Driving straight at higher speeds

Things happen quicker when you’re driving at higher speeds. Your car acts differently, and you have less time to react.

Where should you practise this?

Plan a route that includes areas with speed limits above 50km/h. Open roads and motorways work well.

When driving straight at speeds over 50km/h

• Aim your eyes high. Look at least 12 seconds ahead for possible hazards and regularly scan the road.
• Always know what’s happening around your car. Keep an eye out for traffic in other lanes, side roads and merge lanes.
• Remember when you’re going at 80 or 100km/h, 12 seconds is a lot further away than when you’re travelling at 50km/h.
• Keep looking in your mirrors regularly, especially when you start slowing down. How regularly you need to check your mirrors will depend on the amount of traffic around you, the road conditions, and the speed you’re travelling at.
• When you are learning to drive at higher speeds, leave at least 3 seconds between you and the car in front. In poorer conditions, make it 4 seconds.
• On multi-laned roads, stay in the left lane unless you’re turning right or overtaking.
• Keep in the middle of your lane. This is to avoid veering into other lanes or in case another vehicle comes into yours.

More tips for driving straight at higher speeds

• Try to go with the flow of traffic by keeping your speed the same as other vehicles, as long as it’s in the speed limit. If you don’t feel safe going the same speed, it’s OK to slow down.
• On a laned road, you must drive at a speed where you can stop within the clear road ahead of you.
• On an unlaned road, you must drive at a speed that means you can stop in half the clear road you can see ahead.

Remember: The result of a high-speed crash is also often a lot worse than the result of a low-speed one. That’s why it’s important to reduce the risk of a crash by always driving to the conditions.