Straight answers to practical questions about driving, travelling, parking and getting around Northern Ireland.
On a Northern Ireland motorway, use the right-hand lane mainly for overtaking or when signs and traffic conditions require it; return to the left when the overtake is complete.
Blue signs on Northern Ireland motorways are generally used for motorway directions and information.
Motorway marker posts in Northern Ireland help identify your precise position and can also show the direction to the nearest emergency telephone.
Give emergency services the motorway number, direction of travel, nearest junction and any marker-post or emergency-phone reference you can see.
Motorway emergency roadside phones in Northern Ireland connect directly to police and are positioned so your location can be identified quickly.
Do not treat a Northern Ireland motorway hard shoulder as a normal place to refuel; running out of fuel is a breakdown situation and the priority is safety and recovery.
You should not attempt to change a tyre on a Northern Ireland motorway hard shoulder unless there is no safer option and you can do so without exposing yourself to live traffic.
Walking on a Northern Ireland motorway is prohibited except in an emergency, and even then movement should be limited to what is necessary to reach safety or an emergency telephone.
If your vehicle stops in a live motorway lane in Northern Ireland, switch on hazard lights immediately and call 999 or the police once it is safe to do so.
If you cannot safely leave a broken-down vehicle on a Northern Ireland motorway, keep hazard lights on, call emergency services or police and clearly explain that you are trapped in a live-traffic situation.
After a Northern Ireland motorway breakdown, passengers should wait well away from the carriageway and hard shoulder, preferably behind a barrier where safe and practical.
If you have reached the hard shoulder after a motorway breakdown in Northern Ireland, you should normally leave the vehicle when it is safe and wait well away from traffic.
If your car breaks down on a Northern Ireland motorway, leave at the next exit if possible; otherwise move onto the hard shoulder, stop as far left as possible and use hazard lights.
A Northern Ireland motorway hard shoulder may normally be used only for an emergency or breakdown, unless signs specifically open it as a running lane or bus lane under an authorised scheme.
No. You must not stop on a Northern Ireland motorway hard shoulder simply to make or receive a phone call.
Reversing on a Northern Ireland motorway is prohibited except in the most exceptional situation under the direction of police or authorised traffic control.
If you miss your exit on a Northern Ireland motorway, continue to the next exit and re-route.
No. Mopeds are not permitted on Northern Ireland motorways.
Agricultural tractors are generally not permitted on Northern Ireland motorways unless a specific class and legal exception allows motorway use.
A newly qualified Northern Ireland driver should plan lane discipline, joining, overtaking, following distance and breakdown procedure before their first motorway journey.
Motorways in Northern Ireland are restricted to permitted motor vehicles; pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders, mopeds and various slow or unsuitable vehicles are prohibited.
An A-frame used to tow a car in Northern Ireland can bring the towed car within trailer construction-and-use rules, so legality depends on the equipment, braking, weights and way the combination is used.
A broken-down car can be moved by tow rope in limited circumstances, but Northern Ireland guidance describes rope towing as potentially dangerous and recommends professional recovery.
Towing mirrors are required in Northern Ireland when the normal mirrors do not give an adequate view behind the trailer or caravan.
Caravan nose weight is the downward load the trailer applies to the tow ball; it should stay within both the caravan and towing vehicle manufacturer limits.
Yes. Poor trailer load distribution can make a towing combination unsafe and can contribute to a roadworthiness or dangerous-driving issue in Northern Ireland.
Cars towing trailers in Northern Ireland are generally limited to 30 mph in built-up areas, 50 mph on single carriageways and 60 mph on dual carriageways and motorways unless a lower signed limit applies.
If a trailer starts snaking on a Northern Ireland road, ease off the accelerator and reduce speed gently; do not accelerate, steer sharply or brake hard.
A car towing a trailer or caravan must not use the outside lane of a Northern Ireland motorway with more than two lanes unless other lanes are closed.
Warning markers are required for certain projecting loads in Northern Ireland; the Highway Code shows projection markers where a load or equipment overhangs the front or rear by more than two metres.
