Driving Safely on Busy Roads

Busy main roads can be scary and somewhat daunting to drive on and you will need to take extra care when you are driving on them.

They’ll be a lot to deal with and as the driver you are expected to see everything that is relevant to you and ensure that you do not hurt, harm or crash into anything on the road.

Try to look out as far down the road as possible, looking out for traffic lights, road signs, crossings and anything that poses a hazard.

Keep to a safe speed and always keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you. When you do stop behind a vehicle make sure you can see the bottom of their tyres. This is so if the car in front rolls backwards you have a safe distance from it or if the car in front breaks down it will be easier to go around it.

When you stop especially at traffic lights or at a crossing, try to slow down by gently braking nice and early. This will make the brake lights appear alerting to the driver behind that you are slowing down which should make them slow down with you.

Always scan the crossings before you arrive reducing speed on the approach. When you are waiting at a crossing especially a zebra, try not to rev your engine as you do not want to scare the pedestrians on the crossing.

Look out for cyclists and make sure you give them plenty of room. An ideal amount of room to leave a cyclist is two metres as cyclists can wobble and fall off their bike so you would need to give them as much room as possible.

Try to be as patient as you can be as a driver and feel free to allow the odd road user the space in front of you if you are in slow moving traffic.

Always leave plenty of time to get somewhere as being in a rush will mean you may end up breaking the speed limits and driving dangerously.

Look out for pedestrians and any signs that they may cross or wish to cross. Typical signs are walking towards the kerb and looking over their shoulders to assess the current traffic situation. Reduce speed if you feel that there is a possibility that they may want to cross in front of you and keep an eye on them.