Motorway driving advice

Bowdyjan18

jackieb wrote: »

If they want us to learn to drive on motorways let them build some! Some people are hundreds of miles away from the nearest one. Are you suggesting they all travel that far to sit their tests, when in reality there's little chance of them actually driving on one in the future? And it would be interesting to see people from Orkney and Shetland drive to their nearest motorway. Do you actually have any idea where they're even at?

Thats exactly what i suggested..It's the the people who want to have a driving licence sitting the test not the people making the rules that need to sit one...So if they want one then they should be made to drive on a motorway.If they do live hundreads of miles away and will never travel or want to travel on the motorway,then this could be added to their licence to say they are not entitled to do so

jackieb

That makes more sense. Like passing your licence in an automatic and then only being allowed to drive autos from then on.

Neil_B

It would be somewhat fairer just to exempt them from that part of the test and the resulting entitlement be the same. It would still give an improvement with very small numbers untrained (eventually - cos presumably we don't all have to re-test!).

DKLS

Hintza wrote: »

It is a full on gladatorial sport!! But i have mentioned before very scary when you come down from the north for the first time...:eek:

Your not wrong there, When going there I get my "London driving head" on at around Watford gap services, then I am ready for what ever comes, psychopathic bus drivers/black cab drivers and my all time fave the bicycle courier on a mission.

Just have to remember to drop the "London driving head" when I get back to Leeds, which requires a much more polite and sedate driving style.

Bowdyjan18

jackieb wrote: »

That makes more sense. Like passing your licence in an automatic and then only being allowed to drive autos from then on.

yes sorry i was not very clear in my first attempt

Neil_B

DKLS wrote: »

Your not wrong there, When going there I get my "London driving head" on at around Watford gap services, then I am ready for what ever comes, psychopathic bus drivers/black cab drivers and my all time fave the bicycle courier on a mission.

Just have to remember to drop the "London driving head" when I get back to Leeds, which requires a much more polite and sedate driving style.

In defence of London!

since I posted the opposite, quite a few saying they find it difficult. Can anyone define it a little more tangibly cos I still say that I find the opposite.

Some specific examples please?

My own experience is that drivers outside London drive much too fast. In London it's too busy for that most of the time but speed was certainly a frightening issue for me elsewhere. Lane discilpline too. Outside it doesn't matter so much because less volume, more time, etc. In London you simply have to get it right or get in a problem - I don't see getting it right as too much to ask?
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When I recently went wrong on a new road layout I didn't do something daft like try to correct it at the last moment, I carried on, copped a congestion charge and then had the choice of changing routes completely cos of having paid the charge or to correct when safe to do so. If you are going to drive in London and indulge in the National trait of driving permanently in the outside lane and suddenly want to turn left then you will cause an accident, simple.
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michaelvintner

DKLS wrote: »

Your not wrong there, When going there I get my "London driving head" on at around Watford gap services, then I am ready for what ever comes, psychopathic bus drivers/black cab drivers and my all time fave the bicycle courier on a mission.

Just have to remember to drop the "London driving head" when I get back to Leeds, which requires a much more polite and sedate driving style.

You can leave your brain at Watford Gap. It can have a nice cup of tea and some lovelly cake while you go and battle in London with all the brain dead f*cks we have on the road here. Apparently HGV drivers and bus drivers have to take an advanced test. Doesn't seem to apply in London where you are allowed to drive anything as if it is a Mini.

Petree

Off Topic - does anyone else get surprised at just how small central london is? It looks massive on the tube map, but in the car its tiny!

On Topic - Motorway driving as stated is easy. The best thing my dad did for me the day I passed my test was say 'turn left here' 'what onto the M4!' 'yes' and that was it. I think people get too nervous simply because they never do it and it becomes something frightening.
I suggest you have a trundle about 8-9pm when the roads are getting quiet and come on and off a couple of times, sat nav is a life saver though, you're not sure it you wanted 12 or 12a and they are about 300m apart, you take the wrong one and it just tells you the back routes way to where you want to be. If this isn't likely to be the start of your long distance driving life then borrow one off someone...

Fill your tank, check your tyres, plug in your sat nav and away you go, it's like anything, if you're all scared going up the sliproad you'll be doing 40 into a bunch of 65-70mph people and then flashed and beeped and scared. Just approach confidently, indicate out and pull out at 60mph and away you go.

If your traveling in central london, make sure you buy/borrow a sat nav that isn't more than a couple of years old, they can be a bit slow and it gets a bit confused when you have lots of tight road junctions (like in central london).

Oh and one last thing which everyone should remember 'go to the loo before you leave!' :rotfl:

Have a lovely journey but don't do it Monday Morning or Friday evening as traffic is killer!

Neil_B

Ok, ok I surrender! LOL Make sure you all stay outside the M25 and then maybe our insurance premiums will go down and we'll also have more room.

A friend in the industry tells me that premiums are only higher for us because of the number of accidents LOCATED in London involving YOU. High percentage involve out of town drivers.

(sorry off-topic again but she did mention London originally).

scbk

Bowdyjan18 wrote: »

Tough if you want to pass your test then motorways should be part of it...Not like it's impossible to drive to the nearest mtorway.

What about teaching people who live in towns/cities to drive on rural and single track roads