Dual carriageways on the Test

You can expect to have to drive on dual carriageways on most UK driving test routes, so here is a reminder of the rules and tips to bear in mind during the 40 minutes assessment with the dsa examiner.



1. Always drive in the left lane except when overtaking or turning right on the dual carriageway.

2. If you have to change lanes, use the MSM routine, making sure that you signal early enough to allow other road users enough time to know what you are doing (your car should not start drifting out of position) before you check your mirrors or signal with your indicators).

3. Be extra careful when moving into the middle lane of a 3 lane dual carriageway, as another vehicle might be moving into the same lane (for example if you are moving from the 1st lane, there might be a car moving from the third lane into the 2nd at the same time, so make sure you do a shoulder check).

4. Do make progress while on a dual carriageway, you don't want to fail the test for driving too slow.

5. If joining a dual carriageway from traffic lights or emerging via a junction, be on the look out for signs that tell you what the speed limit is, otherwise drive at the speed of the last road you came from until you see a new speed limit sign.

6. Get a lot of practice during your driving lessons on joining a dual carriageway via slip roads, so you know how to do this safely, as you should not cause other road users to slow down or change direction by your actions.

7. Be confident of handling high speed dual carriageways (70MPH like the A1 in Hendon/Mill Hill), as you have no excuse for not making progress if it is safe to do so.

As a driving instructor in Mill Hill, I can provide very high quality tuition covering the dual carriageways in the NW7 and NW4 areas so why not call or send me a text message on 07956233032 if you need practical help with these DSA required skills.

Thinking about becoming an instructor? Don't just make a decision based on the red driving school TV advertisement, do the proper research and know all the ADI training options available to you.

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