Roadwise States Hawaii Driving lessons Freeway driving Hawaii driving lesson · Rules of the Road & Right-of-Way
Freeway driving A 3-minute lesson from the Hawaii course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Read time 3 minutes
Course unit Rules of the Road & Right-of-Way
Checkpoint questions 6
Source pages 77, 78, 79, 80 Freeways are the safest high-speed roads because they have no steep hills, sharp curves, stop signs, signals or railroad crossings, and exits only at planned spots. They have their own rules for entering, lane use and emergencies.
Plan your freeway trip: Use a map; plan exactly where you'll enter and leave Check gasoline, oil, water and tires – service stations are off the freeway Remember a breakdown on the freeway can be extremely dangerous Handbook p. 78 ↗ Entering the freeway: Follow signs to the correct entrance If the entrance lane is congested, slow down or stop near the entrance When it's clear, signal and speed up to match freeway traffic Move into the near lane if clear; if not, slow slightly and merge behind the oncoming vehicle Handbook p. 78 ↗ Know the rule
Never move slowly to the end of the entrance lane and stop. Entering freeway traffic from a stop there is very difficult and dangerous.
Handbook p. 78 ↗ Freeway lanes: passing, travel, entry/exit or slow travel, and breakdown lane Lane use on the freeway: Through traffic uses the left or center lanes at or near the posted limit The right lane is for vehicles that can't keep up with through traffic Keep the right lane open for entering and exiting traffic as much as possible In the right lane, leave space for entering vehicles Handbook p. 79 ↗ Never on a freeway: Stop, unless absolutely unavoidable Cross the center divider Turn around Back up – to reverse direction, exit and re-enter the other way Handbook p. 79 ↗ Know the rule
Don't follow too closely. Rear-end collisions are common on freeways and usually involve several vehicles.
Handbook p. 79 ↗ Emergency stops: Try to leave at the next exit If you must stop, drive entirely off the roadway, as far from traffic as possible Never stand or walk on the freeway Don't stop to help other drivers; report them to the proper authorities Handbook p. 79 ↗ Leaving the freeway: Watch exit signs and signal your intention Move into the exit lane Keep your speed until fully on the exit ramp, then slow smoothly Missed your exit? DO NOT stop or back up – go on to the next exit Handbook p. 80 ↗ Put it into practice
You're on the H-1 and realize your exit ramp just went by. Don't brake, back up on the shoulder or cut across the grass. Continue to the next exit and find your way back from there.
Check your understanding Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
On a freeway, if you miss your exit you should: continue to the next exit stop and wait for a gap to reverse cut across the median back up on the shoulder Answer: continue to the next exit
Continue to the next exit rather than backing up or crossing the median.
Handbook p. 80 ↗ You should never do which of the following on a freeway? Back up or cross the center divider Use your turn signal Watch exit signs Merge at freeway speed Answer: Back up or cross the center divider
Backing up or crossing the center divider on a freeway is prohibited.
Handbook p. 79 ↗ When merging onto a freeway, you should: stop at the end of the ramp and wait for a gap merge slowly, then speed up in the lane match your speed to freeway traffic merge at whatever speed the ramp allows Answer: match your speed to freeway traffic
Accelerate to match freeway traffic speed before merging in.
Handbook p. 78 ↗ On a freeway, the right lane should generally be kept open for: faster through traffic that is passing vehicles entering and leaving trucks only emergency vehicles only Answer: vehicles entering and leaving
The right lane should stay open for vehicles entering and exiting.
Handbook p. 79 ↗ If your vehicle breaks down on the freeway, you should: stand behind it to warn other drivers stop in the right lane with hazards on move it as far off the roadway as possible walk to the nearest exit along the traffic lanes Answer: move it as far off the roadway as possible
Move as far off the roadway as possible and keep occupants clear of traffic.
Handbook p. 79 ↗ You may legally back up on a freeway if you miss your exit. True False Answer: False
Backing up on a freeway is prohibited; continue to the next exit instead.
Handbook p. 79 ↗ Previous lesson Right-of-way at intersections Next lesson Centerlines, lane lines and edgelines More in Rules of the Road & Right-of-Way About the source Roadwise’s Hawaii course uses the driver handbook edition supplied with this study pack. This lesson cites source pages 77, 78, 79, 80. The linked PDF is a third-party mirror of the handbook, rather than a government-hosted page.
Open the handbook source PDF · View the source edition
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