what should you do when going through a contraflow system on a motorway

When going through a contraflow system on a motorway, you should mainly focus on keeping your speed down, your lane position steady, and your distance from the vehicle ahead safely increased.

Key action: what you should do

• Stay in your lane and do not change lanes unless directed by signs or road markings.

• Keep a good distance from the vehicle in front, leaving more space than usual because lanes are narrower and there is little or no hard shoulder.

• Reduce your speed in good time and obey any temporary speed limits shown on signs.

• Follow all temporary signs, cones, and road markings carefully, as they guide you safely through the works or incident area.

• Stay alert for workers, broken-down vehicles, sudden braking, and oncoming traffic that may be closer than on a normal motorway.

What to avoid

• Do not weave or switch lanes to “keep traffic flowing” – this is unsafe in a contraflow.

• Do not drive close to the vehicle ahead to “reduce queues”; tailgating is especially dangerous where lanes are narrow and there’s no hard shoulder.

• Do not exceed the posted temporary limit; it may be well below normal motorway speed because of narrow lanes, workers, and opposing traffic.

In simple driving-theory terms

If you see the question “what should you do when going through a contraflow system on a motorway?” the recognised correct response is to keep a good distance from the vehicle ahead and proceed at a safe, reduced speed while staying in your lane and following signs.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.