Question

Difficulty: MediumLeaving the Motorway

Following a period of driving on a motorway, you steer into the deceleration lane to leave at an upcoming junction. Why is it essential to check your speedometer before reaching the end of the slip road?

  1. A
    Coasting in neutral along the slip road is required to let the vehicle decelerate naturally without engine braking.
  2. Your perception of speed may be distorted after fast driving, making you travel faster than you think.Answer
  3. C
    The statutory speed limit on motorway slip roads is higher than on the main carriageway to clear traffic.
  4. D
    Fixating only on the vehicle directly in front provides sufficient feedback to judge your rate of deceleration.

Answer

Your sense of speed may be distorted after driving at high speed, meaning you are likely travelling faster than you realise.
After driving at higher speeds on a motorway, your perception of speed becomes altered, leading you to feel as though you are moving much slower than your actual speed. Checking the speedometer on the slip road allows you to accurately monitor and adjust your speed before reaching hazards such as roundabouts, sharp curves, or queuing traffic at the junction, as outlined in Highway Code Rule 272.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the psychological and sensory effect of sustained high-speed motorway driving.
Recognise that drivers experience velocitation, where lower speeds feel deceptively slow after prolonged high-speed travel.
Sensory adaptation makes speeds like 40 mph or 50 mph feel much slower than they actually are.
2
Apply Highway Code Rule 272 regarding exit slip road procedures.
Check the speedometer instrument rather than relying on visual estimation.
Slip roads frequently terminate in sharp bends, traffic signals, or roundabouts that require substantial, controlled deceleration.

Key Concept

Counteracting speed adaptation by checking the speedometer on exit slip roads (Highway Code Rule 272)
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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