lane change, get the "big picture." Look ahead of you, to your side and to your rear. Check you rearview and side view mirrors, and look over your shoulder to the left or right before making the lane change. It is dangerous to rely just on your mirrors; always turn you head to see if another vehicle has moved up to your side in your blind spot.
Indicate your intention to make the lane change at least 5 seconds in advance. If you have to cross several lanes, take them one at a time. Drive at least 100 ft. in the lane you have moved into before making the next lane change. Maintain your speed with the flow of traffic; slowing down or stopping will increase chances of an collision.
Time Margins for Freeway Conditions
When another driver makes a mistake, you need time to react. You can give yourself this time by keeping enough space between your car and the vehicles around you. Keep a "space cushion" on all sides of your car. It will give you space to brake or maneuver if you need it. The white area in this picture illustrates the area around the car that should be empty whenever possible.
Keep A Cushion Ahead
Many driver don't see as well as they should because they follow too closely, and the vehicle ahead blocks their view of the road.
Good drivers keep a safe following distance so they can see better. The more space they allow between their car and the car ahead, the more time they will have to see a hazard or collision down the road. They will have more time to stop, or to avoid the hazard.
Keep enough space between your car and the car ahead so that you will have "a bigger picture" of what lies down the road and steering will be easier. You can travel in the center of the lane instead of hugging one side or the other to let you see.
Most rear end collisions are caused by following too closely. To avoid this, use the "three-second rule." When the vehicle ahead of you passes a certain point, such as a sign, count "one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three." This takes about three seconds. If you pass the same point before you finish counting, you are following too closely. At faster speeds the distance should be greater.
Sometimes you will need more than a "three-second" cushion. Give yourself a "four-second or more" cushion:
| When you are crowded by a tailgater. You should allow
extra room between your car and the car ahead. Then, if you need to slow down you can do so
gradually. You will be able to avoid braking suddenly - and being hit from behind by the tailgater! |
| On slippery roads. If the car ahead should slow or stop,
you will need more distance to stop your car. |
| When following motorcycles. If the motorcycle falls,
you'll have to avoid hitting the rider. Motorcycles fall more often on wet or icy roads, on metal
surfaces such as bridge grating or railroad tracks, and on gravel. |
| When the driver behind you wants to pass. Slow down to
allow room in front of your car so the driver will have space to move into. |
| When you are pulling a trailer or carrying a heavy load.
The extra weight makes it harder to stop. |
| When following large vehicles that block your view ahead.
You need the extra room to see around the vehicle and to the sides. |
| When merging on a freeway. |
When you follow too closely and another driver "cuts" in front of you, normal reaction is to slam on your brakes and swerve out of the way. Swerving out of the way most often results in cutting someone else off or possibly driving off the roadway. It might also result in the car behind you crashing into you or other cars around you.
If another driver "cuts" in front of you, it would be better if you just take your foot off the gas. This will give you space between your car and the other driver without swerving into another lane. Don't overreact if your are cut off. Plan your emergency escape route before emergency happens.
Keep a Cushion to the Side
Keep a cushion on each side of your car.
| Don't drive in the blind spot of another driver. The other
driver may not see your car and could change lanes and hit you. |
| Avoid driving alongside other cars. Someone may crowd your
lane or try to change lanes and pull into you. Move ahead of the other car or drop back. |
| If possible, make room for vehicles entering freeway even
though you have the right-of-way. |
| At freeway exits, don't drive alongside other cars. A driver on the freeway may pull off suddenly or a driver leaving may swerve back on. |
Keep A Cushion Behind
Watch for tailgaters! If one is following you, be careful! Brake slowly before stopping. Tap your brake lightly a few times to warn the tailgater before you slow down. Your brake lights will flash.
"Lose" the tailgater as soon as you can by changing lanes. If you can't change lanes, slow down enough to encourage the tailgater to go around you. If this does not work, pull off the road when it is safe and let the tailgater pass.
Helping Other Drivers Enter or Exit
To allow traffic entering the freeway a safe merger, move over to the lane next to the merging lane. You should also slow down a bit to give the merging vehicle sufficient space.
Freeway Emergencies
If you see an emergency ahead of you (an collision or a stalled vehicle), slow down, tap your brake lightly a few times to warn drivers following you to be ready to stop. There may be an emergency ahead, or simply too much traffic. If you have to pull over to the side of the freeway due to an emergency, turn on your hazard lights.
Breakdowns
In case of a car problem or breakdown, slow down, turn the signal on for at least 5 seconds and pull over to the shoulder. Turn on your four-flashers to warn other drivers of the emergency. If you have flares or triangular warning devices, place them 200 to 300 feet behind your car.
Reentering the Freeway
Before entering the freeway, signal for at least 5 seconds, look over your shoulder, wait for a gap in the traffic, accelerate on the shoulder if possible and then merge into the flow when it's safe to do so.
Special Freeway Problems
Many of us unconsciously go too fast on the freeway because we're looking straight ahead, lost in thoughts or mesmerized by the empty road. Make a habit of looking at the speedometer every few seconds. Reduce your speed gradually. Slamming on the brakes may cause rear-end collisions or force other drivers behind you to swerve into other lanes. While driving long distances, fatigue and drowsiness is a common problem. Open the window and take in cool fresh air. Or, get off the freeway to take a break.
Toll Booths
If there's a toll booth ahead, you'll be warned by posted signs. Slow down and be ready to stop. There may be special lanes designated for special vehicles, such as trucks, those with exact change, etc.
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