Almost had a crash yesterday

[MissChief]

One of the reasons I like a car with a bit of poke. If I'm joining the carriageway I can give it some and increase my speed enough to make it safe to join or if someone is going to join alongside me and I'm in L1 I can speed up a little to allow them to join behind me.

I have seen people slowing down at the end of slip roads, even when the road is clear!

 

[SilverTongue]

So you swerved into an unsafe gap?

Check the poster's name

Also I would rather swerve into a gap if there was no way of stopping in time

 

[Conscript]

If you come up to a slip road and there's 3 or 4 cars trying to get on, then yes move over.

If it's safe to slow down a touch and let the car in front then do that.

But coming down past a slip road and not moving over to let a car that can't get behind or in front of you is just being stupid.

Why put both of you at risk?

Why put both yourself and the cars bearing down on you from behind at risk?

As I said, if there is room and space, I will do my best to move over and make things easier. But this is very often impossible when the road is busy with both/all lanes full of traffic, as the OP said. In that instance, switching lanes can be the more dangerous manoeuvre - you should at this point be checking over your right shoulder, when really it would be better to concentrate on the road ahead where someone is trying to join...

Better to maintain you speed, make sure you are leaving enough distance between yourself and the car in front, and leave it to those joining the motorway to slot into the traffic flow.

Yes it's a courtesy to move over to allow people joining a slip road more room, and it's one I try to extend to others at every available opportunity, and one I appreciate from others - but it's just that; a courtesy, and nothing more. At the end of the day, it is down to the person joining to give way to traffic already on the highway, and that traffic cant be expected to start changing lanes for you.

 

[86JR]

I don't understand why people go out of their way to allow people to join a dual carriageway/motorway even when it is not safe to do so.

I have seen some awful things happen from this including a woman in a bright yellow car bounce off a van in L2 because she pulled into L2 from L1 without looking to let someone into L1 from sliproad! Then she pulled off at the next sliproad aka hit and run!

 

[Ryan-3]

Like the idiot I had this morning. Had his left indicator on at the roundabout, yet shot straight across.

 

[Captain]

Why put both yourself and the cars bearing down on you from behind at risk?

As I said, if there is room and space, I will do my best to move over and make things easier. But this is very often impossible when the road is busy with both/all lanes full of traffic, as the OP said. In that instance, switching lanes can be the more dangerous manoeuvre - you should at this point be checking over your right shoulder, when really it would be better to concentrate on the road ahead where someone is trying to join...

Better to maintain you speed, make sure you are leaving enough distance between yourself and the car in front, and leave it to those joining the motorway to slot into the traffic flow.

Yes it's a courtesy to move over to allow people joining a slip road more room, and it's one I try to extend to others at every available opportunity, and one I appreciate from others - but it's just that; a courtesy, and nothing more. At the end of the day, it is down to the person joining to give way to traffic already on the highway, and that traffic cant be expected to start changing lanes for you.

I agree with you but i guess we all have different ways of driving.

It's something i always do, i have had enough road rage when trying to join a slip road if some idiot infront of me is driving around 20 mph trying to join

 

[EdwardTeach]

But there were cars in the outside lane, how did you sweve without colliding with them? Are you saying there was a gap available for you to move into after all?

So you swerved into an unsafe gap?

As I state in the OP - I swerved slightly blindly. It was a split second thing I felt if I didn't swerve the car coming off the slip would have hit me. Obviously this was very dangerous and could certainly have caused an accident, and that freaked me out. I was not expecting the car to emerge when there was clearly no gap, it was as if the driver didn't even look.

 

[fornowagain]

OP, you should anticipate someone joining as you approach a slip road. If you can see vehicles on the slip, either move to the right hand lane earlier or make a little room and be aware of the space around you. Once you saw the driver you should always expect them to pull in front of you regardless of right of way. Drive defensively, it not about 'allowing' vehicles to enter but avoiding putting yourself in more danger. All this 'its my space and I won't move' just puts you at more risk.

 

[sigma]

I was not expecting the car to emerge

This is the crux of it. I'm sure you know this now, but never assume or expect anything. Btw, do you mean merge?

 

[EdwardTeach]

OP, you should anticipate someone joining as you approach a slip road. If you can see vehicles on the slip, either move to the right hand lane earlier or make a little room and be aware of the space around you. Once you saw the driver you should always expect them to pull in front of you regardless of right of way. Drive defensively, it not about 'allowing' vehicles to enter but avoiding putting yourself in more danger. All this 'its my space and I won't move' just puts you at more risk.

From now on I am just going to stick rigidly to L2 when going past slips.

 

[One]

From now on I am just going to stick rigidly to L2 when going past slips.

Or simply slow down if you see a car trying to merge from SR into L1 when you're unable to safely merge from L1 into L2.

When i merge onto motorways/dual carrigeways I always make sure to leave a few car lengths between me and the car in front. Sometime this means slowing down to 20mph (to compensate when the car in front is trying to merge at 40mph) then putting my foot down to merge safely and not long after overtake the car that was in front of me.

I haven't had an issue merging onto a motorway. Getting off a motorway during rush hour though has had some touch and go moments!

 

[MofoKilla]

The A500 in Stoke is bad for this. People seem to think that the slip road has right of way and brakes on the carriageway. Causes loads of traffic problems as the majority of motorists in Stoke are morons.

aint that the truth.

 

[SilverTongue]

Or simply slow down if you see a car trying to merge from SR into L1 when you're unable to safely merge from L1 into L2.

When i merge onto motorways/dual carrigeways I always make sure to leave a few car lengths between me and the car in front. Sometime this means slowing down to 20mph (to compensate when the car in front is trying to merge at 40mph) then putting my foot down to merge safely and not long after overtake the car that was in front of me.

I haven't had an issue merging onto a motorway. Getting off a motorway during rush hour though has had some touch and go moments!

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!! 20mph on a dual carriageway or motorway is A) Stupidly dangerous and B) Illegal on the motorway given the minimum speed limit on a motorway is 40mph unless otherwise indicated

 

[[TW]Fox]

B) Illegal on the motorway given the minimum speed limit on a motorway is 40mph unless otherwise indicated

There is no minimum 'speed limit' on the Motorway in the UK.

 

[PMKeates]

I'm not sure how people find this all so difficult.

If you are joining:

1) Travel down slip road
2) Decision time:
a) If traffic is going faster than you, merge in a gap
b) If traffic is going slower than you, merge in a gap
c) If traffic is going the same speed as you, slow down or speed up, then merge in a gap. Use your brakes and gearbox.
3) Profit

If you are on the carriageway and someone is merging:

1) Move over
2) Speed up
3) Slow down

 

[SilverTongue]

There is no minimum 'speed limit' on the Motorway in the UK.

I stand corrected, however that still doesn't detract from the point that it is absolutely idiotic the slow down to 20mph on either a motorway or dual carriageway

 

[PMKeates]

I stand corrected, however that still doesn't detract from the point that it is absolutely idiotic the slow down to 20mph on either a motorway or dual carriageway

Surely that depends how fast the traffic is going?

 

[Kenai]

But there were cars in the outside lane, how did you sweve without colliding with them? Are you saying there was a gap available for you to move into after all?

It's entirely possible the car in the outside lane had some sense, read the road ahead, saw what was likely to happen and slowed down so the OP didn't side swipe him when he inevitably swerved to avoid the guy merging.

 

[SilverTongue]

Surely that depends how fast the traffic is going?

Obviously

 

[Gaygle]

Joining a motorway or dual carriageway, especially when people in lane 1 aren't cooperating, requires a good judgement of speed and distance, which unfortunately many people don't have.