leaving the motorway

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

KevinF

Active Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2012
Messages
83
Location
Hungerford
Car
E saloon
This is most emphatically not a rant: I make a rule never to let the behaviour of other road users wind me up.

However, in the spirit of informed debate here I offer the following -

Motorway - it doesn't matter which one. Light-ish traffic, most of it in the outer two lanes, naturally. Yours truly doing 65 in the inside lane, sensible distance between me and the vehicle in front. No vehicles within hundreds of yards behind me (important this). We are approaching an exit slip. From the right, a much faster vehicle dives between me and the vehicle in front then slams the anchors on. I have to brake to re-establish a sensible separation distance.

Happens so many times to me on my travels that I've lost count. I simply smile, keep calm, and carry on. But it does make me wonder:

Why could they not have braked earlier, used the hundreds of yards of empty lane behind me and inconvenienced no-one?

Is it:

a) They wake up in the morning and don't consider it to have been a good day if at least once they didn't bully someone? Or -

b) They have an inability to plan ahead, moderate speed and direction accordingly? Or -

c) Junction? What junction? Oh, that junction! Oh sh*t!
 
A combination of 'b' and 'c' I reckon.
They are so bloody minded that they have to be going as fast as possible in "fast" lane, (erm, 2nd overtaking lane), that they don't register the exit slip until the last second then have to cut in. I see it all the time on the A5 every morning.
 
C

It's happened to me sometimes on M-ways and in towns/cities that I am unfamiliar with. Not my proudest moment but honest mistakes.

Find it hard to understand the aggression (clearly not from the OP) that some drivers reserve for those not local to their home town/commute, it's like they have never been lost or made a mistake - Or, maybe, never driven to somewhere new to them?
 
C, squirrel brained drivers have two modes, on task, or off.

You are not there to be annoyed or respected, you don't exist at all. Your car does exist, just, as an obstacle.

They don't mean anything by it.
 
Aaah Lewyboy, my description was not clear enough and has let you miss the point: there is linear acres of space behind, yet they *have* to barge in when slowing a little more before moving to the left would enable them to join the empty inside lane behind by a car length and a bit.

If it's C, it's not the lack of local knowledge I mind but the insistence on making their problem an inconvenience for someone else.
 
Sometimes other drivers are just c0cks.

Glad to see you don't take it personally, some will. #persecution compex
 
Sadly, it's probably a 4th option which is an attitude that growing more and more widespread... they just don't care.

They have the ability to execute the move properly, but they just don't care to.

Things like this are noticed more by enthusiasts and anyone with an interest in driving, which is why it ticks us lot off more.




Oh, it's also noticed by people who like to remain alive, too. :eek::D
 
a) They wake up in the morning and don't consider it to have been a good day if at least once they didn't bully someone?

I think that's basically it - they have to score that little victory by beating someone to the junction.
 
I think that's basically it - they have to score that little victory by beating someone to the junction.

When you consider the country mile of unoccupied highway behind, it looks a lot like that doesn't it?
 
It is getting worse out there something like a mine field. You just have to listen to radio 2 on a morning the lists of roads and motorways closed or very slow due to multi vehicle accidents. Afraid its going to hit insurance premiums before long.
 
The most skilled amongst them perform the manoeuvre that you describe without recourse to anything so tiresome as an indicator.
 
I work shift patterns so end up on the motorway every day of the week and the worst days for this kind of driving are Saturday and Sunday. Weekends seem to bring out a different caliber of idiot and I don't just mean Sunday drivers. During the week I find that most people may drive fast and may carry out the type of maneuver the op described in the first post but its done with a bit more respect but come the weekend........
 
Being a truck driver I see this happen everyday multiple times a day very frustrating but I just let them get on with one day they will do it and it will be the last time it happens.
As another person has said Saturdays and Sundays are far worse as these people don't tend to use the motorways so often and panic.

This is the one of the biggest problem for truck drivers as we leave enough braking distance to allow us to stop for the weigh that we are carrying (which tends to be a large distance) but yet people pull in front hit their brakes and then wonder why we have hit them and now pushing them down the motorway!
I guess some people have bad judgement of speed and distance.
 
I try and time it so that I slide across three lanes and exit the motorway all in one motion, with not even a dab on the brakes.
 
This is the one of the biggest problem for truck drivers as we leave enough braking distance to allow us to stop for the weigh that we are carrying (which tends to be a large distance) but yet people pull in front hit their brakes and then wonder why we have hit them and now pushing them down the motorway!
I guess some people have bad judgement of speed and distance.

Generally speaking (although clearly not applicable to you based on what you say here), lorry drivers are amongst the worst tailgaters on our roads.

Many will happily trundle along the motorway for mile after mile at 56mph whilst sitting 8 feet behind the rear doors of the lorry in front.
 
Scott_F said:
Generally speaking (although clearly not applicable to you based on what you say here), lorry drivers are amongst the worst tailgaters on our roads. Many will happily trundle along the motorway for mile after mile at 56mph whilst sitting 8 feet behind the rear doors of the lorry in front.
I have to disagree with you on that Yes it does happen but if you look and watch you will see what is really happening ie car drivers not letting us out to other lanes and us not wanting to slow down because it takes so long to regain the speed we have lost or we have just let the other truck to move back into our lane and knowing their truck is faster than mine and the road is clear ahead so the chances of him braking is very slim and so they gradually pulling away It's all about forward thinking and road awareness something many people don't have!
 
Last edited:
Being a truck driver I see this happen everyday multiple times a day very frustrating but I just let them get on with one day they will do it and it will be the last time it happens.
As another person has said Saturdays and Sundays are far worse as these people don't tend to use the motorways so often and panic.

This is the one of the biggest problem for truck drivers as we leave enough braking distance to allow us to stop for the weigh that we are carrying (which tends to be a large distance) but yet people pull in front hit their brakes and then wonder why we have hit them and now pushing them down the motorway!
I guess some people have bad judgement of speed and distance.


Sympathies. It must have been you! I've seen truck drivers brake like mad at this very kind of behaviour.

Nice to know that it's not my own odd paranoia that drives my OP.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom