User Guide
Freeway Driving
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways,
expressways, turnpikes or superhighways) are the safest
of
all
roads. But they have their own special rules.
The most important advice
on
freeway driving is: Keep
up with traffic and keep
to
the right. Drive at the same
speed most
of
the other drivers are driving. Too-fast or
too-slow driving breaks
a
smooth traffic flow. Treat the
left lane
on
a
freeway
as
a
passing lane.
At the entrance, there is usually
a
ramp that leads
to
the
freeway.
If
you have
a
clear view of the freeway
as
you
drive along the entrance ramp,
you
should begin
to
check traffic. Try
to
determine where you expect to
blend
with
the
flow.
Try
to
merge into the gap at close
to
the prevailing speed. Switch
on
your turn signal, check
your mirrors and glance over your shoulder as often
as
necessary. Try to blend smoothly with the traffic flow.
Once
you
are on the freeway, adjust your speed
to
the
posted limit or to the prevailing rate
if
it’s slower. Stay
in the right lane unless
you
want
to
pass.
Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use
your turn signal.
Just
before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your
shoulder
to
make sure there
isn’t
another vehicle in your
“blind” spot.
Once you are moving
on
the freeway, make certain
you
allow
a
reasonable following distance. Expect
to
move
slightly slower
at
night.
When
you
want to leave the freeway, move
to
the proper
lane well
in
advance.
If
you
miss
your exit, do not,
under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive
on
to
the next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
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