Regulations and Features

A Sunday in April 2004 at 5 p.m. on Britain's busy M25

In Ireland and the UK, motorways are denoted by blue signage and an M-prefixed or suffixed road number.

The construction and surfacing of motorways is generally of a higher standard than conventional roads, and maintenance is carried out more frequently; in particular, motorways drain water very quickly to reduce hydroplaning. The road surface is generally tarmac (“black top”) or concrete (“white top”). Other features are crash barriers, cat’s eyes and, increasingly, textured road markings (a similar concept to rumble-strips).