Quevuelvanloslentos Auto Centre

For young people who’ve just passed their driving test it can sometimes feel like they missed something in the lessons. Something fairly important when it comes to the young persons car insurance you’ve bought – something that if done wrong, could see the premiums skyrocket even beyond the increased rates young people pay.

After all, they never taught you how to drive safely on the motorway.

Luckily though, young persons car insurance is unlikely to be at much risk despite the initial fear the high-speed, busy motorways of the UK can create in a new driver. In fact, the Association of British Drivers believes motorways to be safest roads in the UK.

This is because although there are large numbers of cars on the road, they are all travelling in one direction, there are no pedestrians and there remains an established system for entering and exiting – and for the most part, it works well. Although a crash on the motorway can be dangerous, it is statistically far less likely to happen - the majority of accidents in the UK are shunts, bumps and minor collisions and these commonly occur when starting or stopping the vehicle. Many of the claims made for young persons car insurance are due to misjudging parking spaces, starting too quickly at traffic lights or decelerating too slowly when a vehicle in front stops. All of this takes place in the congestion of the UK’s urban areas, not on the motorway.

Still, there are tips that you should bear in mind when driving on the motorway that will make the safest roads in the UK even safer.

1. Making proper use of the lane system is the key to staying safe on the motorway. All traffic should remain in the left hand lane, unless overtaking – the other two lanes should only be used for this purpose. In fact, until you get used to the extra speed it’s a bad idea to enter those lanes at all. Some drivers, particularly those with cruise control, use the other lanes for normal driving – this is dangerous for several reasons. People may be forced to undertake you, an extremely dangerous operation and even if they sit behind you they are likely to grow irritated with you taking up the middle or right hand lane. Anger on the road is always a bad idea, for both the target and the individual.

2. When moving between lanes, you should always check your mirrors and judge how fast other traffic is coming. If you can go faster than the car in front you should move to the right hand lanes – but make sure you know how fast those lanes of traffic are moving. If there’s space, then put your indicators on and signal that you plan to change lanes. You should always signal, or other drivers may be taken by surprise when you appear in front of them.

3. Remember that there are two types of motorways in the UK – rural and urban. Unlike the major M roads that connect the nation, smaller off-roads are often unlit at night and offer much more varied terrain. It’s a good idea to be prepared for obstacles just over the rise of a hill and to practice switching between fog-lights and standard lights. On urban motorway routes, you need to be paying attention to the traffic all around you; on rural roads, you’re better off concentrating on what’s directly in front.

4. Stay alert; this may sound obvious, but once you’ve got over your initial hesitation, its easy to zone out on the motorway. When traffic is moving at a steady pace, many people start to lose concentration on the motorway. Distracted by the monotony of a long journey, mobile phones or passenger conversation, many drivers are less than alert. Some times the more irresponsible will even change lanes without looking properly – if you’re alert, you won’t make the same mistakes, and you may be able to avoid an accident that someone else’s inattention could cause.

5. Pay attention to the weather; whilst generally not a huge problem, heavy rain should alter your driving style on the motorway. At the high speeds you can travel on these roads, braking distance should always be a consideration in how you drive. If it has rained recently, the surface may be wet and you may skid if you brake suddenly. If it is currently raining you should remember that all the drivers on the road will suffer from visibility problems, and you should reduce speed and drive more conservatively accordingly. One thing you may not have considered is that due to their open nature, crosswinds can affect cars on the motorway much more than in urban areas. It’s not uncommon for a sudden gust to slightly knock your steering to one side or another in high wind conditions. This is rarely severe, but may take you by surprise.

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