Road trip tips
If you’re planning on taking a road trip, it’s important to take steps to stay safe on the road.
Before you hit the road, we’re sharing our top road trip tips to help get you to your destination safely.
Preparing your vehicle and planning your journey is the first step to a safe road trip.
✔️ Check your fuel, oil, tyre tread, and pressure before you head off on your trip.
✔️ Plan your route and ensure you recognise toll road signage
✔️ Secure your load, and if towing trailers or caravans make sure they’re hitched right.
In case it’s wet, roads can be slippery and visibility reduced. So make sure you’re ready and set.
✔️ Check your tyres, windscreen wipers and head and brake lights
✔️ Check the weather forecast
✔️ Increase the gap between you and other motorists
✔️ Slow down and be aware of vulnerable road users, including motorcyclists
❌ Never stop on a motorway or in an emergency stopping bay unless it is an emergency and never drive through flooding roads.
When you’re on a high-speed motorway there are a few things that will help keep you safe.
- Observe signage and obey speeds.
- Do not stop or pullover on the side of the motorway, except in an emergency.
- Keep in the left lane unless overtaking or if the lane requires you to exit.
- When exiting plan ahead, move to the exit lane early and reduce speed as you enter the ramp, and ensure you indicate for at least five seconds.
- Do not reverse or perform a U-Turn at any time.
Stay safe in our tunnels – Lane, lights, listen!
- Avoid lane changes.
- Always turn your headlights on.
- Turn your radio on. In an emergency our team can share important messages via your car radio.
- If you break down or are involved in an incident, stay in your vehicle with your seatbelt and hazard lights on. Turn on your radio and listen for instructions from our team. We’ll be with you in minutes.
- Be seen - know truck blind spots.
- Don't sit in the blind spots or in the space between a truck’s front and rear tyres.
- Keep left unless overtaking.
- Give trucks some extra space: leave a safe gap, trucks need more room to stop.
- Regularly check your mirrors.
If you’re involved in an incident and on one of our roads or tunnels, stay in your vehicle (if safe to do so) with your seatbelt on and hazard lights activated and wait for our incident response team. Our team have eyes on the road 24x7 and have likely already seen you.
If you’re passing an incident, remember to move over and slow down. You can report incidents by calling 13 33 31.
