Merging and exiting the highway
Merging onto the highway
Check from a distance how busy it is. Look ahead, in the rearview mirror, ahead, in the left side mirror, and over your left shoulder. Before merging, ensure you are driving at the same speed or slightly faster than the drivers on the highway. Ideally, at maximum speed where possible!
Only signal when you can move over (so after you have looked fully!). You may not signal if someone is approaching at a higher speed. If your speeds are virtually the same, you may signal to ask for space.
Ensure you reach maximum speed as quickly as possible. So, preferably shift between 3,000 and 3,500 rpm, but avoid revving too high (watch the red lines) or shifting up too early.
Keep an eye on everyone around you and look for space to move aside if necessary. So check your mirrors and look over your shoulders regularly!
Never move over if someone is approaching at a higher speed or directly behind a driver! So look carefully in your rearview mirror, left side mirror, and over your left shoulder.
Make sure you never drive alongside someone for too long if you want to merge! It is better to drive diagonally in front of or behind someone so that you can merge!
While moving forward, look ahead one more time: in your rearview mirror, straight ahead, left side mirror, and over your left shoulder. To ensure that you haven't missed anyone or that everyone around you is giving you space to merge.
Maintain sufficient distance after merging! Keep a distance of 2 seconds if you can see the brake lights of the second car in front of you. Keep a distance of 3 seconds if you cannot see them (for example, if you are driving behind a truck or a van).
In traffic jams, keep a greater distance when stopping and warn traffic with your hazard lights!
Insert step-by-step plan:
Step 1
Plan your route by following the dashes from the start as far as possible. By following the lampposts, you can look much further ahead to plan your driving route.
Step 2
Observe how busy it is and determine how quickly you need to pick up speed. By revving higher, you can accelerate much faster and reach maximum speed. For example, only shift up between 3,500 and 4,000 rpm.
Step 3
Check your rearview mirror, left side mirror, and over your left shoulder in good time while accelerating to determine who is driving behind or alongside you and at what speed they are approaching.
Step 4
Assess well before the block markings who is approaching on the main carriageway, where there is room to merge, and at what speed the drivers are approaching.
Step 5
Ensure that your speed is equal to that of the drivers on the main carriageway and that you are driving diagonally in front of or behind someone. If the distance remains the same, you are driving at the same speed and can merge after checking your rearview mirror, left side mirror, and over your left shoulder one more time.
Common mistakes when inserting:
- Looking too quickly and not consciously perceiving what you have seen.
- Stay behind a truck for a short distance.
- Driving into someone's blind spot.
- Driving alongside someone and being unable to merge.
- Merging without looking over your left shoulder.
- Merging without looking in the rearview mirror.
- Merge at low speed.
- Do not drive at the maximum speed after merging
- Do not overtake but stay behind a truck. Do not be decisive, visibility is poor.
- Steering while a car is driving next to you.
- Steering while a faster vehicle is approaching. So not yet driving as fast as the drivers on the main carriageway.
- Shifting to a higher gear too early at 2000 rpm, meaning you don't quickly
can build up enough speed.
Exiting the highway
Step-by-step plan for merging:
Step 1
You may signal to the right at a distance of approximately 300 meters to indicate that you are going to exit. Before signaling, however, check your rearview mirror, right side mirror, and over your right shoulder to assess who is driving behind and/or next to you and at what speed they are approaching.
Step 2
As soon as you see the block markings and the double line just before the exit lane, start by reassessing whether you can safely steer to the right. Therefore, before steering, check your rearview mirror, right side mirror, and over your right shoulder one more time. Move up as much as possible at the same speed at the beginning of the block markings to prevent the drivers behind you from merging earlier and attempting to overtake you on the right.
Step 3
While exiting, check if any drivers want to exit at the last moment.
Step 4
Try to estimate how sharp the turn is and adjust your speed by braking sufficiently and possibly downshifting before the turn.
Step 5
Only switch off your turn signal after the end of the block markings and when you have passed the last arrow.
Common mistakes when merging:
- Reducing speed unnecessarily by releasing the accelerator or braking.
- Merging without looking in the rearview mirror, right side mirror, and over the right shoulder.
- Driving too close behind a vehicle while exiting.
- Looking too far behind, causing the steering wheel to follow.
Tips for merging
- Signal to the right in good time (300 meters in advance), but only after you have looked ahead, in your rearview mirror, straight ahead, in the right side mirror, and over your right shoulder.
- Before merging, check one more time if it is safe to move over!
- Keep your turn signal on as long as you see squares to your left. After the last arrow, the squares stop, and then you turn off the turn signal.
- Always shift to the correct gear (usually 3rd or 4th gear) before the (sharp) bend. When braking, release your clutch pedal before the turn so that you also brake using the engine and maintain control of the vehicle.
- Keep an eye on everyone around you while merging.
- In traffic jams, keep a greater distance when stopping and warn traffic with your hazard lights!
Attention! During the exam:
- Don't be afraid to overtake if it is possible to smoothly reach the maximum speed!
- Do not move back into the right lane next to a merging zone after overtaking if there are cars wanting to merge!
Insert/remove explainer video:
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