Slip roads also allow you to leave a motorway or dual carriageway. You’ll need to be in the left-hand lane so that you can drive onto the slip road when you reach it. Move into the left-hand lane in good time to make sure you do not have to cut in front of other vehicles or miss your exit.

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If you’ve been driving at motorway speeds for some time, when you leave the motorway your judgement of speed is likely to be affected: 40 or 45 mph will feel more like 20 mph. Check your speedometer and make sure you adjust your speed for whatever is on the road ahead of you.

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If you have to slow right down or stop because there’s serious congestion ahead, you can use your hazard warning lights briefly to alert drivers behind you. Remember to turn them off when the driver behind you has slowed down.

Motorways and dual carriageways allow traffic to travel faster and in greater safety than on ordinary roads, but it’s vital to know the rules that apply on them.

The central reservation is there to separate the traffic flowing in different directions. Never drive across the central reservation or drive against the flow of traffic on a motorway or dual carriageway unless you’re directed to do so by an authorised person or traffic signs; for example, in roadworks.

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Road signs and markers will help to warn you when you’re approaching your exit: use these to get into the correct position.

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Active traffic management (ATM, also called ‘managed motorways’) is used on some stretches of motorway to change speed limits or the direction of flow in particular lanes: make sure you obey any instructions given by these systems.

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