Joining a dual carriageway or motorway

[Deleted member 6183]

I've been trying to imagine how many times drivers will merge onto a motorway every single day in the UK without incident or, even, a second thought.

I can't put a figure on it but it must me a LOT.

 

[renault12ts]

I've been trying to imagine how many times drivers will merge onto a motorway every single day in the UK without incident or, even, a second thought.

I can't put a figure on it but it must me a LOT.

Loads.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Loads.

I've been thinking about it.
I reckon that it's more than that.

 

[clk320x]

I stopped both cars and attempted to chat to the drivers, but they didn't seem to want to chat, I wonder why?

How can you stop them? You are not a police officer.

I wish I had that much spare time!

 

[190]

I've been trying to imagine how many times drivers will merge onto a motorway every single day in the UK without incident or, even, a second thought.

Almost all will join without a collision but without incident is not necessarily the same as doing it correctly if they relied on one or more drivers already on the motorway to deviate from their speed. The real question is how many do it wrong in that way. If you are on the motorway you can generally see them coming and judge how they are going to behave. The vast majority will be sensible but if there are two or more nose to tail on the slip road you already know they are either aggressive drivers or of low IQ and certainly not thinking about how their little wagon train is going to fit in. On their own the aggressive ones aren't really a problem as their time on the inside lane will be fleeting. It's the slower mindless ones that just keep coming regardless that are the worry.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Almost all will join without a collision but without incident is not necessarily the same as doing it correctly if they relied on one or more drivers already on the motorway to deviate from their speed. The real question is how many do it wrong in that way. If you are on the motorway you can generally see them coming and judge how they are going to behave. The vast majority will be sensible but if there are two or more nose to tail on the slip road you already know they are either aggressive drivers or of low IQ and certainly not thinking about how their little wagon train is going to fit in. On their own the aggressive ones aren't really a problem as their time on the inside lane will be fleeting. It's the slower mindless ones that just keep coming regardless that are the worry.

I really don't have a problem if I need to deviate my speed, in fact I do it all the time without getting upset.

 

[clk320x]

I really don't have a problem if I need to deviate my speed, in fact I do it all the time without getting upset.

Aren’t you in lane 3 anyway?

 

[E55BOF]

What is this Lane 1 in which some of you drive? I am vaguely aware of it, but very rarely in it...

 

[french]

Its lane where you go if you have a mis-fire...

 

[E55BOF]

That must be why I'm only in it occasionally, then...

 

[french]

...you know I is jealousSSSS

 

[Riva811]

Had a similar conversation with my cousin who had an accident and insisted he was right but in the end he was blamed by both the police and insurance companies. They cant come to a full stop until you pass, leftmost lane means you are going below the speed limit and you are happy to/shoud give priority to others. If there is dense traffic behind you, you can slow down even further to allow them in, within reason. I guess the other problem we have in the UK are the stupid speed limits some big roads have - especially at 40mph, most cars in the leftmost lane are 30-35mph and queue up.

 

[NDFR]

What is this Lane 1 in which some of you drive? I am vaguely aware of it, but very rarely in it...

Lane 1 = 60 mph

Lane 2 = 70 mph

Lane 3 = 80+ mph

glad to help

 

[Dippo]

Had a similar conversation with my cousin who had an accident and insisted he was right but in the end he was blamed by both the police and insurance companies. They cant come to a full stop until you pass, leftmost lane means you are going below the speed limit and you are happy to/shoud give priority to others. If there is dense traffic behind you, you can slow down even further to allow them in, within reason. I guess the other problem we have in the UK are the stupid speed limits some big roads have - especially at 40mph, most cars in the leftmost lane are 30-35mph and queue up.

Left hand lane does not mean you are going below the speed limit; it simply means you are not overtaking. Left hand lane does not mean you are happy to or should give priority to others - the clue might be in the fact that traffic joining the motorway or dual carriageway has to give way. Joining traffic can come to a full stop if that is what is necessary.

 

[PRB]

I don't understand how people have trouble with this.

If you approached a T junction with a Give Way sign you would not just pull out expecting on coming vehicles to stop, slow or swerve to accommodate you (well if you're a millenial you might)

So why would you expect vehicles to do this at the end of a slip road where there are Give Way road markings, after all its the same thing.

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Lane 1 = 60 mph

Lane 2 = 70 mph

Lane 3 = 80+ mph

glad to help

If only. All too often it’s:

Lane 1 = 56 mph

Lane 2 = 58 mph

Lane 3 = 60 mph

 

[Deleted member 131833]

Just driven 1000 miles on motorway and quite frankly appalled at people’s awareness of traffic, I keep left even if doing 70, frequently blocked in by drivers just not aware of their surroundings, lorry in front of me, car pacing me in middle lane, refuses to pull into third lane and I have to brake to let them past before overtaking the lorry.

Cars arriving down slip road with me in inside lane and car passing me with third lane clear, does the overtaking car read the road and pull over into third lane no, I have to brake to let the joining car pull in front of me at a slower speed than I am travelling.

Don’t they teach driver awareness anymore? Or consideration for other drivers?

If you do show consideration to others have to say you are generally given a wave or flash of lights to say thank you, especially from HGV’s unless on foreign plates.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Just driven 1000 miles on motorway and quite frankly appalled at people’s awareness of traffic, I keep left even if doing 70, frequently blocked in by drivers just not aware of their surroundings, lorry in front of me, car pacing me in middle lane, refuses to pull into third lane and I have to brake to let them past before overtaking the lorry.

Cars arriving down slip road with me in inside lane and car passing me with third lane clear, does the overtaking car read the road and pull over into third lane no, I have to brake to let the joining car pull in front of me at a slower speed than I am travelling.

Don’t they teach driver awareness anymore? Or consideration for other drivers?

If you do show consideration to others have to say you are generally given a wave or flash of lights to say thank you, especially from HGV’s unless on foreign plates.

Best avoid braking on the motorway. It can cause traffic jams and even accidents. The joining traffic should alter their speed.

 

[Deleted member 131833]

But what if they do not alter their speed?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

But what if they do not alter their speed?

My gut feel is that most would, especially if you beep the horn. Or they’ll drive into the side of you, or are you saying that’s almost what happened and so you braked?