Lane change denied on Autobahn

[Cosifantutte]

On a German Autobahn (no limit, 3 lanes) near Frankfurt in the late evening this weekend, I was in lane 1 driving at 115km/h.

There was a long slip road ahead with a very small old car driving at 75km/h. I could see that we might collide at the the end of the slip road if neither of us adjusted.

I took the opportunity to signal and start to manoeuvre into lane 2 where another car was approaching at about 130km/h but quite a way behind. I very gently merged into lane 2 still at 115km/h and I was straddling the lane marking when the car behind flashed his lights and sped up slightly. I believe flashing lights in Germany means "I'm coming" so I remained straddling the lane markings and all three of us reached the same point in line with the end of the slip road at about the same time; ie across two quite wide lanes.

It transpired that the faster car was soon to leave the Autobahn hence his/her reluctance to go to the (empty) lane 3.

What I could have done better here?

[lucido grigio]

Isn't it obvious ?
You could've "adjusted" your speed,using brakes just a little ,and stayed in lane 1.
Also looks like you misjudged the closing speed of the car in lane 2.

Edited by lucido grigio on Thursday 29th June 00:27

[Cosifantutte]

Unfortunately it's often not obvious to me what to do in lane 1 when there are vehicles on the slip road, especially when they don't seem to be taking much notice of other vehicles.

I was taught to maintain speed in lane 1 and let them adjust to me. But this results in too many too-close-for-comfort events.

[caelite]

Honestly I don't think you done anything wrong, personally I would have commited to lane 2 a bit more quickly as straddling the 2 lanes leaves ambiguity, moving over to allow someone out of a slip is a perfectly just maneuvre in my eyes. The guy behind you obviously wasn't in much of a rush or he would have moved into L3 to pass then cut back 2 lanes to exit.

[Chester draws]

Did you have cruise control on? I sense a reluctance to either slow down or speed up...

Also, you seem to think that the merging vehicle should adjust to the established when you are not the merger, but imply that others should adjust to you and your speed when you wish to merge / change lane?

I see your choices as either...
a) Slow down, allowing the slower car to join and the overtaker to pass, then you can pass.
Or,
b) Get your foot down, and make an assertive move to lane 2, pulling back in once past the merging car.

[essIII]

Option 1 - Slow Down.
Option 2 - Speed Up (and change lanes).
Option 3 - Faff about and post for advice on pistonheads after the incident.

[Jonno02]

It's rare that somebody asks for advice on how to improve their driving on here, but when someone does, they gets the sarcy bds coming out. Not like anybody here has ever made a mistake is it, driving gods?

[essIII]

Jonno02 said:

It's rare that somebody asks for advice on how to improve their driving on here, but when someone does, they gets the sarcy bds coming out. Not like anybody here has ever made a mistake is it, driving gods?

I hear what you're saying, but you hardly have to be a driving god to understand how to deal with a slower car merging from a slip lane in front of you, with a faster car in an overtaking lane approaching from behind. I think it's the mundanety (why's that not a word) of the situation being described that brings out the sarcy bds (well, it's what brought this one out).

[Cosifantutte]

Thanks for the answers. Better to be challenged by you guys than the Polizei! Yes I had the cruise control on.

The way I see it is that the thinking should be in this order:

1. OK to stay in lane 1 maintaining speed? If no,
2. OK to change to lane 2 maintaining speed? If no,
3. OK to change to lane 2 increasing speed? If no,
4. Stay in lane 1 and brake.

Is that right?

[Toltec]

Cosifantutte said:

Thanks for the answers. Better to be challenged by you guys than the Polizei! Yes I had the cruise control on.

The way I see it is that the thinking should be in this order:

1. OK to stay in lane 1 maintaining speed? If no,
2. OK to change to lane 2 maintaining speed? If no,
3. OK to change to lane 2 increasing speed? If no,
4. Stay in lane 1 and brake.

Is that right?

You may also have been able to stay in lane one and accelerate to clear the joiner, that could go badly if the joiner wakes up and also accelerates, however if you match the speed of the L2 closer you could then move cleanly into L2 if it looked like the joiner would come into contention.

1. OK to stay in lane 1 maintaining speed? If no,
2. OK to change to lane 2 maintaining speed? If no,
3. OK to stay in lane 1 increasing speed? If no
4. OK to change to lane 2 increasing speed? If no,
5. Stay in lane 1 and brake.

Not quite that simple as that may run multiple times with variations over time and in parallel.

Put simply consider a set of options and don't chose any that can lead to a collision with no way to avoid it. Of the rest chose one that requires accelerating, braking or maintaining speed, if available, according to your taste.

Edited by Toltec on Thursday 29th June 16:28

[mko9]

There were three cars in this interaction, it is not all upon you to make everything work out smoothly. For your part, if you are getting into lane two, get into lane two. Straddling the line is not helping anyone. You could have also accelerated slightly (many/most autobahn are 120kph limit, none have a 115kph limit that I know of) to pass the slow car before it became an issue. That said, car number three that is over taking and wants to exit could have easily adjusted his speed to avoid any issues as well. How soon was he leaving the autobahn that he couldn't execute a pass in lane three? If he was leaving the exit w/in a kilometer, there is no reason he shouldn't slow down. If he was leaving the autobahn more than a kilometer down the way, then there is no reason he couldn't have got out into lane three and made the pass.

[Solocle]

Even in Britain, with speed limits everywhere, if I see a vehicle in a slip road I'll try to move across. Is somebody is approaching at speed, I speed up. Yeah, speeding is illegal, but it's times like this that it's safer than any alternative (note: if you slow down in L1, you risk the guy on the slip noticing you and slowing down too).