Motorways, tunnels and special road situations
Motorway and tunnel items reward drivers who know the special rules that do not apply elsewhere: who may use the road, how to join and leave, what the hard shoulder is for, and what to do when something goes wrong underground.
Motorways and expressways
- Reserved for motor vehicles able to keep up with traffic. Pedestrians, bicycles, mopeds and agricultural vehicles are excluded, and learner drivers may not use them.
- Join via the acceleration lane, match the speed of traffic and give way to vehicles already on the motorway.
- Drive in the right-hand lane; the left lane is for overtaking. Overtaking on the right is prohibited.
- No U-turns, no reversing, no stopping. The hard shoulder is for genuine emergencies only, not phone calls or map reading.
Breakdown and traffic jams
Switch on hazard lights, put on the high-visibility vest, place the warning triangle well behind the car (further on fast roads than the roughly 50 m used on ordinary roads), and wait behind the crash barrier. In a queue, form the emergency corridor between the lanes so rescue vehicles can pass.
Tunnels
Dipped headlights on, sunglasses off, keep a generous gap (about 50 m), no U-turns or reversing, and follow radio and sign instructions. If there is a fire: stop, switch off the engine, leave the key in the car, switch on hazard lights, and use the nearest emergency exit on foot - do not turn back towards the smoke.
Special situations
Fog: dipped headlights, and rear fog lights only when visibility is below about 50 m. Aquaplaning: ease off the accelerator, do not brake hard, keep the wheel steady. On ice, especially on bridges, reduce speed smoothly. At level crossings, never stop on the tracks.
Worked example
Your engine dies in a tunnel. You coast to the emergency bay, switch on hazard lights, put on the vest, place the triangle behind the car and use the emergency telephone rather than your mobile. You and your passengers stand in the marked safe area or leave through the nearest exit if instructed. You do not stay in the car and you do not attempt a U-turn.
Traps that cost marks
- Overtaking on the right in dense traffic.
- Stopping on the hard shoulder to take a call.
- Using rear fog lights in ordinary rain.
- Reversing in a tunnel after missing an exit.
- Blocking the emergency corridor in a jam.