If you, like many other people are heading off on holiday this summer, the chances are you will need to drive on the motorway at some point to get to your destination, whether you are staying somewhere in the UK or are heading to the airport to fly abroad for your summer holiday.
When driving on the motorway, it is important that you are aware of the rules of the road and also how to drive safely on these roads, especially during the summer holiday season when there can be a lot of heavy traffic with many people heading off on holiday.
First of all, you need to get on the motorway, so chances are you will need to merge onto it to join the traffic at the junction. When it is busy, this can sometimes be intimidating and remember that those that are already on the motorway have right of way. Use your mirrors to check before you join the motorway and make sure that there is a clear gap and that you are travelling fast enough to not disrupt the flow of traffic or cause a danger.
When you are on the motorway, remember that the speed limit is 70 miles per hour (there are some exceptions to this, for example if you are towing a caravan the limit is 60 miles per hour). If you drive too slowly, you can cause problems and be a danger to other vehicles so be aware that you need to keep up with the flow of traffic whilst driving within the legal limit.
You should be aware of the signs and road markings that you might encounter on the road and what they mean. From vehicles that have chapter 8 chevrons on them to the signage used on smart motorways that help to control the flow of the traffic on the road.
It is also important that you keep a good distance around you. Driving too close to the car in front can be very dangerous as you will not have time to break if you need to and this can cause a nasty accident. In some areas, the motorway will have chevrons on the floor telling you the distance to keep from the car in front of you.