Confusion reigns on British motorways

One in three Britons don’t understand motorway signs and the same amount think that motorway message signs are not useful or have poor and inaccurate information.

Meanwhile, motorway fear is real amongst drivers, especially those who are new to the roads, with over half (60%) of millennials avoiding them altogether.

This is according to research conducted by car supermarket, CarShop.

It also found that nearly one in four drivers (23%)^[ have ignored the red X sign on a smart motorway and over a third (37%) of drivers have admitted to exceeding the 70mph speed limit on motorways as they are unsure about the rules of the road.

It also sought to debunk a number of motorway myths.

For example, the ‘fast lane’ and ‘slow lane’ don’t actually exist, as the left hand lane should be used for normal driving and the other two lanes should only be used for overtaking.

Also, when joining a motorway, drivers should give way to traffic already in lane – many believe drivers on the motorway should give way to those joining, but they actually have the right of way.

Meanwhile, on smart motorways, even when display screens are inactive and completely black, the integrated speed cameras are still active and can capture the number plates of speeding drivers as normal. Speed cameras on smart motorways do not turn off.