Safe Speed Forums

So we all know about Rule 233 and we all know we are supposed to use the slip to merge sucessfully into the traffic already on the motorway without disrupting the flows. We all know that entering and exiting the motorways are the tricky bits and that we should be COASTing our way on and off in any case.

However, there are some slip roads from hell and we have discussed in the past. as in J34/M6 and various others (M1/A14 and various on M62/M1/M25 etc.





Have already given my "smarty-pants-arse" reply to Julie on the phone!

But decided that perhaps others might offer my sister some gentler advice as she does lurk on the site

So since entering and exiting seem to be the areas where collisions seem to occur (based on traffic congestion reports on radio) - what would you do if

1, you cannot safely move to L2 to allow someone to enter the motorway

2. you are already approaching the entrance slip at a sedate but reasonable speed for a motorway

3. Several cars on slip road

4. You have car closing in on rear.

This was the situation my sister had to deal with and I think - in reality - she did right to speed up to close in to one second distance short term on the first car to give the space margin to the second car under this circumstance.. but let's here what others think as I am perhaps biased to my young sister here. She's not a type who gets all hot and bothered about much .. she reckons she did the right thing as "no metal changed shape"

But she feels she was too close - closer than she liked to be even for a split second - like us all - she likes to keep a decent distance all the time. But perhaps sometimes needs must and she says she was closer than she liked for an "blink of eye" time - and then able to ease back.

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I think some UK motorway sliproads are quite pathetic.

I have just been to Spain (near Gandia, Valencia) for the second year running and they have a system of very fast A type roads with grade separated junctions. Almost every junction has sliproads which put many of our motorway slips to shame. They are laid out in a way which makes it very obvious that the idea is to merge (even though the merging lane has a give way symbol) and give plenty of space for this to be achieved. I never once saw the kind of jostling for position we get on almost every sliproad. Joining traffic accelerates to match the speed of traffic on the main carriageway and merges seamlessly. Remember this is on a SC so there is not even the option for traffic to move over. And this is done at speeds of 100 to 130 km/h.

If she was driving as a sensible speed instead of crawling along at 65mph then she wouldn't have had that problem, period. If she refuses to drive with the flow then I suggest she gets off the motorway and uses back roads, or better still, sell the car and get a bus/taxi.

That is the point - the road design is such that drivers are encouraged to behave co-operatively rather than adopting a me-first attitude. These are merges, not give-ways in the sense that a T-junction is a give-way, and need to be treated as such by drivers.


I assume you're just trying to wind people up, but if she was in Lane 1 then very often "going with the flow" is driving at 56 mph.

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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

What, and getting under the feet of wagons instead? Motorways flow around 75mph not 56 and not 65 either. Driving at 65mph in a car on a motorway is asking for trouble.

As wagons are limited to 56 mph I fail to see how driving at 56 mph is going to end up getting under their feet.

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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

So ALL the Trafpol are driving dangerously then?

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Rixxy... it was late evening and quiet... but wet.... very, very wet. It was also the M60 and not exactly an empty road.

My sister informs me that had she been driving at 75 mph - there could have been a collision. She could not pull out to L2 because a stream of traffic was overtaking her at 75- 80 mph - a speed which in Tuesday evening's driving rain was not suitable for the conditions in any case.

Wet wet wet .. you take it steady. Besides the "old Ford" she mentions.. a Classic Zodiac which one of the Swiss mob has just restored to life. She was testing it out for them - though why she chose Wales is beyond me.

(Her verdict .. mesh gears and an evil stick on second.. surprisingly light on steering but proved responsive when "trouble brewed": she could well understand why it was the police choice in the days of "Z cars" )

Still wanna say my sister is some tedious woman driver on the road? But all the same I'd say sis' is one calm, placid person who is never in any hurry.

On the slips - you are matching speed to traffic already on the motorway. If that traffic is tootling along at 50 mph .. or even less ... you still blend to that speed and move out to overtake once on. You do not cause another car to brake or swerve to avoid.

As it was (per Julie) .. the first car had blended in at the end of the slip .. but the second cars on each occasion were moving into L1 before the end of the slip and clearly expected Julie to brake for them. She says she was more or less level and the only way to avoid was to move within a second's gap of the first car to enable the numpty into L1. First cars did accelerate and Julie just kept her pace in the flow and noted that "muppet" at the M602 merge stayed put behind as he also wanted J13.

Besides - she has every right to drive at 65 mph if she wants to. She's not supposed to hold up other traffic: she's supposed to be in the flow. She was not holding anyone up. People could overtake her if they wanted to. She was only 5 mph below the speed limit in a fairly strong downpour but which she says obscured visibility at the higher speed but not at 65 mph.


She deemed this to be the safest speed for the conditions - which were very wet .

She is not supposed, by law, to drive above 70 mph either

_________________
If you want to get to heaven - you have to raise a little hell!

Smilies are contagious
They are just like the flu
We use our smilies on YOU today
Now Good Causes are smiling too!

KEEP SMILING
It makes folk wonder just what you REALLY got up to last night!

Smily to penny.. penny to pound
safespeed prospers-smiles all round! !
But the real message? SMILE.. GO ON ! DO IT! and the world will smile with you!
Enjoy life! You only have the one bite at it.

No its not. 65 is perfectly fine provided your not willfully holding others up and use the approriate lane.

I drive at 45

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Mike

The way I se it is the 2 second gap is there so you can use it in the event of an emergency. Typically this emergency would be sudden braking from the car in front, but I see no reason not to use it for other kinds of emergency.

This event clearly comes under "other kind of emergency" so therefore it was fine. Most minor transgressions of the various laws and recommendations are preferable to being involved in an accident. If you took the 2 second "rule" as a rule that should never be broken then we would all be leaving 4 second gaps so that should the car in front brake, we can stop without violating the holy 2 second rule.

I also have no issue with your sister's speed. Since she was in L1 I couldn't give a crap if she had chosen to do 40. If she was in L2 with an empty L1 to the left (and not by a sliproad) then I would have complaints, but the situation as described, I think she did everything right.

Of course, if the car in front had braked, there could have been trouble, but then you're into the realms of having an escape route from your escape route. How far do you take this particular line of thought? There is always the hard shoulder I guess.

From that comment it's obvious that you've never driven a wagon in your life before.

Well you're just a ******* t*t and need your licence taking off you.

Did you note where he lives and guess (from his username) how old he probably is?

_________________
"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

Umm, he lives in Northern Ireland and is currently on R plates.

Yes, I should have explained... If I exceed 45 I WILL get my license taken off me... I choose to stick to 45 and keep my licence...

Over here we have a system of R plates, where for a year you are restricted to 45mph, no matter what type of road you are on...

65mph is a perfectly acceptable speed to be doing on the motorway... Saves fuel, when it's busy I find speeds of 65 are actually quite difficult to achieve...

Yes, I'm also 18, and I've only been driving 9 months... I think anyway...

If you search for 'new take on 45 everywhere drivers' or something like that, you'll find some more discussion about the R plates, and how they affect young drivers here...

Edited my typo...

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Mike

In that case I apologise. I've learnt something new there - wasn't aware of such a scheme for new drivers in NI !

You should apologise for being rude, not for being ill-informed.

There was a thing on BBC Newsline (local news) at the end of July, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/5224390.stm

I understand the reasoning behind the scheme, but I find it to be a silly thing... I would consider myself capable of speeds up to 70mph, especially on a motorway, and the fact still is, we have a greater percentage of road deaths in young drivers than the rest of the UK. To me that shows that the scheme just hasn't worked.

I actually cant believe the BBC would complain about this matter, especially considering the majority of traffic officers turn a blind eye to R plates on the motorway, due to the fact that a new driver doing 45 mph is more of a risk than a new driver doing say, 65 or 70... Even knowing this, I am inclined not to do that speed, because knowing my luck I would get points and a fine...

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Mike

I think Mike should be applauded.

Yes, I come across R plates on the motorway doing 45, and it is a hassle in a HGV to overtake where otherwise you wouldn't have to, but I would have more respect for the R plate driver sticking to the rules of the road, than the one doing 50 - 55 because they think that's close enough not to be caught. With a max of 56 in the lorry it takes far longer to pass these ones.

I hope you have a safe driving career Mike. Have you heard of the young driver scheme run by the IAM here, with discounted insurance from Adelaide?

Kind regards, Dan