TL;DR: The top safety tips for highway driving include preparing your vehicle and yourself before the trip, staying alert and defensive at high speeds, maintaining safe distances, and knowing how to handle emergencies. Always wear your seatbelt, avoid distractions, and adjust for night or bad weather. For more help or a free auto insurance quote, call Insure On The Spot at 773-202-5060.
How should I prepare before driving on the highway?
Highway safety starts even before you merge onto the on-ramp. Proper preparation ensures you won’t be scrambling at high speeds. Before you get on the highway, take time to:
Inspect your vehicle
Make sure your tires are properly inflated, all lights and signals work, your brakes are in good condition, and you have enough fuel and windshield washer fluid. It’s also wise to carry an emergency kit (spare tire, tools, flares, first aid supplies) in your car.
Plan your route
Know your exits and route in advance so you won’t need to make last-second maneuvers. Program your GPS before you start driving so you don’t have to adjust it on the highway.
Check the weather (and traffic)
If possible, avoid driving during heavy storms or snow. It might be safer to delay your trip until conditions improve. Also, if you can, plan your drive outside peak rush hour times – lighter traffic (late morning or early afternoon) means less stress, especially for newer drivers.
Make sure you’re rested and sober
Never drive on highways if you’re extremely tired or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Fatigue and impairment drastically reduce your reaction time and awareness. Get a good night’s sleep before a long trip, and try to avoid driving during the overnight hours (midnight to 6 a.m.) when your body wants to sleep.
Eliminate distractions before driving
Set your phone to Do Not Disturb and program your GPS or music playlist before you start driving. Finish any eating or phone calls before you hit the road, and secure loose items in the car. Begin your highway drive with your full attention on the road.
Taking these steps before you hit highway speeds will set you up for a much safer drive.
How can I stay safe while driving at highway speeds?
Once you’re on the highway, safety is all about staying focused, maintaining space, and anticipating what other drivers might do. Here are some essential habits for safe highway driving:
Keep a safe speed and following distance
Always obey the posted speed limit and adjust your speed if conditions are less than ideal (heavy traffic, rain, etc.). At high speeds, everything happens faster, so give yourself more time to react. Leave plenty of room between you and the car ahead. A good rule of thumb is the three-second rule – pick a landmark and ensure at least three seconds pass between the car in front of you passing it and you passing it. This buffer gives you time to brake if traffic suddenly slows. In bad weather or when following a large vehicle, increase that following distance even further for extra safety.
Use lanes properly and mind large vehicles
On multi-lane highways, remember to keep right except to pass – many roads even post signs like “left lane for passing only” as a reminder. After overtaking a slower car, move back to the right so you don’t block faster traffic. Also, don’t hang out in anyone’s blind spot, especially a truck’s. If you can’t see a semi-truck’s mirrors, then its driver can’t see you. Pass big trucks promptly but safely, and never cut directly in front of them. A fully loaded semi can weigh up to 80,000 lbs, so it needs a lot more room to stop than a car. Give large vehicles plenty of space, and always use your turn signals well in advance when changing lanes.
Avoid distractions and stay alert
It’s critical to give the highway your full attention. At highway speeds, even a split-second glance away can be disastrous. According to the NHTSA, more than 3,100 people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers in a recent year. Common distractions include using a phone, eating, or anything else that takes your eyes off the road. Make it a rule that when you’re driving at high speeds, nothing happening inside the car is more important than the road. Keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes scanning ahead. If you must take a call or handle something urgent, exit the highway or pull into a rest area first.
Stay aware of your surroundings
Continuously scan your mirrors and far down the road so you can spot potential problems early. Look ahead for brake lights or congestion, and check your rearview regularly to know what vehicles are around you. If you spot a car on the shoulder or a roadside work crew, move over a lane if possible and slow down to give them space – it’s the law in many states. If you see an aggressive driver (tailgating or weaving), give them space and do not engage – let them pass and keep your distance. Also keep an eye out for debris on the road or any sudden traffic slowdowns. The sooner you notice a hazard, the more time you have to react calmly.
What should I do if I face an emergency on the highway?
Even the most careful drivers can encounter emergencies on the highway. A sudden vehicle problem or other crisis at 65+ mph can be nerve-wracking, but knowing what to do will help you stay safe. The overarching principle is to get your vehicle out of the flow of traffic if possible, signal your distress to other drivers, and seek help once you’re safely off the road.
What should I do if my car breaks down on the highway?
If your car has a mechanical failure or any issue that forces you to stop, try to get off the roadway as quickly and safely as you can. Turn on your hazard lights immediately to warn drivers around you. If you can still steer, aim for the right shoulder of the road. (In most cases, the right shoulder is safer than stopping in a median or left side.) Take your foot off the accelerator and carefully coast or brake to reduce speed as you move toward the shoulder. Once you’re as far off the road as possible, put the car in park and keep your hazard flashers on.
It’s usually safest to stay in your vehicle with your seat belt on until help arrives, especially if traffic is whizzing by. Exiting a vehicle on a busy highway is dangerous – many people are struck by passing cars that way. Call for roadside assistance or 911 if it’s an emergency, and wait in your car. If you have reflective safety triangles or flares, you can cautiously place them behind your car on the shoulder to give extra warning to oncoming vehicles (only if it’s safe to do so).
What should I do if I have a tire blowout while driving at high speed?
A tire blowout at high speeds can be scary, but the key is to stay calm and in control. Grip the steering wheel firmly and do not hit the brakes hard. Instead, let the car slow down gradually by taking your foot off the gas, and keep the vehicle as straight as possible even if it pulls to one side. Once your speed has dropped, carefully signal and steer toward the right shoulder (or take the next exit if one is very close and easier to reach). Turn on your hazard lights to alert other drivers that you’re having an issue.
When you’re safely on the shoulder, treat it like a regular breakdown: stay with your vehicle, call for help, and set out safety triangles or flares if you have them. In most cases, it’s safest to wait for professional assistance rather than try to change the tire on the side of a busy highway.
How can I stay safe driving on the highway at night or in bad weather?
Driving at high speeds is challenging enough in perfect conditions; at night or during adverse weather, you must take extra precautions. Reduced visibility and slower reaction times make highway driving after dark or in storms much riskier, so adjust your habits accordingly.
Safety tips for night highway driving
At night, your visibility is limited to the range of your headlights. To avoid “over-driving” your headlights (going so fast that you can’t stop within the area your lights illuminate), consider driving a bit slower than you would in daylight. Dim your dashboard lights to reduce glare, and try not to look directly at oncoming headlights – glance slightly to the side to protect your night vision. Fatigue is a serious concern at night. If you start to feel drowsy, do not push it – take a break. Plan to stop at least every couple of hours on long drives to stretch or nap, and try to avoid driving during the very late night hours when possible.
Safety tips for driving in bad weather
Bad weather can drastically change highway conditions in a short time. Slow down and increase your following distance whenever it’s raining, snowing, or foggy. Wet or icy pavement means it takes much longer to brake. For example, the first 10 minutes of a light rain can be the most slippery, as water mixes with oil residue on the road. So even if it’s just started drizzling, be extra cautious – the roads may be slick. In heavy rain, turn on your low-beam headlights (and of course your wipers) so others can see you. If visibility gets very poor (e.g. in dense fog or a downpour), don’t hesitate to pull off at the next exit or a rest area and wait it out. Never use cruise control on wet or icy roads, as it can reduce your ability to react quickly to skids or hydroplaning. If you feel your car start to hydroplane (losing contact with the road on water), ease off the gas and steer straight – do not brake or jerk the wheel. In snow or ice, drive well below the speed limit and anticipate that any braking will take much longer. Remember that bridges and overpasses freeze before regular road surfaces. Ultimately, if conditions are truly hazardous, the safest choice is to postpone your highway drive until the weather improves.
FAQs: Highway Driving Safety
How do you drive safely on highways?
Stay focused, follow the rules, and drive defensively. Always wear your seatbelt, obey speed limits, and avoid distractions (like your phone). Keep a safe following distance (use the three-second rule) and use turn signals when changing lanes.
What is the best way to stay alert on the highway?
Make sure you’re well-rested before you hit the highway, and take breaks every couple of hours on long drives. Keep your mind engaged by scanning your mirrors and maybe listening to some music (at a low volume) so you don’t zone out. If you start feeling sleepy or find it hard to focus, pull over at a rest stop for a breather or a quick nap instead of trying to power through.
What should you avoid when driving on highways?
Avoid anything that takes your attention off driving or endangers others. That includes no texting or phone use, no tailgating, no excessive speeding or erratic lane changes, and no driving if you’re drowsy or impaired.
How far should you stay behind a car on the highway?
In good conditions, keep at least a three-second gap (count “one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three”) between you and the car ahead. If the weather is bad or you’re following a large vehicle, extend that to 4 or 5 seconds (or more) to be safe. The goal is to leave enough space so you can stop or react in time if something happens in front of you.
Ready to drive with more confidence? Safe driving habits are important, and so is having the right insurance in case the unexpected happens. If you want extra peace of mind before your next highway trip, get a free auto insurance quote from Insure On The Spot. Our friendly experts are ready to help you find quality coverage at an affordable price. Call us today at (888) 972-7283 to get started, and cruise the highways knowing you’re protected.