Careful observation of signs, signals and roadway markings is especially critical when you drive on the freeways where traffic speed is, of course, much faster. Safe travel requires you to take additional care. Speed limit signs and laws are easy to understand; yet speeding violations are a disproportionately large percentage of total citations. Virginia prohibits operation of a vehicle at a speed greater than is safe under prevailing traffic and road conditions, regardless of the posted speed limit. Abiding by this law should serve as the central principle in the formation of your good driving habits.

Highways

The United States has one of the most advanced roadway systems in the world. These roads, called highways and freeways, connect cities across the country. Their special design separates traffic and eliminates intersections, pedestrians and slower vehicles.

The sustained high speeds of these roads generates heat, which stresses the mechanical parts of your car. Preventive maintenance is therefore essential to avoiding costly and hazardous freeway breakdowns.

Particular attention should be paid to your tire pressure. Tires should always be inflated to the maximum pressure indicated on the sides of the tire wall. Coolant level and the condition of the hoses and belts in your engine should also be checked regularly.

Freeway Driving

Since freeway entrances and exits are often far apart, planning your route in advance is important. Be sure to carefully map your route before beginning your trip. Learn the names, highway numbers and direction of all roads you plan to take. Make sure you know the names of the exits that come immediately before the exit you plan to take.

When entering a freeway, make sure that the road or ramp you have selected is an entrance ramp. "DO NOT ENTER" and "WRONG WAY" signs often warn that such a road is an exit ramp.

Although freeways are among the nation's safest roads, they do require special skills. Although modern freeways have far fewer accidents than surface streets, the collisions that do occur on them are generally more severe due to higher speeds. These higher speeds and increased traffic volumes often require drivers to make complex, split-second decisions at critical moments.

As soon as you enter a freeway entrance ramp, you should begin to check traffic. This is best accomplished with quick glances over your shoulder and at the side mirror to find a gap in the traffic. To alert the drivers on the freeway of your intention to merge, use your turn signals until you have successfully completed your merge.

The two most common mistakes when entering the freeway are:

• Suddenly slowing or stopping.
• Merging at too slow a speed.

Always anticipate the actions of the vehicle ahead. It may suddenly slow or stop. Always allow plenty of space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.

On some freeways, there is almost no entrance or acceleration lane. The ramp takes you directly onto the freeway. Signs may be posted for you to yield; in this case, you will have to wait for a longer gap and accelerate quickly in order to merge successfully.

When driving in the right lane of the freeway, you may notice drivers attempting to enter the freeway. Help them by adjusting your speed and moving to the next lane. This will create a gap for them to safely move onto the freeway.

Once on the freeway, choose the legal speed that matches the speed of traffic and is suitable for visibility, traffic, and road conditions.

When you go faster or slower than other traffic on the freeway, you increase your chances of having an accident.

Choosing a Lane

On a two-lane freeway, use the right lane as a cruising lane and the left lane as a passing lane. On a three-lane freeway, use the right lane as a slower lane, the middle lane as a cruising lane, and the left lane as a passing lane.

When changing lanes, make sure that it is safe, and that the drivers around you are not about to change lanes.

At freeway speeds, fast-moving vehicles from the rear can quickly enter your blind spot. Before moving into another lane, signal your movements in advance, and avoid any sudden moves that could startle the drivers near you.

Check your side and rearview mirrors. Glance over your shoulder in the direction of the lane change you wish to make.

Avoid reducing speed during lane changes since this can create a hazard for other drivers by forcing the driver in the lane next to you to brake.

In order to avoid last-minute moves, you should anticipate hazards to come. To do this, look down the road 10 to 15 seconds ahead of your vehicle, instead of constantly staring at the road just in front of your car. On the highway, 10 to 15 seconds is about a quarter of a mile.

Special turnout areas are sometimes marked on two-lane roads. If necessary, you may pull to the side in these areas and allow cars behind you to pass.

Carpool Lanes and Controlled On-Ramps

Carpooling and riding buses are good ways to save fuel, reduce the number of vehicles on our highways, and reduce pollution.

Some freeways have special lanes and on-ramps for carpools and other High Occupancy Vehicles (HOVs). Using a carpool or HOV lane requires a minimum of 2 or 3 people in a vehicle, including the driver, depending on how the lane is marked.

Signs at the on-ramp or along the freeway tell you the number of people per vehicle required in order to use that lane, as well as the days and hours that the requirement applies.

The pavement of these lanes is usually marked with a diamond shape and the word "HOV." Some freeways may have a special lane for buses only, or that lane may be for both buses and carpools. A bus-only lane will also be marked by the diamond symbol.

Never cross a set of double lines to enter or exit any carpool or HOV lane.

Changing Lanes

Whenever you change lanes, check behind you to make sure you are not getting in the way of cars in that lane.

Changing lanes includes:

• Changing from one lane to another.
• Entering the freeway from an on-ramp.
• Entering the road from a curb or shoulder.

Before changing lanes, always check traffic behind and beside you by:

• Checking all mirrors.
• Glancing over your left or right shoulder to make sure the lane you want is clear. If you use only your left or inside rearview mirrors when looking for cars, you may not see vehicles near the rear of your car because of a "blind spot."
• Always check traffic to the sides quickly. Do not take your eyes off the road ahead for more than an instant. Check for other cars with their turn signals on. Someone in another lane may plan to move into the same spot you want.

When you must slow down suddenly, take a quick glance in your mirrors.

You should also check your mirrors when you are preparing to turn into a side road or driveway, and when you are stopping to pull into a parking space.

"Gimme a brake, gimme a brake..!"

A good tune-up influences high engine power and car acceleration, but well maintained brakes are essential to safe driving. It does not mean you have to use your brakes every time you need to slow down or to avoid a collision, but properly working brakes will help you do this more efficiently.

Drivers, however, can keep brakes in good condition with professional intervention. Simple rules of safe braking can help you save mechanical parts and money.

First, do not use brakes too often. It increases wear on your pads, shoes, discs and drums. Breaking distance depends on your reaction time and actual braking time, which consists of pedal free movement, brake engagement time, and stopping time.

Excessive mechanical wearing out will increase brake engagement time and stopping time, and it may increase your braking distance by feet or even just inches -- it could be the same few inches you need to avoid a collision.

Second, do not apply brakes excessively. If there is no ABS installed on your car, wheels could easily be locked, resulting in a significant increase in stopping time.

And third, do not brake on uneven pavement if you have worn out shock absorbers: it will produce uneven thickness of discs, or ellipsoidal shape of the internal surface of the drums, making your next braking attempts inefficient. It is better to apply the brakes more forcefully before a pothole. If you need to break on uneven pavement anyway, do so as mildly as you can.

Approximate Stopping Distances

Reaction Distance is the distance the car travels in the three-quarters of a second that it takes for a driver to react to a problem and apply the brakes.

Braking Distance is the distance traveled from the time the brakes are first applied to the time the car comes to a complete stop.

Stopping Distance is the total distance it takes to stop the vehicle from the moment the driver sees a problem to the time the car is stopped completely.

Reaction Distance + Braking Distance
= Stopping Distance.

These are approximate distances for an average passenger car with good brakes in good conditions on dry concrete:

Remember:

It takes much more distance to slow down from 70 MPH to 50 MPH than it does to go from 50 MPH to a complete stop.

Maintaining a Cushion Ahead

Many drivers 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 accident down the road. They will have more time to stop, or to avoid the hazard.

Steering will be easier if you have a "big picture" of your intended path of travel. Keep enough space between your car and the car in front of you, so that it does not block your view. Driving in the center of the lane, instead of hugging one side or the other, improves your view of the roadway.

Following too closely causes most rear-end accidents. 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 in this situations:

• When a tailgater crowds you, 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 will have to avoid hitting the rider. Motorcycles fall more often on wet or icy roads, on metal surfaces such as bridge gratings 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 will need the extra room four seconds gives you to see around the vehicle and to the sides.
• When you are stopped in traffic on a hill, the vehicle ahead may roll back into your car when it starts moving.
• When you see a bus, school bus, or vehicle carrying flammables. These vehicles must stop at railroad crossings. Expect the stops, slow down early to allow plenty of room.
• When merging on a freeway.

When you follow too closely and another driver cuts in front of you, the 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, just take your foot off the gas. This will give you space between your car and the other car, so that you can avoid swerving into another lane.

Don’t overreact if you are cut off.

Plan your emergency escape route before
an emergency happens.

Keep A Cushion to the Side

Keep a space 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 on multilane streets. Someone may crowd your lane or change lanes directly into your car. Move ahead of the other car or drop back.
• Keep as much space as you can between yourself and oncoming traffic. On multilane streets, stay out of the lane next to the center line, if you can. That way you will have more room to avoid an oncoming car that suddenly swerves toward you. This is very important at intersections where another driver could turn left without giving a signal. If possible, make room for vehicles entering freeways 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 space between yourself and parked cars. Someone may step out from between them, a car door may open, or a car may start to pull out suddenly.
• Be careful when riding near bicycles. A bicycle rider could be seriously hurt in an accident. Always leave plenty of room between your car and any bicycle, and watch carefully for bicycles before turning.

Keep A Cushion Behind You

Watch for tailgaters!

If someone is following you too closely, be careful. Tap your brake lightly a few times to warn the tailgater of your slowing down, which will flash your brake lights as a warning. Brake slowly before stopping.

Lose the tailgater as soon as you can by changing lanes. If you cannot 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.

Splitting the Difference

Sometimes there will be dangers on both sides of the road. For example, there may be parked cars to the right and oncoming cars to the left. In this case, the best thing to do is "split the difference." Steer a middle course between the oncoming cars and the parked cars.

If one danger is greater than the other, give the most room to the greatest danger. Suppose there are oncoming cars to the left of you and a child on a bike to the right. The child is most likely to make a sudden move. Therefore, give him or her a lot of room, which may mean moving closer to the oncoming cars.

Allow A Cushion for Problem Drivers

Give extra room to certain types of road users:

• Drivers who cannot see you. Someone who cannot see you may enter your path without knowing you are there.
  People who have trouble seeing you include:
  • Drivers at intersections or driveways whose view is blocked by buildings, trees, or other cars.
  • Drivers backing out of driveways or parking spaces.
  • Drivers whose windows are covered with snow or ice.
• Pedestrians with umbrellas in front of their faces or hats pulled down over their eyes.
• People who are distracted. Even when others can see you, allow extra room if you think they may be distracted.
  People who may be distracted include:
  • Delivery persons.
  • Construction workers.
  • Children – they may run into the street without looking.
  • Drivers or people who are talking to each other, taking care of children, or looking at maps.
• People who may be confused. A person who is confused is very likely to make a move without looking.
  People who may be confused include:
  • Tourists, particularly at complicated intersections.
  • Drivers who slow down for what seems to be no apparent reason.
  • Drivers looking for a house number.
• Drivers in trouble. If another driver makes a mistake, do what you can to help.
  Drivers who need help include:
  • Drivers who pass you as you approach a curve or an oncoming car.
  • A driver who is about to be forced into your lane by a vehicle, a pedestrian, a bicyclist, an obstruction, or fewer lanes ahead.