Clearways

Most dual carriageways are clearways (sign is below). 

On roads with the clearway sign you must not stop on the main carriageway except at a lay-by. 

Clearways are designed to allow the free flow of traffic.

Making progress on dual carriageways

Your objective on a dual carriageway is to match the speed of the road just in case you had to overtake a slower moving (cyclist) or a broken down vehicle.

Driving too slow will cause you problems if you are turning right on a dual carriageway on a 'A' road.

Never break the two second rule when driving, identify the slower moving vehicle in front of you and plan to over take safely by always knowing what is in front, behind you and whats is overtaking you.

Before changing lanes or overtaking

When you overtake on a dual carriageway you would use your hazard routine at least 3 times. 

Once to get ready to overtake, then to actually overtake and once to move back into the left hand lane. 

Diagram 1 is the purple vehicle driving too slow.

Diagram 2 is the yellow vehicle in your blind spot.

Anticipation and planning

Anticipation and planning is key to safety on any road but even more important on a dual carriageway and motorway as driver's do not up hold the highway code. Always overtake in good time and always ensure you do your MIRROR, SIGNAL AND MANOEUVRE and ensure you do a final BLIND SPOT CHECK before changing lanes.

When to move back to the left after you have overtaken

On motorways driver's overtake and instantly cut back into the left hand lane and do not leave the correct safety gap.

The correct procedure is to overtake and keep in the lane you are in until you can see the vehicles head light's in your rear view mirror then move lanes.

Parking places

When you’re traveling on a carriageway there will be times when you will need to stop and rest or even in the event of you breaking down your aim is to try too get into the parking areas on the dual carriageway or motorway.  If you have to stop on the hard shoulder due to your vehicle breaking down or if you have a blow out on your tyre and you need to stop immediately try to put on your hazard warn lights on to warn the traffic behind you your in trouble and they can reduce their speed and lanes safely.

Once you have decided to stop at a passing place look for a passing place sign and normally before the parking place you will have a 1/2 mile sign to alert you to the parking area. Stay in the left lane (slow lane) and use you M.S.M routine in good time so vehicles behind knows your intension and can make progress past you.

Emerging from a passing place

When you are going to emerge from a passing place you need to think about your stopping distances (70MPH you need 24 car lengths, 315 feet and 96 metres) so that you emerge safe. In the below diagram the red vehicle moves lanes to give you a bigger gap to build your speed up when joining the traffic.

To ensure the vehicle know your planning to join the the carriageway SIGNAL right so the cars can can LOOK, ASSESS, DECIDE & ACT safely on a safe lane change.

Slowing down strategy

When leaving a dual carriageway try to avoid reducing your speed until you have entered the slip road (unless its unsafe to so, for example an accident or roadworks in front of you forcing you to slow down early). 

At the 1st marker this is where you start your hazard and L.A.D.A routine. (Three lines) check your:-

Mirrors (left).

Signal (left).

Unless there has been an accident or a slow moving traffic queue don't reduce your speed until you are in the slip road (unless there as a hazard in the slip road area).

Once in the slip road

Once in the slip road you could be faced with another slip road, roundabouts or traffic lights, so ensure you look for the appropriate road markings and signs for the next issue.

Now you have left the dual carriageway and in the next slip road check:-

Mirrors (All)

Signal (take it off)

Now follow the directional signs for:-

• Great coats
• Healing
• Stallingboro
• A1136

Speed (reduce by easing of the gas as applying brakes)

Gear (selective down accordingly)

The objective is to follow directional signs so the below diagram follows the signs to great coats.  We will using the the slip road and not the roundabout.

June 4th 2018 driving lessons changed so your now allowed on a motorway with your driving instructor.

Following the signs to the A180, Cleethorpes and Grimsby

Let’s break down the above sign

There is a slip road on the left before the 1st roundabout that sign posted Immingham, Humber bridge and M180

• The first roundabout you could turn left to the M180 if you had made a mistake
• You CAN NOT your right as we have a NO ENTRY sign
• You CAN go all the way around the round about and go back the way you came
• We are are going to go straight ahead and following the signs to Cleethorpes, Grimsby, A180 and follow the Grimsby industry estate

The biggest mistake of most  learner drivers  that they DO NOT read the signs and want to just turn right at the first roundabout! This takes you down the wrong side of the dual carriageway. 

Once you are over the first roundabout there is a bridge (flyover) that goes over the dual carriageway.

You then come to another sign and another roundabout

• You can not turn Left as it is a no entry sign
• Ahead will take you to the EURO PARC
• We are turning right following the signs to Cleethorpes, Grimsby, A180 and Grimsby industrial estate

At the second roundabout you will be turning right, this will take you down the slip road to Grimsby/A180.

At the second round about you have to look ahead to see who in using the slip road from the EUROPARC. As they have priority over you because they do not have a give way line to stop at and once you have come off the roundabout you will need the left hand lane.

Strategy

As you approach the second roundabout are going need to look and plan ahead with what is coming towards you and going the same way as you (toward the A180).

Entering the slip road

While you are going around and the roundabout and planning to get into the left hand lane with vehicles (that may be already) in the left lane, plan and merge from the right hand lane into the left hand lane safely by planning your course when you’re coming around the second roundabout.

If the traffic from the Euro parc is going the same direction as you (they DO NOT have a give way line and have priority), so you need to plan to keep safe. Whoever is faster they use the (right) fast lane. Never undertake a vehicle on a dual carriageway.

How to merge onto a Dual Carriageway

• To merge safely, you need to match the speed of the traffic already on the road
• Use the hole of the slip road to get your speed up so you can merge safely onto the dual carriageway
• Throughout this manoeuvre keep checking your mirrors and blind spots – ensure you keep your steering wheel straight when you are turn of your head as you don’t want your vehicle to swerve lanes (practice makes perfect)
• When you are about halfway down the slip road, check your right mirrors and signal, this will alert other vehicles on the dual carriageway and the will probably be helpful and if safe for them to do so will change lanes to make space for you on the road
• As you get closer to the dual carriageway you may need to change your speed depending on how quickly the traffic is flowing – you may need to speed up or slow down to merge safely
• When you are travelling down the slip road, you’ will need to plan an entry point onto the dual carriageway – (as you get to the hatch markings and just before the green studs use your rear view mirrors and blind spot to your right as you’re on the approach
• Look for a good-sized gap that you can slip into on the road
• Before you entering the dual carriageway  make sure you do final interior and right door mirror and right blind spot checks
• DO NOT drive over any white chevron or RED reflective studs when join the dual carriageway
• DO NOT get to the end of the slip road and stop (no planning)
• Once you have emerged on the dual carriageway and in the left hand lane of the dual carriageway, cancel your signal
• Make progress and keep a TWO SECOND GAP FROM THE VEHICLES already on the dual carriageway

Long and short slip roads

Village slip roads leading on to dual carriageways can reach speeds of up to 70 mph, so you can imagine the difficulty in judging potential gaps in the traffic that is already on the carriageway that you need to emerging into from a slip road.

Lengths of a slip roads

When exiting villages you would have to use a slip road and join a carriageway, you could be faced with ether long slip road of over 16+ vehicles long or as short as 6 vehicles long, the view on the approach can be open or closed so early observations and planning is necessary to merge safely.

Long slip road

On a long slip road you have time to entre the slip road and build your speed up and merge on to the carriageway, so when you can see its safe to emerge ensure you check your mirrors put on a signal and manoeuvre when its is safe (do not forget to check your blind spot just like a a dual carriageway/motorway.

Short slip road

The issue with a short slip road is that the slip road is not long enough to build your speed up and merge on to the carriageway at busy times, so the best thing to do is have early observation using L.A.D.A and if you can see lane 1 is occupied with moving vehicle is to stop on the bend before entering the short slip road (diagram below).  Once you can see its safe to emerge use your mirrors, signal, Manoeuvrer routine and do not forget to check your blind spot before you entre the carriageway.

Correct position on a short slip road

On a short slip roads you can have good observations (L.A.D.A) to assess if the first lane (lane 1) on the carriageway is safe for you to entre.  If both lanes are busy on a short slip road (my advice/technique) is to ether slow down stop just before entering the slip road. This will give you better observations by looking out your drivers window to the right.

Turning right over a dual carriageway

When turning right on a dual carriageway  you need to incorporate the stopping distances to cross the carriageway. 

On some carriageways you can waiting the middle of the carriageway in the safe area until your road is safe on your left.