Guidelines for motorway

24 May 2004: The Institute of Advanced Motorists has issued guidelines to make motorway driving safer and less tiring.

Use the slip road to accelerate to a speed that matches the flow in the left-hand lane.

Maintain a safe following distance (two seconds between you and the vehicle in front is the minimum safety gap) and exercise good lane discipline.

Look much further ahead than usual and use your mirrors early and regularly.

Take extra care when over-taking large goods vehicles in heavy rain or high crosswinds.

Always signal in good time before you change lanes and remember, a signal is an indication of an intention, it doesn't give the right to carry out the manoeuvre unless it's safe. Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre.

Only overtake on the right, unless traffic is moving slowly in queues on your right. In these circumstances you can overtake on the left to keep up with the traffic in your lane.

Take a twenty-minute break from driving every two hours, even if you don't feel tired. Some exercise and light refreshments during the break can help too.

If you break down, stop on the hard shoulder and use the nearest emergency telephone to contact the Gardai. Don't stop on the hard shoulder unless it's an emergency.

Move to the left-hand lane in good time when preparing to leave a motorway. Be careful not to underestimate your speed when approaching the end of an exit slip road.

©2004 irishcar.com