Expressway Driving Some of the East / West interstate expressways.

Advantages of Expressway - reasons for fewer collisions No cross Traffic Median or Barrier to separate traffic Pedestrians & slow moving vehicles are not permitted Wide Shoulders & extra wide underpasses Sight Distance & Signs to help drivers anticipate conditions ahead What are some of the advantages of Expressways?

Expressway Interchanges Vehicles can cross over or under expressway Vehicles can enter and leave w/out interfering with the traffic flow

Cloverleaf interchange- no left turns or cross traffic conflict

Diamond Interchange- street w/ little traffic crosses expressway Here are a couple of examples of different interchanges. Trumpet is another one and All directional is another.

Trumpet interchange: t-intersection

All-directional interchange- high volume of traffic

Entering the Expressway The entrance ramp gives you time to evaluate conditions and determine the best speed to enter. The acceleration lane lets you search for a gap in traffic and adjust to the correct speed

Never back up on an expressway or the entrance ramp Never back up on an expressway or the entrance ramp. Miss exit- go to the next one Some entrance ramps have a traffic light to help space traffic. Some times you have an entrance on to the left lane of the expressway – be careful speeds are faster

Lane Choice It is generally safer to drive in the right lane and pass on the left Center lane – avoid conflicts from merging traffic in rush hour Avoid driving between 2 large trucks Left lane is the fastest & most stressful Right lane may have lots of entrances & exits.

Passing on expressways

Exit Ramps

Safe Driving Strategies Prepare Yourself and your car Know the name, route number and exit and entrance numbers for your trip Keep your car in good condition, plan for stops for food, fuel and rest stops Remember: You have less vehicle control at higher speeds Build Experience Gradually Collisions can be more serious due to higher speeds. It is important to build experience gradually and prepare yourself & car.

Signs & Roadway Markings Rumble strip- along right side of road to alert you that you have gone off the road

What do these signs mean?

Exit 78 means at mile maker number 78

Mile Markers They tell you your direction< interstate number and number of miles from zero.

Signs and Markings Signs may be overhead to help you plan ahead Overhead sign w/yellow panel indicates exit lane Overhead signals tell you if lanes are open or closed Yellow X gives early warning that lane will be closing ahead Red X tells you lane is closed

Lane changing Check lanes beside and ahead of you, signal Check your blind spots Watch for lane changes in front of you

What is the Speed Limit? What is the speed limit in Montana? In Illinois it is posted at 55 or 65 miles per hour. Many of the Western states have higher speed limits. Common speed used by most drivers to blend in Wolf pack- group of vehicles

Driver Conditions Highway Hypnosis - What can you do to prevent this? What is Velocitation? Speeding

If you get pulled over……

Unusual Expressways

Open Road Tolling

Dallas High 5

Glenwood Canyon Colorado