Changing Lanes on busy highway-Driving tips for new teenage Driver?

Question

any tips--strategies to give new driver about safe lane changes...blind spots, tips for judging distance and speed of other cars etc....any rule of thumb advice
to use for lane changing on fast moving, congested multi lane highway

Answer 1

go to a driving school before you kill someone

Answer 2

Every time you change a lane on a highway it is a much higher risk factor.The best thing to do it to maintain an even, steady speed and never change a lane just because you see traffic in the next lane moving even a little bit faster. Almost always when people do that the faster lane they just moved into slows down and the lane they left speeds up and they would have been better off not changing lanes in the first place. When I drive I make it a rule to change lanes only very rarely; I can make an entire trip and never change lanes once. But I have seen people who drive like maniacs who never stay in the same lane for more than a second or two, cutting in and out of traffic and going from the extreme right lane to the extreme right lane and back again, constantly, sometimes cutting in front of or behind cars with less than a car length separating them, and this at speeds of 50 miles an hour. People who drive like this should have their licenses revoked and be thrown in jail for a very long time.

Unfortunately, with all the road pigs out there, if you try to leave proper following distance between yourself and the car ahead of you (which is a very big space actually) three or four cars will immediately jump into it.

What I do, if I am in the right hand lane and someone comes right up onto my bumper, is to simply take my foot off the gas, tap the brakes lightly once, and coast to a stop if need be until the person gets the message, Tailgating is really threatening someone's life with a dangerous weapon.

Answer 3

A few things:
"Only a fool breaks the two second rule" one of the worse things about driving in N America is that people refuse to sit back behind other cars and it causes SO many accidents. Count a full 2 seconds between you and the car in front when passing a land mark or a point in the road. If you are closer than two seconds, you are too close.

The other thing I don't like about driving in N America is that their doesn't seem to be much 'lane control' i.e. you drive in lane 1 unless you need to over overtake, then you use the other lanes. Don't sit out there in the other lanes doing nothing.

Remember you are driving at speed, things happen a lot quicker than on side roads. Look ahead of the traffic, not just the car in front. if you know whats going on 10 cars ahead, you will be much better prepared to act on it safely and before others

When changing lanes always mirror, glance over, signal and mirror and glance again - That should cover your blind spot problem.

When joingin a highway, or any road with a slip road/on ramp, build up your speed to that of the taffic on the highway (if that means gunning it, then so be it). You can then make minor speed changes to adjust by just lifting or lowering your right foot from the gas.

If you need to build up confidence, go out late at night or early in the morning when you can get a feel for the speed and handling of the car.

Good Luck! Stay calm and enjoy yourself! Try and keep up with the flow of traffic and don't let anyone pressure you in to going faster or moving when you don't want too.

Answer 4

Always signal before the lane change,
to the left the mirror should be good to the the right a quick glance over the shoulder.
Keep up the speed with the traffic.
Keep a safe following distance ,3 second rule
The car in front say goes by a stationary object ,you should be able to count to three before you go by the same object.

Answer 5

Stay where you are and turn off the computer, you should be concentrating on your driving. The ideas above were good, I would add that "Head Check" is a rapid glance. If you turn to look, you will miss the fact that the guy in front just stopped. Make sure all your mirrors are adjusted correctly. My Dad's advice to me was "Before you put the key in the ignition, always pull your head out of your @ss first!" Dad was kind of crude.Turn off your cell phone, even people that have been driving for years can't talk and drive at the same time. Good luck and safe driving.

Answer 6

Scary isn't it? First and most important allow two seconds of space in front and speed up to the flow of the other lane and Signal merge over. Next important always look at mirrors and turn your head to glance twice for car in the blind spot. Tendency is to slow down while looking around don't this backs up cars that will be trying to get around and chain reaction middle finger waving honking. Have A parent drive you around and watch. Remember the first 100 hours of driving is very dangerious so no distractions like young friends and cell phone calls.

Answer 7

Here's a don't:

DON'T slow down when you change lanes to the left. My mother is a very timid driver so she slows down when she changes lanes no matter which direction she's going in. This confuses drivers and makes the lane change more dangerous.

If you're heading left speed up, if you're heading right it's OK to slow down.

Answer 8

Take advantage of ALL car mirrors and do a "head check" (over your left shoulder), mirrors are very important, use signals to show all other drivers of your intentions from right lane to left lane and back to right lane. Do not pull back into right lane until you can see the bumper of the car you just passed in your rear view mirror (that's the onee on your windshield)...Be safe....

Answer 9

Sure, I was a truck driver for 2 years and have a lot of experience with driving.

The #1 most important rule that should always be followed is:

Be aware of your surroundings.

Can't stress that enough. One of the things with truck driving is we have so many blind spots when you're up in the cab of a rig, and you lose track of cars. What we do is we always look in our mirrors at least 1 time every 5 seconds. Sounds like it's a lot, but it is not, and it becomes habbit. If I see a car behind my truck, I will remember what color it is. If I no longer see that car, I can assume it is in one of my blind spots and not change lanes until I see it again and it is out of my way.

The same goes for driving a car. Always check your mirrors and know what is around you and where they are.

#2 though, is don't always rely on your mirrors :P

I know, odd, right? Well it's not. When you are considering changing lanes, use the info I gave you in #1, but also PHYSICALLY TURN YOUR HEAD to the left (in the usa) and look out your windows at the opposite lane. There might be a car in your blind spot that you cannot see in your mirrors and did not notice before.

When entering a highway, try and get up to the normal traffic speed before merging. If the ramp is not long enough, or is curved and you cannot speed up on the ramp itself, in most cases there will be a merge lane where you can get up enough speed to safely get over into the normal lane.

While on the highway, do not drive over the speedlimit, and more importantly, do not drive way below the speedlimit. Most highways will have a minimum of 45 miles per hour, but if everyone else is doing 65 - 75, and you are doing 45, you're likely to cause an accident, so get comfortable with driving at higher speeds, quickly.

Always have an out. -
There will be a time when you will have to go around someone quickly. Always be aware of your surroundings and look for possible escape routes if needed. Know ahead of time that if something happens to the car in front of you, you will be able to go around to the left or right, quickly and safely.

Keep a 4 second space between you and the car in front of you -
When driving, your reactions to situations are not as fast as you think they are. A car that is only 2 car lengths in front of you slams on his brakes, you will more than likely run into him. Pick a spot off on the side of the road ahead of you, like a sign. When the car in front of you passes the sign, start counting... 1 one thousand, 2 one thousand...etc, and when you hit 4, you should just be passing the sign.

During icy or rainy conditions, slow down quite a bit. Driving fast in the conditions will cause an accident.

At night, do not overdrive your headlights. What this means is, you should drive at a speed that allows you to stop in the amount of space that your headlights show in front of you. For example, if it is pitch black and you spot a stopped car in front of you, you should be able to slow down or go around him in enough time. If you are going too fast, by the time you see him it will be too late to slow down.

Hope this info helps :)

****EDIT****

I have to disagree highly with freedomhammers advice on tailgaters.

I have taken many defensive driving courses, and the biggest thing they teach us is NOT to do exactly what he advises. When someone is following closely to you, simply maintain your speed and wait for him or her to pass. DO NOT slow down or tap your breaks as this will just anger the person behind you and could cause a bad case of road rage to ensue. Do not wave or aknowledge anyone who is behaving in this matter, in fact, act as if they're not there and let them go by you. Starting a fight between you and another driver is by no means a safe thing to do.

Answer 10

im always nervous on motorways but as long as you remember you training ie looking into your blind spot over ya shoulder after checking mirrors,plus its pretty wise to have an experianced driver with you.good luck!

Answer 11

Use turn signals, check your mirrors, look over your shoulder, don't talk on your cell phone.