Had my very first motorway experience!
Discussion
Hi guys. A while back I made a topic concerned about motorway driving. slip roads especially and lane changes.
well I managed to go out Saturday evening. I was so worried i was sweating everywhere.
I did about 4 slips roads. 25 lane changes and was traveling at an average of 70 miles per hour.
I did panic most of the way . Glad I faced what was my greatest fear. even though I'm worried to go on it again.
I did actually have nearly had 1 panic.
One was coming on to a slip road it was dark.. as I was coming on the guy behind on the slip road looked like he was going to cut me up.
So I was more worried about him...I just pulled out with out really looking in L1. I was just confused with how to deal with the guy behind me. What if he cut me up as I pulled out.
well I managed to go out Saturday evening. I was so worried i was sweating everywhere.
I did about 4 slips roads. 25 lane changes and was traveling at an average of 70 miles per hour.
I did panic most of the way . Glad I faced what was my greatest fear. even though I'm worried to go on it again.
I did actually have nearly had 1 panic.
One was coming on to a slip road it was dark.. as I was coming on the guy behind on the slip road looked like he was going to cut me up.
So I was more worried about him...I just pulled out with out really looking in L1. I was just confused with how to deal with the guy behind me. What if he cut me up as I pulled out.
Consider going along to your local IAM group. They'll have an Observer who would be glad to take you out onto the motorway and offer advice and support for dealing with the situations you'll face.
Depends on the group how fusty they'll seem. I actually helped a pensioner lady get her mojo back for motorway driving after a long gap during which she hadn't driven. Very sad story. The husband was dying, had done IAM in the past, wanted to know that she'd be OK needing to drive again as he had always done it.
Good luck.
Depends on the group how fusty they'll seem. I actually helped a pensioner lady get her mojo back for motorway driving after a long gap during which she hadn't driven. Very sad story. The husband was dying, had done IAM in the past, wanted to know that she'd be OK needing to drive again as he had always done it.
Good luck.
driveclub said:
One was coming on to a slip road it was dark.. as I was coming on the guy behind on the slip road looked like he was going to cut me up.
So I was more worried about him...I just pulled out with out really looking in L1. I was just confused with how to deal with the guy behind me. What if he cut me up as I pulled out.
Accelerate harder and this is much less likely to happen, in fact I don't think it's ever happened to me.So I was more worried about him...I just pulled out with out really looking in L1. I was just confused with how to deal with the guy behind me. What if he cut me up as I pulled out.
If he really was going to pull out onto lane 1 and hammer straight past you (presumably "trapping" you on a rapidly closing slip road) then he possibly figured you were going so slowly that he could get away with it.
However, if you find yourself in this situation and can't avoid it then all you can really do is-
1) Slow down a little to let him get past, then pull out (accelerate hard again to get back up to speed)
or if that can't work and he really has blocked your entry to L1-
2) You'll have to stop at the end of the slip road and then pull out when a chance arises
As above, get some extra tuition. There is nothing to be embarrassed/worried about, my instructor (AA) told me that he regularly coached older drivers, or helped them brush up skills.
I do urge that you do this as having worries when driving can lead to undesirable consequences, but it sounds like you're going in the right direction.
It might sound odd, but you need some confidence and a little bit of that is selfishness. If someone is coming up behind you on a slip road and you are doing a reasonable speed, let them manoeuvre around you. The same with parking - if you need to parallel park, pull alongside the car and pretend no-one is around you. You'll do it a lot quicker than if you were panicking going "oh god he's getting wound up with me"
I do urge that you do this as having worries when driving can lead to undesirable consequences, but it sounds like you're going in the right direction.
It might sound odd, but you need some confidence and a little bit of that is selfishness. If someone is coming up behind you on a slip road and you are doing a reasonable speed, let them manoeuvre around you. The same with parking - if you need to parallel park, pull alongside the car and pretend no-one is around you. You'll do it a lot quicker than if you were panicking going "oh god he's getting wound up with me"
It's a lot easier to scrub off speed (feather throttle or worst brake) when going down a slip road than hesitate and join motorway at less than optimum speed. Use mirrors to try and spot space you'll be joining back - similarly if person in fron is going slow give yourself space to then accelerate and join...
It can be daunting - I did my first motorway experience in a 1.0litre micra joining an autobahn as part of driving lesson (in Germany compulsory to do motorway driving as part of learning)... Suffice to say I used part of the hard shoulder!!
Good luck!
It can be daunting - I did my first motorway experience in a 1.0litre micra joining an autobahn as part of driving lesson (in Germany compulsory to do motorway driving as part of learning)... Suffice to say I used part of the hard shoulder!!
Good luck!
He can't cut you up as you pull out. It's his right of way. If the two of you attempt to occupy the same space, it's your fault, not his.
All you're doing with slip roads/lane changes is putting your car into an appropriate gap. Identify the gap you want to hit and do what's required with the major controls (and some of the minor ones) to make that happen. There's no magic or trickery (or particular skill) involved.
Simon.
All you're doing with slip roads/lane changes is putting your car into an appropriate gap. Identify the gap you want to hit and do what's required with the major controls (and some of the minor ones) to make that happen. There's no magic or trickery (or particular skill) involved.
Simon.
ferrariF50lover said:
He can't cut you up as you pull out. It's his right of way. If the two of you attempt to occupy the same space, it's your fault, not his.
I don't think OP means a car already on the carriageway, he's talking about a car following him down the slip road. Of course to cut OP up that car would presumably have to follow him down the sliproad, get into Lane 1 (where I suppose he now has priority which may have been what you meant?) and then pull past the OP.Which suggests to me that OP is going FAR too slowly down the slip road, which given his nervousness, doesn't seem unlikely.
WinstonWolf said:
"Own" the slip road, position your car so that it is impossible for someone to pass you until you've joined the motorway.
If push comes to shove, then yes, place your car in the slip lane so that you won't be overtaken. Do try to ensure you are doing 60mph or so though, to have enough speed to join the motorway.Jasandjules said:
WinstonWolf said:
"Own" the slip road, position your car so that it is impossible for someone to pass you until you've joined the motorway.
If push comes to shove, then yes, place your car in the slip lane so that you won't be overtaken. Do try to ensure you are doing 60mph or so though, to have enough speed to join the motorway.
always match the speed of the traffic and be ready to stop if necessary. Great stuff, glad it's gone well. As others have said though, it really sounds like you need some more tuition to build your confidence as you sound "really" scared about the whole situation, you need to have a degree of confidence and control when driving, and not having panic attacks just for a relatively routine manuvre like joining a motorway.
I had a few extra lessons post passing test, teaching me the ropes on the motorway by my instructor, but in my car instead rather than his. Whilst I was definitely not as worried about driving as perhaps you portray, it was definitely a worthwhile experience and I'd certainly recommend it.
Good luck.
I had a few extra lessons post passing test, teaching me the ropes on the motorway by my instructor, but in my car instead rather than his. Whilst I was definitely not as worried about driving as perhaps you portray, it was definitely a worthwhile experience and I'd certainly recommend it.
Good luck.
I think I'm going to do extra lessons. I need to be used to motor way driving before I actually do it on my own.
by the way I wasn't going slow on the slip road I was behind someone so I had no choice but to go his speed. I was overtaking and everything. I felt quite confident too at some points.
One thing that I need to ask you guys is when you decide to overtake someone in lane 1. do you just look to see if lane 2 is open and is safe to overtake? obviously people behind you too!
just thinking asking this is because if a guy from the 3rd lane tries to occupy the same middle gap and space as me that would cause a side on collision wouldn't it.
by the way I wasn't going slow on the slip road I was behind someone so I had no choice but to go his speed. I was overtaking and everything. I felt quite confident too at some points.
One thing that I need to ask you guys is when you decide to overtake someone in lane 1. do you just look to see if lane 2 is open and is safe to overtake? obviously people behind you too!
just thinking asking this is because if a guy from the 3rd lane tries to occupy the same middle gap and space as me that would cause a side on collision wouldn't it.
driveclub said:
I think I'm going to do extra lessons. I need to be used to motor way driving before I actually do it on my own.
by the way I wasn't going slow on the slip road I was behind someone so I had no choice but to go his speed. I was overtaking and everything. I felt quite confident too at some points.
One thing that I need to ask you guys is when you decide to overtake someone in lane 1. do you just look to see if lane 2 is open and is safe to overtake? obviously people behind you too!
just thinking asking this is because if a guy from the 3rd lane tries to occupy the same middle gap and space as me that would cause a side on collision wouldn't it.
Extra tuition is good, there used to be a pass plus scheme, a 2 or 3 hour lesson on motorways and the stuff not usually covered in the driving test.by the way I wasn't going slow on the slip road I was behind someone so I had no choice but to go his speed. I was overtaking and everything. I felt quite confident too at some points.
One thing that I need to ask you guys is when you decide to overtake someone in lane 1. do you just look to see if lane 2 is open and is safe to overtake? obviously people behind you too!
just thinking asking this is because if a guy from the 3rd lane tries to occupy the same middle gap and space as me that would cause a side on collision wouldn't it.
And, yes you need to check, and monitor the space you are planning to move in to - it becomes habit after a while. Awareness of what is happening around you is vital.
driveclub said:
One thing that I need to ask you guys is when you decide to overtake someone in lane 1. do you just look to see if lane 2 is open and is safe to overtake? obviously people behind you too!
just thinking asking this is because if a guy from the 3rd lane tries to occupy the same middle gap and space as me that would cause a side on collision wouldn't it.
If you wait until an overtake is necessary then check the mirrors you will see a fixed image. Make regular checks and you build up a moving image of what is going on and the relative speed of other vehicles you are sharing the carriageway with. just thinking asking this is because if a guy from the 3rd lane tries to occupy the same middle gap and space as me that would cause a side on collision wouldn't it.
A good routine to get into is applying the indicator before moving; sounds obvious but watch what most drivers do!
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