The highway is a completely different animal than back roads and city roads. A lot of aggression and accidents occur on the highway which makes it a place where even the most experienced drivers get into accidents. While it’s true that you can’t control how other drivers operate their vehicle, it’s important for you to heed highway safety tips, drive safely, and arrive to your destination alive.

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If you are new to driving on the highway (or even if you’ve been driving for years), it’s important to learn the basics of highway driving to ensure safety:

Highway Safety Tip 1: Match Speeds While Merging

When you merge from the on ramp onto the highway, you must be going roughly the same speed as traffic. The drivers in the right lane see you coming from the ramp but may not judge your “arrival” correctly if you are going too slow or too fast. If the speed limit for the highway is 65 mph, by the time you merge onto the highway you should also be going roughly 65 mph.

Highway Safety Tip 2: Keep Your Distance

For a general rule of thumb, you should keep a car-length distance between you and the car in front of you for every 10 mph you are going. For example, if you are going 60 mph, you should keep roughly six car lengths between you and the car that is traveling in front of you. If the car ahead of you slams on their brakes, you should have enough space and time to brake or change lanes without causing an accident.

It’s also very important to check your rear view mirror before braking, if possible. If someone is traveling close behind, braking suddenly could cause an accident.

Highway Safety Tip 3: Look Before Changing Lanes

Before changing lanes, it’s extremely important to check your mirrors and look over your shoulder for any cars in your blind spot. First, check your side mirrors to see if the lane is clear. Second, look over your shoulder to ensure there are no cars in your blind spot. Put on your blinker and make sure to move over carefully.

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