CHAPTER 16 EXPRESSWAYS

CHAPTER 1616.1 CHARACTERISTICS OF EXPRESSWAY DRIVING16.2 ENTERING AN EXPRESSWAY16.3 STRATEGIES FOR DRIVING ON EXPRESSWAYS16.4 EXITING EXPRESSWAYS16.5 SPECIAL EXPRESSWAY PROBLEMS

ADVANTAGES OF EXPRESSWAYS

FEWER COLLISIONS BECAUSE:1. NO CROSS TRAFFIC

2. MEDIAN OR BARRIER

FEWER COLLISIONS BECAUSE:SIGNS HELP DRIVERS

ANTICIPATE

WIDE SHOULDERS

WIDE UNDERPASSES

FEWER COLLISIONS BECAUSE:

NON MOTORIZED VEHICLES NOT ALLOWED

TYPES OF INTERCHANGES

CLOVERLEAFDIAMOND

TRUMPET ALL DIRECTIONAL

SAFE DRIVING STRATEGIES

PREPARING YOURSELF AND YOUR VEHICLE

SAFE DRIVING STRATEGIES

BUILD EXPERIENCE GRADUALLY

SAFE DRIVING STRATEGIES

CONCENTRATE ON DRIVING TASK

SAFE DRIVING STRATEGIES

COOPERATE WITH OTHER DRIVERS

ENTERING AN EXPRESSWAY ENTRANCE RAMP

ACCELERATION LANEMERGING AREA

STEPS FOR ENTERINGMAKE SURE CORRECT ENTRANCE

LOOK AHEAD FOR A GAPACCELERATE GRADUALLY DECIDE WHICH GAP

SMOOTH LANE CHANGE AT PROPER SPEED!CANCEL SIGNAL AND ADJUST

PROBLEMS WHILE ENTERING

DRIVER BACKING UP ON ENTRANCE RAMP

PROBLEMS WHILE ENTERING

SIGNALS AND LIGHTS ON RAMP

DESIGNED TO CONTROL THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC ENTERING

EXPRESSWAY

PROBLEMS WHILE ENTERING RUSH HOUR: LARGE NUMBER

OF VEHICLES ENTERINGMAKE AN EFFORT TO ENTER

WITHOUT STOPPING

IF YOU CANNOT ENTER TRAFFIC AND MUST STOP

FLASH BRAKE LIGHTS EARLYPULL ONTO SHOULDER AT END OF ACCELERATION LANEWAIT FOR A LARGE SAFE GAPSIGNAL AND ACCELERATE QUICKLY TO JOIN TRAFFIC

FLOW

MERGING PROBLEMS•YOU MAY HAVE TO ACCELERATE OR BRAKE QUICKLY TO FIT INTO A GAP•BE PREPARED TO SELECT ANOTHER GAP IF YOUR CLOSES QUICKLY

LEFT SIDE ENTRANCE RAMPSSINCE THE LEFT LANE IS USUALLY THE HIGH SPEED LANE, IF ENTERING FROM THE LEFT BE PREPARED FOR FASTER TRAFFIC AND QUICKER LANE CHANGE.

STRATEGIES FOR DRIVING AN EXPRESSWAYS

IDENTIFY:VOLUME OF TRAFFIC SIGNS AND SIGNALSROADWAY MARKINGSCLOSED AND OPEN ZONESNEVER ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE TRAPPED!

STRATEGIES FOR DRIVING AN

EXPRESSWAYS

PREDICT:SUDDEN CHANGES IN SPEED AHEADDRIVERS CHANGING LANES QUICKLYPOINTS OF CONFLICTPARKED VEHICLES ENTERING QUICKLY

STRATEGIES FOR DRIVING ON EXPRESSWAYS

DECIDE:FASTER DRIVING MEANS QUICKER DECISIONOPEN ZONES VARY OFTENOPEN ZONES CLOSE QUICKLY

STRATEGIES FOR DRIVING AN EXPRESSWAYS

EXECUTE:EXECUTE SMOOTH DECISIONSAVOID SUDDEN MOVESSIGNAL EARLYMAINTAIN SAFE FOLLOWING DISTANCE

LANE CHOICE

LARGE VEHICLES AND TRUCKS REQUIRED TO DRIVE IN RIGHT LANESLET TRAFFIC DICTATE WHICH LANE TO USELEFT LANE IS FOR PASSINGCENTER LANE IS FOR CRUISINGRIGHT LANE IS FOR EXITING AND ENTERING

SIGNALS, SIGNS, AND ROADWAY MARKINGS

KNOW YOUR DESTINATIONREAD SIGNS AND ROADWAY MARKINGSALWAYS THINK AHEAD

SPEED LIMITS•MINIMUM SPEED LIMIT: KEEPS TRAFFIC FROM MOVING TOO SLOWLY•COMMON SPEED: THE SPEED USED BY MOST DRIVERS•WOLF PACKS: BUNCHES OF VEHICLES MOVING TOGETHER

FOLLOWING DISTANCE

INCREASE YOUR FOLLOWING DISTANCE TO AT LEAST 4 SECONDS WHEN CONDITIONS ARE LESS THAN IDEAL•BEING TAILGATED•DRIVING A HEAVY VEHICLE OR PULLING A TRAILER•OPERATING A MOTORCYCLE•ENTERING OR EXITING

• FOLLOWING A MOTORCYCLE

• BAD WEATHER OR ROAD CONDITIONS

• FOLLOWING LARGE VEHICLE

BLIND SPOTS

CHECK OFTEN FOR CARS THAT MAY BE PREPARING TO PASS YOU

LANE CHANGING

CHANGE ONE LANE AT A TIME, SIGNAL EACH ONECHECK MIRRORS AND BLIND SPOTWHEN CLEAR, ACCELERATE GENTLY AND MOVECANCEL SIGNAL

PASSING A SLOWER VEHICLEUSE SIGNALS AND CONSTANTLY CHECK TRAFFIC WHILE CHANGING LANESREMEMBER YOU MUST BE ABLE TO SEE HEADLIGHTS OF VEHICLE IN REAR VIEW MIRROR BEFORE MOVING IN FRONT OF THEM

EXITING EXPRESSWAYS

DECELERATION LANELEADS TOEXIT RAMPADJUST TO RAMP SPEED

EXITING PROBLEMSCROSSING PATHSRAMP OVERFLOWSHORT DECELERATION LANE

SPECIAL EXPRESSWAY PROBLEMS

HIGHWAY HYPNOSIS:BEING LULLED INTO AN

INATTENTIVE OR DROWSY STATE.

SPECIAL EXPRESSWAY PROBLEMS

FALL ASLEEP COLLISIONS:SLEEPINESS IS A PREVENTABLE CAUSE OF COLLISIONS

SPECIAL EXPRESSWAY PROBLEMS

VELOCITATION:BEING FOOLED BY HOURS OF DRIVING

INTO BELEIVING THAT YOUR VEHICLE IS TRAVELING SLOWER THAN IT REALLY ISESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AROUND EXIT RAMPS

SPECIAL EXPRESSWAY

PROBLEMS

EXPRESSWAYS THROUGH CITIES:AVOID RUSH HOURS, TRY AND

TAKE ALTERNATE OR BYPASS ROUTES

SPECIAL EXPRESSWAY PROBLEMS

DISABLED VEHICLE:IF PASSING SLOW AND MOVE TO LEFT TO GIVE VEHICLE ROOM

SPECIAL EXPRESSWAY PROBLEMS

DISABLED VEHICLE:IF ITS YOUMAKES SURE YOU HAVE ROOMSIGNAL RIGHTMOVE TO SHOULDER, AS FAR AWAY FROM TRAFFIC AS POSSIBLEGET EVERYONE OUT AND AWAY FROM TRAFFICTURN ON EMERGENCY FLASHERSCALL FOR HELPIF IT IS SAFE, THEN GET EVERYONE BACK INTO VEHICLE AND LOCK ALL DOORSASK ANYONE WHO STOPS TO HELP YOU TO GO CALL FOR HELPDO NOT STAND IN EXPRESSWAY OR IN DIRECT TRAFFIC

SPECIAL EXPRESSWAY PROBLEMS

CONSTRUCTION:BE AWARE OF CONSTRUCTION

AND OBEY POSTED SPEED LIMITS

SPECIAL EXPRESSWAY PROBLEMS

TOLL BOOTHSBE PREPARED TO STOPHAVE PASSENGER HELP WITH MONEY