Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Freeway Driving

KTMS Commentary


Teens need to know that freeway driving demands special skills. 

Statistics show that fewer crashes occur on modern freeways, but the collisions that do occur are more severe due to higher speeds and increased traffic.

Freeway driving requires drivers to make complex but quick decisions at critical moments.

Identify for teens the correct procedures for entering and exiting a freeway.

Make sure they understand the need for advance route planning, and the factors that influence speed and lane selection.

Talk about the challenges involved with lane-changing maneuvers.
Have them use space-management techniques such as looking ahead and maintaining time gaps between vehicles.

Remind them that driving at the speed used by most other cars can reduce conflicts. This means they should choose a legal speed that matches the speed of other traffic. Have them consider visibility, traffic, weather, and road conditions.

Drivers can lose their sense of speed during extended freeway driving. They may start going much faster than they intended. Suggest that drivers look frequently at the speedometer and make corrections accordingly. 

All these actions help minimize the risks associated with freeway driving.