Lesson 9: Changing Direction at Volume
Multi-lane roundabouts, right turns across traffic, spiral lanes.
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EDT Session 10 of 12
Speed Management.
Dual carriageway practice, plus motorway theory for when you can.
Learners can't drive on motorways in Ireland, so Lesson 10 is the theory of higher-speed driving paired with in-car dual carriageway practice.
- 60 minutes
- One learner, one instructor
- RSA-set syllabus
- Logged on MyRoadSafety within ten working days
Around 6 minutes to read.
The posted limit is a maximum, not a target.
The number on the sign is the ceiling. It's the most you're allowed to drive in perfect conditions. Wet road drops it. Fog drops it further. Stopping distance on a wet road is roughly double the dry figure at the same speed. You pick the safe speed. The sign just caps it.
Harsh braking from 100 km/h involves forces of roughly 0.8G on passengers. Loose objects in the car become projectiles. That's why the glovebox and the rear shelf get a mention even in Lesson 10.
RSA Rules of the Road, AA Ireland stopping distance data.
What the lesson covers
8 things you leave with.
Pulled faithfully from the RSA's Lesson 10 syllabus. Each concept is a short, specific beat.
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Learner permit holders cannot drive on motorways in Ireland.
Lesson 10 covers motorway theory for when you hold a full licence. The in-car practice stays on dual carriageways.
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Dual carriageway driving.
Two-lane, separated from oncoming traffic by a physical barrier or median. 100 km/h default limit unless signed otherwise. Legal for learners.
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Lane discipline at speed.
Keep left. Overtake on the right. Return to the left once the overtake is complete.
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Variable speed zones.
N-roads where the limit drops from 100 to 80 to 60 within a few kilometres. Reading the signs becomes a live task, not a background one.
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Overtaking at speed.
Big commitment. Clear view ahead. Enough power in reserve. Never on a bend, near a junction, or with oncoming traffic visible.
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Following distance.
Two seconds minimum in the dry. Four in the wet. More in fog. Count it, don't guess it.
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Weather-adjusted speed.
Dry clear road allows the posted limit. Wet drops the safe speed even if the number hasn't changed. Fog drops it further still.
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Environmental effects.
Fuel use climbs above 100 km/h. Motorway theory covers fuel, range, and the case for the left lane when nobody's overtaking.
What goes wrong in this hour
The mistakes that come up every time.
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Treating Lesson 10 as motorway practice.
It isn't. Learners can't legally drive on motorways. In-car work stays on dual carriageways and variable-speed N-roads. Anyone telling you different is wrong.
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Under-speed on a clear dual carriageway.
Failure to make reasonable progress is a fault. 70 km/h in a 100 zone with a clear road ahead reads as hesitation.
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Over-committing to an overtake.
Pulling out without enough power to complete. Stranded in the right lane with oncoming traffic ahead.
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Hogging the outer lane.
Finishing the overtake and staying right. Left is the default. Right is the exception.
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Keeping the dry-road speed in the wet.
The sign didn't change, the grip did. Adjust.
Practice
Quiz 1. Overtaking commit game.
Slow vehicle ahead. Clear road beyond. Tap when you'd commit.
Overtaking commit video quiz. Coming in the next release.
The most common miss is over-committing late. The safe overtake is over before the oncoming car is close enough to worry about.
The hour, walked through
How Lesson 10 runs.
The lesson starts parked. The first ten minutes set the legal frame: learners cannot drive on motorways in Ireland, Lesson 10 pairs dual carriageway practice with motorway theory for when the learner holds a full licence. A short walk-through of motorway-specific rules, signage, and lane discipline follows. The theory is taught stationary or on quiet approaches, not in the fast lane of a road a learner can't drive on.
The car moves to a dual carriageway within Dublin's orbital ring: sections of the N81, N2, or N3 beyond the urban cap. The learner drives at the posted limit, practises lane changes, and performs a safe overtake on a clear stretch. Speed-limit transitions are drilled specifically. The learner names the next limit before the instructor does. If the weather cooperates, wet-road adjustment is taught live. Rain lessons are prized for this reason and often deliberately booked for Lesson 10.
The last ten minutes debrief parked. The logbook is stamped. Feedback names the specific lane-change that stayed right too long, or the specific speed-zone transition that was read late. Motorway theory gets a short paper handout to take home.
Between this lesson and the next
What to practise with your Sponsor.
- Drive a dual carriageway in both directions. Thirty minutes minimum. Keep left. Overtake properly. Return left.
- Safely overtake a slower vehicle on a clear stretch. Plan the gap. Commit. Finish the move without lingering.
- Read the Rules of the Road on speed limits, overtaking, weather conditions, and motorway rules. Motorway chapter for when you hold a full licence. Read it now anyway.
Practice
Quiz 2. Wet-dry stopping comparison.
Pick a speed. See what the wet road costs you.
Wet-dry stopping comparison. Coming in the next release.
At 80 km/h the wet stopping distance is roughly double the dry. At 100 it's worse. The sign doesn't know it's raining. You do.
Pairs with the theory test
What this lesson overlaps with on paper.
Practice
Quiz 3. Limit-drop reaction time.
Sign ahead. Limit drops. Tap when you'd lift off.
Limit-drop reaction quiz. Coming in the next release.
Reading the sign early is the difference between a smooth drop in speed and a harsh brake fifty metres later.
Around Lesson 10
Keep going.
All twelve EDT lessons
- 01 Car Controls and Safety Checks
- 02 Correct Positioning
- 03 Changing Direction
- 04 Progression Management
- 05 Positioning, More Complex Situations
- 06 Anticipation and Reaction
- 07 Sharing the Road
- 08 Driving Safely Through Traffic
- 09 Changing Direction at Volume
- 10 Speed Management
- 11 Driving Calmly
- 12 Night Driving
Book it
Ready for this one?
Lesson 10 sits in the final block. It opens up once Lessons 2 to 8 are logged on the RSA system. If you're up to Lesson 10, you're in the last third. If you haven't started, Lesson 1 is where you begin.
Dublin pickup, D1 to D18. Dual controls. Logbook stamped and uploaded within ten working days.