Motoway Tips

Phantom · 13 Apr 2006 at 14:45

agw_01 said:
Few tips...

Don't hog the middle or outside lanes
Be wary of idiots
Take a break every few hours
Have a good breakfast before driving, it'll keep you awake
Have something to keep you occupied (music etc)

let me just emphasise something from that which really peeves me off...

Don't hog the middle or outside lanes

agw_01 said:
I drove to Stafford the other weekend. Took about an hour and by the end of it my legs were dead.

i drive 5ish hrs non-stop in my coupe from Southampton to Middlesbrough, to see the folks and feel fine after the long journey. what is it that you drive that could be that uncomfortable after just an hr?! :eek:

Jez · 13 Apr 2006 at 14:58

For long distance driving, i find i generally take a short break every 3 hours if i have worked that day. If its first thing i'll take a break if its 5 hours or more roughly.

merlin said:
Not even to re-fuel?

Thanks to the diesel leon of doom i seem to do glasgow from newbury and back without refueling.

To be fair to diesels motorway economy on them is nothing short of amazing.

TinkerBell · 13 Apr 2006 at 15:27

Avoid the Motorway like the Plague

Then i can be on the motorway alone

agw_01 · 13 Apr 2006 at 15:28

Desmo said:
Dead legs after an hour? Wuss

My pet hates on the motorway are the lane hogs. Move over if there's nothing to your left. And if you're going to overtake, please make sure it is more than 1mph faster than the other car.

It's not my fault I'm not used to long distance driving.

They weren't exactly dead, but they did feel a bit stiff.

Ah yes, the whole, let's pull out and overtake a car... yeah ok, you do that, but at least make it look like you're attempting to overtake.

That's something I found on the M6... the number of lorrys being overtaken by another lorry going just a tiny bit faster... no wonder there was so much traffic in the outside lane... and it was all moving at under 70mph!

The journey would have gone so much quicker if people knew how to drive properly!

Smiley Man · 13 Apr 2006 at 15:47

just driven to southampton from huntingdon and back (A1M, M25, M3, M27) which was a bit daunting especially with 7 lanes around heathrow. i passed about a month ago so havent been driving long

does help if you have some mates who can drive in the car with you though, also you realise how bad some drivers are (middle lane idiots :mad:

)

add all that to driving through bournemouth and southampton at rush hour in a 206 full of luggage with a numb bum and i dont think i done too bad

my advice would be:

dont pull out unless you know youve got enough room
make it easy for other drivers, pull out in where you can to let them in
dont hog the middle lane :mad:

dont feel bad if you stop at every service station en route for some rest

also something i learnt - if everyone is slowing down quickly blip your hazards

DaveyD · 13 Apr 2006 at 16:18

agw_01 said:
It's not my fault I'm not used to long distance driving. They weren't exactly dead, but they did feel a bit stiff.

Ah yes, the whole, let's pull out and overtake a car... yeah ok, you do that, but at least make it look like you're attempting to overtake.

That's something I found on the M6... the number of lorrys being overtaken by another lorry going just a tiny bit faster... no wonder there was so much traffic in the outside lane... and it was all moving at under 70mph!

The journey would have gone so much quicker if people knew how to drive properly!

I've gotten arse ache before from driving in my mums saxo up to middlesborough, but the seats aren't the most comfy in the world, and it's a cramped car to begin with. I've done the same trip in the old Mondeo and it was lovely and confortable, and I'd have felt all fresh when I got the had I not had to change the rear tyre after a blowout and got all mucky

M6 is such a horrid motorway, especially around Birmingham, the last three times I've got on, I've had to squeeze on between two lorries, only to find out there's more lorries in the middle lane doing 60... arg it's all fun.

Freefaller · 13 Apr 2006 at 16:25

agw_01 said:
I used to think it would be dangerous to do that on a motorway... fast moving traffic, taking your eyes off the road... but I won't change lanes without checking my blind spot.

It's amazing just how much area your mirrors don't cover.

Yup. Ride a bike and you'll know exactly how that feels - it's mandatory anyway for passing your test on 2 wheels.

Just take it easy, don't feel you have to drive too quickly either, just go at a pace you feel comfortable at. Make sure your seat is properly adjusted, and let the morons behave like morons and just make steady progress.

I do recommend stopping regularly too. I've often done runs from N,France to the S.France in one hop with ease, but really it's best to stop from time, besides it means you get to chat to a friend or haev a bite to eat or drink without being dangerous behind the wheel. Much better.

Nozzer · 13 Apr 2006 at 16:30

agw_01 said:
I used to think it would be dangerous to do that on a motorway... fast moving traffic, taking your eyes off the road... but I won't change lanes without checking my blind spot.

It's amazing just how much area your mirrors don't cover.

First time I did that with the girlfriend in the car she shouted at me for taking my eyes off the road

D4VE · 13 Apr 2006 at 16:32

yeah I always take a break after an hour or two.
Really helps and makes the journey seem to go quicker.

big_white_dog84 · 13 Apr 2006 at 16:37

Make sure you drive in the middle lane. Some strange cars seem to drive in the slow (lorry) lane or the fast (sports car) lane. On a 4 lane motorway the acceptable lane depends on the size of your car. Inside lane for lorries, second lane for cars below 1.4, third for 1.4 upwards and outside for sports cars.

Lopéz · 13 Apr 2006 at 16:42

Freefaller said:
Yup. Ride a bike and you'll know exactly how that feels - it's mandatory anyway for passing your test on 2 wheels.

Same here, it got drummed into me on my CBT (which I did with a friend of my Dad's, so he emphasised it even more) to ALWAYS check my blind spot before wanging out into the other lane.

Always done it ever since, it literally is a "Lifesaver" (which is what the instructors call it)

DRZ · 13 Apr 2006 at 16:49

Another thing to note on top of the already excellent advice is that when you see an exit, there is a slip road where people could be joining on the other side.

Its courteous to move over to let someone join a bit easier so when you see the exit, have a peep at the middle lane to see if you can get out there should the need arise. If you cant and you can see cars joining, dont do anything erratic like speed up or slow down so they can judge what you are doing that little bit easier.

The number of times I have been joining a motorway to find a string of cars all too close together in the inside lane only for the middle lane to be free is maddening!

Luke15 · 13 Apr 2006 at 17:02

big_white_dog84 said:
Make sure you drive in the middle lane. Some strange cars seem to drive in the slow (lorry) lane or the fast (sports car) lane. On a 4 lane motorway the acceptable lane depends on the size of your car. Inside lane for lorries, second lane for cars below 1.4, third for 1.4 upwards and outside for sports cars.

Thats not necessarily true. You should be doing the speed limit and mabey 10mph over that when not being picky

D4VE · 13 Apr 2006 at 17:03

big_white_dog84 said:
Make sure you drive in the middle lane. Some strange cars seem to drive in the slow (lorry) lane or the fast (sports car) lane. On a 4 lane motorway the acceptable lane depends on the size of your car. Inside lane for lorries, second lane for cars below 1.4, third for 1.4 upwards and outside for sports cars.

WTF!!!?!!!11 :confused:

Smiley Man · 13 Apr 2006 at 17:08

big_white_dog84 said:
Make sure you drive in the middle lane. Some strange cars seem to drive in the slow (lorry) lane or the fast (sports car) lane. On a 4 lane motorway the acceptable lane depends on the size of your car. Inside lane for lorries, second lane for cars below 1.4, third for 1.4 upwards and outside for sports cars.

sorry but thats just daft

you use the lane nearest the central reservation for overtaking vehicles on the lanes nearest the hard shoulder. doesnt matter if you're in a 1.2 corsa doing 50 if you're moving faster than everything else in the other 3 lanes and no one is desperate to go faster then thats fine imo

i would be the 3rd lane, but i venured into the 4th and maybe 5th today and my cars a 1.6 206, did the world explode? nope

as for moaning about lorries overtaking each other and clogging up the middle lane - whats the problem there? they have every right to and as long as they done go into the outside lane, its not as if they hog the inside lane really

Jez · 13 Apr 2006 at 17:10

someone missed the joke there.....

Luke15 · 13 Apr 2006 at 17:40

Jez said:
someone missed the joke there.....

What joke?

big_white_dog84 · 13 Apr 2006 at 18:13

Jez said:
someone missed the joke there.....

Yeah. People a bit too far up their own backsides tbh.

JollyGreen · 13 Apr 2006 at 18:23

Watch for lorries, assume they will try and pull out to overtake another lorry at any given moment regardless as to whether you're currently parallel to them or not

Being in my elise, I now utter a little prayer every time I pass a lorry.
Motorway driving for me has descended into
Drive normally, spot lorry behind other vehicle, monitor for a couple of seconds to asses likelihood of overtaking, utter a prayer and blat past it, repeat ad nauseum.

Mr Joshua · 13 Apr 2006 at 18:34

Bar said:
Longest I have driven without stopping is about 6/7 hours

Same here when the A9 was blocked by landslides north or perth a couple of years ago. I don't feel tired when driving so I usually just press on.