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Your Driving
and
the Road
make sure there isn't another vehicle in
your ' 'blind'
'
spot.
If you are moving from an outside to a
center lane on a freeway having more
than two lanes, make sure another
vehicle isn't about to move into the
same spot. Look at the vehicles two
lanes over and watch for telltale signs:
turn signals flashing, an increase in
speed, or moving toward the edge of the
lane. Be prepared to delay your move.
Once you are moving on the freeway,
make certain you allow a reasonable
following distance. Expect to move
slightly slower at night.
. . .
166
Leaving the Freeway
When you want to leave the freeway,
move to the proper lane well in
advance. Dashing across lanes at the last
minute is dangerous. If you miss your
exit do not, under any circumstances,
stop and back up. Drive on to the next
exit.
At each exit point is a deceleration lane.
Ideally it should be long enough for you
to enter
it
at freeway speed (after
signaling, of course) and then do your
braking before moving onto the exit
ramp. Unfortunately, not all deceleration
lanes are long enough
-
some are too
short for all the braking. Decide when
to start braking. If you must brake on
the through lane, and if there is traffic
close behind you, you can allow a little
extra time and flash your brake lights (in
addition
to
your turn signal) as extra
warning that you are about to slow
down and exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes
quite sharply. The exit speed is usually
posted. Reduce your speed according to
your speedometer, not to your sense of
motion. After driving for any distance at
higher speeds, you may tend to think
you are going slower than you actually
are. For example, 40 mph (65 km/h)
might seem like only 20 mph (30 km/h).
Obviously, this could lead to serious
trouble on a ramp designed for
20 mph (30 km/h)!
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