Entering and Exiting Freeways

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Entering and exiting freeways is a complex driving skill that can give teens trouble. In part, this is due to driver inexperience. It may also be related to teen difficulty in judging distance, location and speed.

Help your teen practice the following approach to entering and exiting freeways until you are both comfortable.

Entering

• Signal your intentions to merge onto a highway.
• Check front, rear and blind spot for a stable gap in traffic in your intended path of travel.
• If necessary, select a vehicle to merge BEHIND while maintaining a steady, slightly accelerating speed. Try not to choose a vehicle for which you have to speed up considerably to merge ahead.
• Merge smoothly into the gap in traffic.
• Adjust speed to surrounding traffic.
• Cancel turn signal and check rearview mirror.

Exiting

• Plan your exit and signal a considerable distance ahead of the exit.
• Maintain speed until you enter the exit lane.
• Enter the exit ramp and use controlled braking to reduce speed to the speed limit or less. Prepare to slow down or stop suddenly should you encounter heavy traffic or a very slow ramp speed limit.