Taboos when driving on the highway, drivers should know
Although considered "easy" compared to highways or streets, driving on the highway has the potential to lead to serious accidents. Below are experiences that drivers need to "memorize" when driving on the highway.
Nowadays, the transport infrastructure in general and the highway system in particular have developed widely across the country, contributing to shortening travel time and increasing connectivity between regions. Driving on highways is no longer strange to many people, even new drivers.
Talking to VietNamNet, Mr. Hoang Van Tan - a driving instructor in Hanoi said that compared to driving on the street or highway (urban roads, district roads, provincial roads, etc.), driving on the highway is the most "relaxed" because there is less manipulation, but with the characteristic of the road running at very high speed, any mistakes or carelessness may not have a chance to be corrected.
Mr. Tan also said that some highways in Vietnam are not complete (roads with few lanes, highways that still allow motorbikes to run together, lack of rest stops for vehicles to stop and park,...) combined with the low awareness of drivers, there are still many potential risks leading to accidents.
According to this expert, when driving on the highway, you need to understand the rules and avoid the following to ensure safety for yourself and surrounding vehicles:
1. Do not drive at a speed exceeding the maximum speed or below the minimum speed.
Most highways in Vietnam allow vehicles to travel at speeds of 90-120 km/h. The maximum speed on each section of road has been studied based on the technical status as well as traffic volume. Therefore, when drivers intentionally drive faster than the maximum speed, they will risk unexpected danger and may be severely punished.
In addition, drivers must also ensure that they drive above the minimum speed. According to Mr. Tan, driving too slowly on the highway is sometimes even more unsafe than speeding.
2. Do not stick to the left lane when driving slowly
In Vietnam, highways usually have 2-3 lanes for vehicles to travel. A principle stipulated in the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety is that vehicles traveling in the left lane always have a higher speed than vehicles in the right lane. Experts advise that if traveling at an average speed, you should move in the middle lane, avoid sticking to the left lane because this lane gives priority to vehicles with high speeds and wanting to overtake.
Experience is that if on the highway there are many vehicles passing your car from the right side, you need to slow down and change to the appropriate lane.
3. Do not drive too close to the car in front.
Experts in safe driving say that keeping a safe distance is a vital factor when driving on the highway because at very high speeds, if you do not keep the correct distance, you will not have time to react (brake, steer,...) if you encounter an unexpected situation, and an accident is very likely to occur.
Regarding safe distance, drivers can base on signs placed on each route or based on regulations on safe distance on the road in Circular No. 31/2019/TT-BGTVT dated August 29, 2019.
In addition, experienced drivers can apply the "3-second" rule to measure the distance between their car and the car in front. For example, a vehicle is moving at a speed of 90km/h, which means it travels 25m per second. In 3 seconds, the car travels 75m. This is a safe enough distance for the driver to react, brake and avoid a collision.
4. Do not merge or change lanes too quickly.
Lane merging and lane changing are also skills that drivers need to pay close attention to when driving on the highway. Experts say that when merging on the highway, drivers must maintain or slightly increase their speed, then change lanes sequentially. When they feel stable in the next lane, they can move to the next lane.
When changing lanes, drivers must observe through the rearview mirror and turn on the signal light to alert other vehicles. Changing lanes suddenly or continuously is a very dangerous action that drivers should avoid.
5. Don't overtake
Unsafe overtaking is the leading cause of accidents on the highway. In fact, many drivers, after overtaking large vehicles from the right, quickly turn the wheel to the left, leading to dangerous situations of cutting in and spinning the vehicle sideways.
According to Mr. Hoang Van Tan, when driving on the highway in general and the expressway in particular, you should not "be greedy" to overtake other vehicles, especially vehicles that do not ensure speed and distance. When you need to overtake, you need to signal with your horn and lights and only overtake when there are sufficient safety conditions. Especially avoid "overtaking prematurely" which leads to cutting off other vehicles.
6. Do not enter the emergency lane
Many drivers, when seeing traffic jams, immediately move to the emergency lane, but this is also very dangerous because there may be unexpected vehicles or obstacles appearing here.
At the same time, if the driver drives in the emergency lane, he or she can be heavily fined by the traffic police. Therefore, in all cases, the driver should not drive in this lane to ensure safety.
7. Minimize parking on the highway
According to regulations, cars are not allowed to stop on the highway. In case of having to stop due to breakdown, collision,... the driver must move the car into the emergency lane close to the right curb, and must place a reflective warning object to notify the drivers behind at a minimum distance of 100m.
In addition to being unsafe, stopping or parking on the highway in the wrong place can be severely fined from 12-14 million VND according to Article 6 of Decree 168/ND-CP, and can also result in a deduction of 6 points on the driver's license.
