Discussion
Never really understood peoples fear of motorways... I had an ex who point blank refused to drive on motorways yet she was perfectly confident in all other situations be it speeding around country lanes and b-roads or negotiating busy and unfamiliar city centres (far more stressful imo)
Don't get me started on selfish hgv drivers,
At least people are now taking action
The clampdown on slo-mo overtaking manoeuvres by lorries limited to 56mph – dubbed elephant racing by frustrated motorists – will come as a relief to drivers squeezed into a crowded outside lane or, worse, forced to follow the sluggish passes on dual-carriageways.
every crash I pass on a motor way seems to involve a lorry.
They tail gate
They elephant race for 2 miles !
But then call themselves professional drivers !
At least people are now taking action
The clampdown on slo-mo overtaking manoeuvres by lorries limited to 56mph – dubbed elephant racing by frustrated motorists – will come as a relief to drivers squeezed into a crowded outside lane or, worse, forced to follow the sluggish passes on dual-carriageways.
every crash I pass on a motor way seems to involve a lorry.
They tail gate
They elephant race for 2 miles !
But then call themselves professional drivers !
I prefer them to be honest my only real issue was the narrow lanes in roadworks where you can be so close to another hgv's wingmirrors if you are side by side that there is litterally centimeters in some cases between the two. Can be a bit daunting if you are a newbie.
I suppose they can be deemed far dangerous than reguar roads not just because of speeds reached but moreso the fact people seem to go into autopilot and drive in a daze. You just have to be on the ball and anticipate for other peoples lack of concentration.My other half hates them with a passion and dedicates all motorway driving to me.
I suppose they can be deemed far dangerous than reguar roads not just because of speeds reached but moreso the fact people seem to go into autopilot and drive in a daze. You just have to be on the ball and anticipate for other peoples lack of concentration.My other half hates them with a passion and dedicates all motorway driving to me.
I wonder if part of the fear for some people is the speed of traffic on motorways.
For so long people have been brain washed into believing that speed is dangerous and that speed kills.
How it is possible to pass the driving test with no training for, or experience on, motorways baffles me.
For so long people have been brain washed into believing that speed is dangerous and that speed kills.
How it is possible to pass the driving test with no training for, or experience on, motorways baffles me.
Porsche911R said:
Don't get me started on selfish hgv drivers,
At least people are now taking action
The clampdown on slo-mo overtaking manoeuvres by lorries limited to 56mph – dubbed elephant racing by frustrated motorists – will come as a relief to drivers squeezed into a crowded outside lane or, worse, forced to follow the sluggish passes on dual-carriageways.
every crash I pass on a motor way seems to involve a lorry.
They tail gate
They elephant race for 2 miles !
But then call themselves professional drivers !
I can't remember the last time I saw a lorry involved in a crash on a motorway. It's usually idiots in the fast lane.At least people are now taking action
The clampdown on slo-mo overtaking manoeuvres by lorries limited to 56mph – dubbed elephant racing by frustrated motorists – will come as a relief to drivers squeezed into a crowded outside lane or, worse, forced to follow the sluggish passes on dual-carriageways.
every crash I pass on a motor way seems to involve a lorry.
They tail gate
They elephant race for 2 miles !
But then call themselves professional drivers !
Porsche911R said:
Don't get me started on selfish hgv drivers,
At least people are now taking action
The clampdown on slo-mo overtaking manoeuvres by lorries limited to 56mph – dubbed elephant racing by frustrated motorists – will come as a relief to drivers squeezed into a crowded outside lane or, worse, forced to follow the sluggish passes on dual-carriageways.
every crash I pass on a motor way seems to involve a lorry.
They tail gate
They elephant race for 2 miles !
But then call themselves professional drivers !
While i assume this is a generalisation and not a dig at all HGV drivers but have you ever driven something limited to 56? I drive 2000 miles plus most weeks and what is my main reason to have to pass in a middle lane or outside of a dual carriageway? Cars. Not lorries. Cars. Some fool sat at 48 so i have to pass and then they get sAt least people are now taking action
The clampdown on slo-mo overtaking manoeuvres by lorries limited to 56mph – dubbed elephant racing by frustrated motorists – will come as a relief to drivers squeezed into a crowded outside lane or, worse, forced to follow the sluggish passes on dual-carriageways.
every crash I pass on a motor way seems to involve a lorry.
They tail gate
They elephant race for 2 miles !
But then call themselves professional drivers !
t scared and speed up causing me to have to wait till they move so i can get back into lane one therefore creating a massive obstruction in lane two. We take awareness courses and CPC which is a damn sight more than an average car driver does. We are also regulated by law to be aware of our driving times unlike some car driver half asleep after 7 straight hours at the wheel. The reason that almost every accident you see involving a truck is because some brainless twallop in a car has caused the accident.
Truck drivers are, in general, the safest of drivers because, (A), they don't hog the middle lane, (B), they don't, (can't), do the stupid speeds that car drivers think they have a divine right to do, (C), regard their employment as important and safeguard themselves against losing that employment.
There are, inevitably, some truck drivers that shouldn't be driving up to 44 tons on our roads, (witness the 2 court cases recently where truck drivers were busy on their phones and not paying attention to their responsibilities and killing people as a result).
The motorways of the UK are clogged with trucks because YOU, the consumer, demands the goods that they deliver around the country. Don't jump to the misguided conclusion that every incident involving a truck is the fault of THAT driver.
No, I am nothing to do with the truck industry. I just use my eyes.
Truck drivers are, in general, the safest of drivers because, (A), they don't hog the middle lane, (B), they don't, (can't), do the stupid speeds that car drivers think they have a divine right to do, (C), regard their employment as important and safeguard themselves against losing that employment.
There are, inevitably, some truck drivers that shouldn't be driving up to 44 tons on our roads, (witness the 2 court cases recently where truck drivers were busy on their phones and not paying attention to their responsibilities and killing people as a result).
The motorways of the UK are clogged with trucks because YOU, the consumer, demands the goods that they deliver around the country. Don't jump to the misguided conclusion that every incident involving a truck is the fault of THAT driver.
No, I am nothing to do with the truck industry. I just use my eyes.
Porsche911R said:
Don't get me started on selfish hgv drivers...
But then call themselves professional drivers !
I think there's a huge difference between a professional driver and someone that drives for a living. But then call themselves professional drivers !
Some people that describe themselves as a professional driver quite obviously don't know the distinction.
PositronicRay said:
No
No
2-3 hrs
Make sure the car is well prepared, plan the journey, check the forecast, don't drive when tired.
ETA, are you a nervous driver OP?
Pretty much this.No
2-3 hrs
Make sure the car is well prepared, plan the journey, check the forecast, don't drive when tired.
ETA, are you a nervous driver OP?
Edited by PositronicRay on Sunday 4th December 10:34
Sadly I do think there has been a drop in standards over the last few years of HGV/LGV drivers. I'm not certain of the reasons and don't imagine its down to new drivers coming into the industry as i'd imagine the test is a lot more stringent than it was when I passed in 1993. It could maybe be the influx of cheaper drivers we've had coming in over the last few years? Peanuts and.......
I watched a HGV driver join a 4 lane section of motorway last week. Middle of day so reasonably quiet and everything flowing well. He joined the motorway and moved straight into lane 2. Lane 1 was completely empty but he just sat there in lane 2 for no apparent reason? I seem to see this a lot these days.
Elephant racing boils my piss. 1 driver has the right to overtake another. The thing is unless you drive or have an understanding of wagons there is a bit more to it than that. Often a driver will catch a slower/heavier wagon on a climb up a bank, driver 1 in the quicker truck starts the overtaking move but unfortunately what often happens is both trucks may reach the top of the bank and level ground again before the overtake has been executed. If driver 2 in what was the slower truck gets back up to speed, (and is a plum) then gets back up to full speed matching the overtaking truck often you'll see them just leaving the overtaking truck hanging out to dry in the overtaking lane.
Bad enough on a 3 or 4 lane motorway, but on 2 lane stretches, (the M11 being a good example with its sets of banks) it is very frustrating for the faster flowing traffic.
When this happens it is very annoying. When I was driving wagons and if I was the overtaking truck I'd end up backing off and slotting back in behind the first truck, a tad annoying but better than getting into the whole ridiculous elephant racing scenario with the "plum" in the first truck. Quite often though, even though you'd just pulled back in to free up the flow again you'd still get the odd car passing you with a beep of the horn and some polite Gareth Hunt type hand gestures.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Elephant racing is bloody stupid, especially if both trucks have drivers that are not prepared to relent and use a bit of common sense.
I do often wonder though how things would unfold if all cars were limited to 70 mph
chilistrucker said:
I do often wonder though how things would unfold if all cars were limited to 70 mph
Ever drive on a long stretch of average camera limited road? You get the exact same thing, everyone doing ~65mph sluggishly passing eachother and matching speeds in blind spots etc. Its no wonder they seem to increase accident statistics wherever there implemented on a large scale.Section 8 said:
While i assume this is a generalisation and not a dig at all HGV drivers but have you ever driven something limited to 56? I drive 2000 miles plus most weeks and what is my main reason to have to pass in a middle lane or outside of a dual carriageway? Cars. Not lorries. Cars. Some fool sat at 48 so i have to pass and then they get st scared and speed up causing me to have to wait till they move so i can get back into lane one therefore creating a massive obstruction in lane two.
Exactly. Quite why so many people want to do 45-50mph on a motorway is beyond me. Wouldn't be so much of an issue if they stuck to it but no, you catch them up, move out, and as you pull alongside something goes off in their head and they creep up to 58mph for 10 seconds only for the same to happen a minute later. Probably the same people who try to join a motorway at 45mph without looking in their mirror until the last minute and end up slamming their brakes on and coming to a complete stop.t scared and speed up causing me to have to wait till they move so i can get back into lane one therefore creating a massive obstruction in lane two. TWR said:
Do they frighten you? Why?
Not in the slightest. I've been driving on them for 40 years in 7-8 countries at speeds over twice the UK legal limit. I think I've got the measure of them by now. TWR said:
Do HGVs on Motorways cause you concerns? Why?
No more than any other type of vehicle. I try to avoid lingering alongside them if the traffic directly ahead in my lane is slow moving and I'm lane three overtaking a HGV in lane two but otherwise no special concerns.TWR said:
How many miles do you do without a Break? is it wise?
200-250 miles. It seems wise to me.TWR said:
Winter is ahead of us, what precautions have you taken?
In addition to my usual weekly car check, I'll check anti-freeze. Depending on the weather forecast, I may load my 'snow box'.Edited by Riley Blue on Sunday 4th December 13:39
Even though I don't get the opportunity to use motorways that much (dual carriage mainly) they don't really hold much fear nor do HGV's. As for accidents involving HGV's, one in I don't know how many years, an artic had gone in to the back of a flatbed trailer artic (three if you include a double decker bus that had driven into the ditch at the side of the road, most likely avoiding an on coming vehicle, and a school coach that had slid on ice and gone right across the road with wheels in the ditch on either side of the road).
The only gripe I've got is other car drivers that go steaming up to overtake then slow as they go past HGV's.
Unlike cars, latest being a 3 series coupe that had taken a roundabout waaay too fast and got himself lodged between a light post and a tree here. Hell of an effort on his part I have to say.
The only gripe I've got is other car drivers that go steaming up to overtake then slow as they go past HGV's.
Unlike cars, latest being a 3 series coupe that had taken a roundabout waaay too fast and got himself lodged between a light post and a tree here. Hell of an effort on his part I have to say.
Edited by alpha channel on Sunday 4th December 13:32
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