Don't Be Driven Insane - a Guide to Road Types in Britain

In this article I look at types of road you will encounter in Britain and local specialities such as roundabouts and box junctions. We’ll finish up with a look at differences between driving in the Great Britain and driving in the US and Commonwealth countries and a list of English equivalent terms such as boot rather than trunk.

ROADS
In the UK most of the major road maintenance schemes are carried out in the summer months. When visiting in summer don't be surprised if you find long sections of roads, particularly motorways, with one or more lanes coned off to allow road maintenance crews to carry out repairs.

In the UK overtaking on the inside (i.e. to the left of another vehicle) is illegal. You may only overtake (i.e. pass) by pulling out to the right of another vehicle and around it. However, people do sometimes break the rules and overtake on the left-hand side so be prepared for this.

Motorways
Motorways are the British equivalent of Interstate’s, National Highways or Freeways. There are restrictions on who can use motorways; cyclists, pedestrians and slow moving agricultural vehicles are all banned. Motorway entrances & exits are always in and out of the left hand lane. Exits are clearly marked and you'll have plenty of warning before your exit approaches; the first sign is 1 mile from the exit followed by a reminder at ½ or 1/3 of a mile before the exit. All motorway signs are white on a blue background.

The network is comprehensive but tends to run North-South, East west routes are often on A roads – see below. All motorway junctions are numbered and these are marked on maps. Certain parts of the motorway network have variable speed limits. Signs above the carriageway indicate when this is in force with the new speed limit displayed inside a red circle.

The entrance to motorways are generally roundabouts (see below) so exit slip roads (off-ramps) usually lead to a roundabout so that you have the option of turning either left or right or even rejoining the motorway if you find you've made a mistake and have left at the wrong junction.

Britain is a small island and congestion is common, particularly during the rush hour (typically 07:30-9:00 and 16.30 to 18.00). Routes to avoid include the M25 around London, the M6 junctions 4 - 10 & 19 - 22 and the M5 south of Bristol. Most motorways are toll free, although some bridges and crossing require you to pay tolls, (e.g. the QE2 Bridge and Dartford Tunnel on the M25 at Dartford, and the Severn River Crossing between Wales and England on the M4 one way only!). There is one Toll motorway which bypasses the busy M6 around Birmingham.

British motorways have an additional inside lane known as the hard shoulder. This is for use only in emergencies. You should not stop on the hard shoulder except in the event of a breakdown or other emergency.

If you must use the shoulder; pull on to it and stop as far to the left as possible. Switch on hazard lights. Leave side lights on if it is dark. Leave the vehicle by the left door. All passengers should stand on the grass as far away from the hard shoulder and carriageways as possible. Keep children under strict control DO NOT WALK ACROSS ANY CARRIAGEWAYS.

If you sense any danger return to the vehicle using the left door and lock yourself inside. Leave the vehicle again when you feel the danger has passed. You should never remain in your vehicle on the hard shoulder; vehicles may veer off the motorway & hit your car. The risk of injury to an occupant of a parked vehicle on the hard shoulder is about 4.5 times that of driving along the motorway!

Emergency phones (which connect you to the police) are located at one mile intervals on the hard shoulder. The posts along the hard shoulder are marked with arrows to indicate the direction of the nearest call box. Calls are free but these phones are intended for use only in the event of a breakdown, accident or other emergency.

If you use a motorway phone have handy your vehicle registration number, your location, and membership information for your breakdown cover if you have it. After giving details, return to the vehicle and wait.

Service areas are clearly signed and are generally around 30 miles apart. They are located adjacent to the motorway and usually have their own entrance and exit slip roads although occasionally the service station will be located next to the exit roundabout. Service areas are expensive and cheaper fuel and food is found off the motorways so whenever possible fill up before joining the motorway.

Motorways are patrolled by traffic police and by unmarked police cars. The first you will know when you are stopped by an unmarked car is when the blue lights (usually mounted in the radiator grill or under the bumpers) start to flash. In addition there are Highways Agency Traffic Officers who assist the police to maintain traffic flow; their vehicles often look like police vehicles.

'A' Roads
'A' roads are the next highest quality roughly equivalent to a US Highway or state highway. They may be one or two lane. Roads with more than one lane on either side are known as dual-carriageways and will usually have a barrier of some sort to separate the carriageways.

Roads with only one lane in each direction will usually have a broken white line down the middle to indicate the position of the centre of the road. The length of the white dashes is longer on the approach to hazards such as bends. A double solid white line means that overtaking is not permitted for traffic on either side of the road.

A double white line comprising a solid line and a broken line indicates that overtaking is allowed only for traffic on the broken line side. Solid white lines across the carriageway at a junction (usually accompanied by a red and white stop sign) mean that you must stop before proceeding across the junction. Bends in the road are often indicated by black and white chevrons - the more chevrons the sharper the curve.

'B' Roads
'B' roads are narrower single lane roads. Driving on these is much slower than on motorways or 'A' roads. However in compensation you'll find that "B-roads" can lead you into quaint villages and interesting towns you might otherwise miss.

Unnumbered Roads
Roads with no letter or number will be of lower quality still. In the countryside these roads are unlikely to have any markings or lighting. In some more remote areas these may be single track roads with passing places.

If you are driving on a single track road pay attention to where the wide spots are - these are the passing places. Some places are marked with handy signs that say "Passing Place." Do NOT park in these spaces. When you meet an oncoming vehicle, one of you may have to reverse into the nearest passing place. Who reverses is usually dictated whoever is closest to a passing place and whether you are on a hill.

JUNCTIONS
Roundabouts
Roundabouts are essentially intersections, but are designed to keep the flow of traffic moving at a constant pace. On approaching a roundabout you should slow down and be prepared to stop, but don’t automatically stop – the driver behind won’t be expecting that. When entering a roundabout do not forget to look for bicycles and motorbikes - they are easily overlooked.

You go round a roundabout in a clockwise direction and signal left as you pass the exit before the one you want to take. You must give way to traffic coming from the right if the roundabout is not controlled by traffic lights.

Know where you are heading for, this enables you to find which exit you require so that you leave the roundabout on the correct road. As you approach look at the signs and count which exit you want, i.e. if your required road is the third exit then when on the roundabout you have to pass 2 exits before you leave the roundabout on the third. Use the left hand lane if turning left or going straight on. On a three lane roundabout you can use the middle lane for going straight on. Use the right hand lane if turning right.

If in doubt about which exit you want and can’t check before joining then my advice is to indicate and take the right hand lane and go right around the roundabout once so you can see where your exit is, on the second trip round move over to the appropriate lane to leave correctly. Never attempt to leave directly from the right-hand lane and do not go all the way around to the last exit in the left-hand lane.

Box Junctions
Another junction which is common in Britain but rarer elsewhere in the world is the box junction. The surface of the junction is marked with a grid of criss-crossing diagonal lines and vehicles may not enter the marked area. Drivers may enter the box and wait when they want to turn right, and are only stopped from doing so by oncoming traffic, or by other vehicles waiting to turn right. Box junctions are found on some traffic light controlled junctions and also outside fire stations and other emergency vehicle depots.

DIFFERENCES TO WATCH OUT FOR WHEN VISITING BRITAIN
You can not pass a vehicle on either side of it. You MUST only overtake by passing to the right of the vehicle in front.

You must never turn on a red light
Traffic lights are not suspended over the junctions but on posts at the corners.

Rental vehicles tend to be smaller than in the US. Generally assume that the cars within each group are going to be of a similar size to those in the next group down in the US.

If you need an automatic you must request one – standard UK hire cars are manual (stick shift)

Speed limit signs are posted in measures of tens, not fives as they are in the US

The road route signs are mostly not marked as "North/South" or "East/West," they're mainly marked with a town or city that is in the direction you're travelling.

Sign backgrounds are coloured depending on their function; Motorway signs have blue backgrounds. Non-Motorway primary routes have green backgrounds, local route signs have white backgrounds, tourist information boards have brown backgrounds and temporary signs have yellow backgrounds

Road names are not suspended over the junctions, they are found on signs on the corners of the junctions, sometimes on the walls of properties at the junction.

Drive–thru; apart from fast food outlets drive-thu outlets are very rare.

NB This guide is designed to help you drive in the UK; it is not intended to be a comprehensive statement of the law as it applies to motorists. For current details of the laws and responsibilities of drivers in Britain and all matters relating to driving in the UK visit http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/.

US English / British English motoring related terms

US English - British English
911 - 999
Antenna - Aerial
Beltway, loop - Ring road, circular road
Blacktop - Tarmac
Blinkers - Indicators
Cell phone - Mobile phone
Deductible (insurance) - Excess
Detour - Diversion, Deviation
Dirt road - Track, unpaved road
Fender - Bumper
Gas - Petrol
Grade crossing - Level crossing
Hood - Bonnet
Intersection - Cross roads
Lamp - Bulb
License plate - Number plate
Mailbox - Pillar box
Median - Central reservation
Muffler (car) - Silencer
On-ramp, off-ramp - Sliproad
Overpass - Flyover
Parking brake - handbrake
Parking garage/ramp - multi-storey car park
Parking lot - Car park
Parking garage - Multi Story Car park
Pass (another car) - Overtake
Pavement - Tarmac
Pedestrian crossing, - Zebra crossing, pelican crossing
Pullout, pulloff - Lay by
Reflectors (in the road) - Cat's eyes
Sidewalk - Pavement
Station Wagon - Estate
Tire - Tyre
Tractor-trailer - Articulated lorry or "artic"
Traffic circle - Roundabout
Traffic light, stop light - Traffic light
Transmission - Gearbox
Truck stop - Transport café
Trunk - Boot
Windshield - Windscreen
Yield - Give way