Safe Speed Forums

I was taught that traffic already on the motorway is not obliged to yield to vehicles emerging from a slip road, however, in the interests of traffic flow and overall safety it makes sense to allow plenty of room for vehicles to merg or indeed if it's safe to do so, briefly change lanes to vacate lane 1.

Looking at it from the other aspect of the vehicle 'racing', you don't make it entirely clear why they're racing.

If I'm joining a motorway, I find it's prudent to match my speed to the flow of traffic and 'aim' for a suitable space. If that space is ahead of my position but I'm in a suitable vehicle and can reach that space in time by accelerating then I will. I'm not racing you, I'm just trying not to disrupt the flow of traffic.

I was in an odd situation last week where both myself and an AA recovery vehicle had to use the hard shoulder to merge onto the M6 because there wasn't any avaialable spaces even though it might've been a good idea for the drivers already on the motorway to make some room for merging traffic, but they didn't!!

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If I have to explain you won't understand.

"Looking at it from the other aspect of the vehicle 'racing', you don't make it entirely clear why they're racing"

Because I imagine that they all seem to think they are the best drivers in the world and think they are the bees knees. And they of course have not been taught properly. I move over only when safe to do so. I have no intention of colliding with traffic in L2. or L1

I passed my test in 1968. From what I can understand the test these days is a bit of a farce. Simulated driving is not the same as the real thing.

Dept of Transport some TV spots educating drivers PLEASE!!!!!!!

Speaking personally, it would only be because it's far safer to accelerate and create more space between myself and anything behind me rather than decelerate and create a hazard. Also the further I am in front of 'you' then the safer it is for all concerned for me to merge onto the carriageway, wouldn't you agree?

And FWIW, I wouldn't be showing off, I'd just be using the available performance of whatever car I'm driving so's not to inconvenience, (or worse), any other road users. If I was in any doubt about the vehicles ability to 'make' the manoeuver, I'd opt to adjust my speed to merge appropriately otherwise.

ETA - I'm not condoning any reckless behaviour WRT joining a carriageway from a slip road, I'm only advocating the use of extra velocity to generate space in order to promote traffic flow and reduce the potential for contention over road space. I'm only really defending my reasons for accelerating onto the carriageway which I believe you interpret as 'racing'.

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If I have to explain you won't understand.

Believe me mate I feel your pain I passed my test a good few years after you, 1983 to be precise, and I've witnessed a steady decline in driving behaviour, particularly in terms of respect for the law and other road users.
On a drive down to West Midlands Safari Park yesterday I witnessed:

A driver ignore a red traffic light and drive straight through having momentarily slowed.
Someone undertake on a dual carriageway - the vehicle ahead was in the correct lane but wasn't doing the 90 mph (or whatever) that the twat wanted to go at.
Someone driving at 45 -50 mph in an NSL area and, yes, through villages with 30 mph limits. Whenever this individual encountered a bend, on came the brakes, if there was an oncoming vehicle, OONNNNNN came the brakes. They eventually perfomed a right turn into a housing estate after positioning themselves in the centre of the lane. Overall, appalling driving.

The list is endless however the authorities seem utterly uninterested in restoring the respect and driver quality we once enjoyed. Its a bloody shame and an outrage.

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Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

Sorry, it's a small point, but at the risk of sounding antagonistic, but my curiosity has gotten the better of me...........sorry!

If the vehicle in front was in the 'correct lane' as you say, then how was it possible for the 'twat' to use the space to the left of the vehicle ahead with which to pass him?

FWIW, I passed my test in '86 and consider myself to be an enthusiastic motorist as I'm sure most of the contributors to this forum are. I too am inscensed by the blatant disregard for 'good' driving skills these days that I firmly believe is bred by the 'speed kills' ethos. So much so that in the late '90's, I got myself a desk job, 'cos I feared for my life carrying out the mobile aspect of my vocation. Unfortunately, I now travel a fair bit again, but for the most part I don't enjoy it, but endeavour at all times to employ what I was taught by an ex-police instructor. If only everyone was trained to at least a level somewhere between the that required by the current driving test and that which a driver is deemed 'expert' we would go a long way to a) making driving enjoyable again and b) reducing KSI's and insurance statistics.

[/rant over]

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If I have to explain you won't understand.

The carriageway splits at junctions and is demarqued as such. L1 is for the offslip and then the onslip only. L2 is for continuing on past the junction only.

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Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

I see, thanks.

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If I have to explain you won't understand.

Chajun,
What vehicles were behind you,
as if you are at a in lane 1 the artic lorries are limited to 56mph, could you have caused bunching of the vehicles behind you, making the drivers on the slip road see only the gap in front of you as available.

In free flowing traffic I aim to be doing about 60 at the end of the slip road, so I can filter in at comparable speed to the wagons or other traffic in lane 1.

Also merging from the slip can be quite intense, looking at the main carriageway to plan your gap, and also checking the guy in front hasn't braked to go for the same gap (or just 'cos the're a numpty), checking the main carriageway again, whereas on the main carriageway it's basically don't hit what is in front of you.

I do sympathise with you as if I was transporting the same 'cargo' as you I would be pretty paranoid.

Do you find the same problem when you are driving a car?
or are you in lane 3 doing 90 like me

Oh and welcome,

fatboytim

If only L2 carries on through the junctions, then using L1 is the only way to pass a slow-moving vehicle in L2. I'm not saying the manouevre you observed was remotely reasonable, but it sounds like a stupid and obstructive piece of road design to me.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Seems every Devils Advocate has now appeared on this forum. Is it normally like this? Just to clarify. I was in the correct lane. I was doing 50mph as the vehicle is speed limited. I was cut up twice by cars who approached the motorway far to fast. There were vehicles approaching on lane 2 so could not change lanes even five minutes earlier.


Now I think enough said as quite a lot of the posters seem to condone/ defend stupid drivers. Or are they just wind up merchants?

No, of course not, just make sure you cover absolutely every angle thats all.



Oh but it won an award Peter, see here... http://www.safespeed.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14795

The, er, "slow" moving vehicle* was travelling at slightly above the speed** designated for the road, a speed which is denoted by ample signage. In spite of the prohibitive nature of the road layout many drivers manage to negotiate it properly. Its just the impatient wankers**** who seem unable to figure it all out or unwilling to co-operate with the others.
But hey, I'm sure they're all responsible people in most other senses of the word - just not when they get in their bloody cars.

* No the 'slow' moving vehicle wasn't me.
** I knew this bacuse I was keeping pace with it at a fixed distance behind***
*** No this distance wasn't too close
**** Yes, I'm positive they can't ALL be rushing to some sort of emergency.

This post contains traces of sarcasm.

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Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

No, no, no. We're trying to help you. Honestly. Seriously.

No amount of bleating, blaming or complaining will stop the idiots that you came into conflict with. So we're suggesting alternative strategies so that you can be safer on the road in spite of the idiots.

Or let me put it another way...

There will always be idiots. What are you going to do about it?

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Tell me about it. As soon as the grockle season starts we get loads of them down here.

Mind you, you're lucky they were doing 45-50 in the NSL. Anything even slightly bendy and 35 to 40 is more common in my experience.

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Save a cow - eat a vegetarian

quite.... i gave up becoming indignant or self righteous a long time ago (not saying you are the latter btw), there are too many eejits and not enough hours in the day.

if by backing off gently i can accomodate someone elses lack of planning i don't sweat the 1/2 second it cost me.

also bearing in mind i can't claim to be a perfect driver every time i get in a car, i try very hard not to judge another driver on one poorly executed manouvre.

And its what society teaches. You're the one to blame as you should have anticipated their twittish behaviour and avoided it at all costs even if you had no clues. As a responsible road user, it is ultimately your responsibility to look over death-wish pedestrians, take the blame for drunken cyclists, make allowances for boy racers, take the blame, never retaliate by blowing your horn or getting angry, and instead just sit there, shake your head, put on a big smile and say "Hey kids, we nearly died there, but its OK now..."

I've been flamed on the newsgroups... My articulation is a little, whack, essentially, what never came across is I avoided an collision where someone was trying to take a racing line on a roundabout without due care and consideration.

The argument i've been reading is that I should have avoided it.

Or maybe I should have been aware he was closing the gap before I was aware he was closing the gap.

Either way, it's got me thinking that we all have our own risk straegies, and some will push the envelope more than others. But there are some who really are in more control, alert, focussed. I figure there's a fine line between safety and assertiveness.

Quite often I've found that keeping some erratic twits behind you is more beneficial, as you can control the situation. I've often found myself pacing other peoples braking.

Cya
Simon