9 tips on how to drive safely and legally on a smart motorway

By Michael Broomhead
Published 5th Jul 2019, 06:51 BST
Updated 5th Jul 2019, 07:51 BST

Smart motorways are controversial - but they're here to stay.

A smart motorway is a section of a motorway which uses traffic management methods designed to increase capacity and reduce congestion in particularly busy areas. These methods include using the hard shoulder as a running lane and using variable speed limits to control the flow of traffic. The following tips on how to drive safely and legally on a smart motorway are from Highways England...

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Never drive in a lane closed by a red Xplaceholder image
Never drive in a lane closed by a red X
When you're driving along a motorway you should keep left unless youre overtaking, no matter how many lanes a motorway has - it's a simple rule of the Highway Codeplaceholder image
When you're driving along a motorway you should keep left unless youre overtaking, no matter how many lanes a motorway has - it's a simple rule of the Highway Code
Keep to the speed limits shown on the signsplaceholder image
Keep to the speed limits shown on the signs
Related topics:Highways England
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