Watch for LHD lorries: IAM tip
Check that they can see you
Watch out for LHD lorries
Joining motorways
Because the speed limit on motorways is 70mph for cars, drivers tend to forget that different speed limits apply to other vehicles.
For example, nearly every lorry will have a speed limiter fitted, designed to physically prevent them going faster than 56mph. While on a free flowing, off peak motorway this should present no problem, there are potential pitfalls for a driver trying to join a busy motorway where commercial vehicles are already on there.
Firstly getting up to the appropriate speed on the slip road is a skill in itself: you may find yourself being overtaken on the slip road by a faster moving car or motorbike. Then when you are just about approaching 60mph yourself, you suddenly realise that you are heading towards a daunting line of trucks, some of which are very large, all doing 56mph in lane one.
The broken line at the top of the slip road means that you should be prepared to give way to traffic already on the motorway. But losing speed because of a truck feels very dangerous, especially when you think about the fast moving vehicles coming up behind you.
Do you try to get up to something like 56mph yourself, in order that you can find a gap between two of the HGVs, in the hope that you can make your way smoothly and safely to lane two? Or do you quickly speed up so you can get to the head of the queue and hopefully join the motorway at that point?
The problem is further compounded by foreign truck drivers, who because of the layout of their mirrors and driving position, often cannot see other cars from their left hand drive vehicles. These foreign HGVs have a blind spot on the right hand side, reducing their ability to see smaller cars. This in turn means that they have difficulty moving from lane one to lane two to make a successful overtake.
Recent media coverage has pointed out that drivers of long distance trucks from Europe may be particularly vulnerable to driver fatigue.
Be prepared to make allowances for larger, slower moving vehicles by shoulder checking to find a suitable safe gap as you approach on the slip road. And if you find yourself overtaking a large foreign lorry, consider using lane three if it is safe to do so. Some truckers have a sticker remind us that "if you can't see my mirrors, I can't see you".
That's good advice, no matter where the truck is from.
I got my license in France but was never taught that one. Unless laws have changed, both France and Switzerland are the same as the UK. Can't vouch for the rest of Europe though.
I got my license in France but was never taught that one. Unless laws have changed, both France and Switzerland are the same as the UK. Can't vouch for the rest of Europe though.
I passed my test in Germany, that wasn't part of it
I got my license in France but was never taught that one. Unless laws have changed, both France and Switzerland are the same as the UK. Can't vouch for the rest of Europe though.
I passed my test in Germany, that wasn't part of it
doesn't sound right to me either? The only real motoring oddity I had was in Greece, where you have to stop if you were already on a roundabout if there was traffic wanting to join the roundabout - ridiculous, and completely ignored by the locals thankfully! (Thats what the car hire place told me anyway, I think they just wanted me to have an accident so they'd get their ridiculous excess paid and then bodgethe car up for the next punter
I got my license in France but was never taught that one. Unless laws have changed, both France and Switzerland are the same as the UK. Can't vouch for the rest of Europe though.
I passed my test in Germany, that wasn't part of it
doesn't sound right to me either? The only real motoring oddity I had was in Greece, where you have to stop if you were already on a roundabout if there was traffic wanting to join the roundabout - ridiculous, and completely ignored by the locals thankfully! (Thats what the car hire place told me anyway, I think they just wanted me to have an accident so they'd get their ridiculous excess paid and then bodgethe car up for the next punter
Same in Holland, it's because you have to give way to the left so someone joining the roundabout has priority
Foreign trailers pulled by british tractors have british plates! Unless the tractor units are registerd abroad I guess.
Yes but dont tar them all with the same brush, they are probably mimicking some of our car drivers antics!
Sorry...
It is the "Europe" bit that I don't get. Unless I am mistaken, the UK is part of it. I guess you refer to continental Europe (does that include Corsica ?).
I'm sure most of you that have taken your RHD car abroad have encountered the same difficulties, driving in a car that isn't designed for driving on the right side of the road, while a LHD car obviously isn't designed for left side traffic.
The fact that at busy times this is not always possible due to traffic in Lane 2, i thought it was the responsibility of the veichle joing the m/way to guage their own position and speed and either speed up or slow down to merge in safely. I appreciate that if its possible to move right into lane 2 to assist this then this should be done. However, how many people do you see just indicate and move into Lane 2 to "assist" the merging traffic and then that causes lane 2 users to either brake or do exactly the same as land 1 movers and move into the 3rd lane. Lane management in the Uk is often the main reason for accidents IMO.
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