Ar rant (with apologies) - driving in snow.

Obukit

TrickyWicky wrote: »

I do. So with a lorry right next to me stopping me from entering the motorway what do you want me to do? - shoot in front of it and do something just as stupid as what you're suggesting?

Didn't think that out very well did you.

If you pay attention to the rest of the drivers next time you'll realise that most adjust their speed so that they slot into a gap. If there is no gap (or, more likely, you've judged your speed poorly) then you stop and wait for a safe gap to join in, just like any other give way line.

The lorry driver you are berating probably has no idea you are there because lorries have much less visibility then cars and anything in diagonals behind the cab is difficult to see or judge properly.

Speaking as someone who drives large vehicles every day, a lot of the time if you move over people then pull into the gap and trundle along matching your speed, or worse speed up and undertake you. That means you're either stuck in the middle lane, or you have to take a chance pulling back in after the undertake as large vehicles can't check their blind spots.

So, in summary, a considerate way to drive...

a) Don't expect people to move over, it's YOUR obligation to find the gap.
b) If they do move over, ease back so they can pull back into the inside lane. Overtake after they've pulled back in, never undertake.

mikey72

Obukit wrote: »

..................you stop and wait for a safe gap to join in, just like any other give way line.....................Speaking as someone who drives large vehicles every day, .....................

And you'd seriously stop on a motorway slip road?

Mankysteve

I've just had fun drive from pickin gf up, Ive had serval cars right up my backside BWN with Hids was the worse offender.

I had a Bedford style Van undertake me on the hard shoulder was properly the most shocking thing.

The snow was so thick there was no way of seeing what lane you were in. Car was sliding about and people were still doing sillys speeds.


Seen lorries doing 50+ when every other vehicles is doing about 25

Cash-Strapped.T32

Sgt_Pepper wrote: »

To be fair they don't have to. It's up to you when joining to match the speed of the traffic and join.

Purely as an aside - Coming off M1 (southbound) Tibshelf services sliproad on the ride to work this morning (don't worry, I only put £3's worth in) I was in a similar position as Tricky describes; Sliproad that can be measured in inches & a queue of traffic in the left hand lane that stubbornly refused to let me in despite there being plenty of room being as it's Saturday.

End of the day, you can either stop dead in the sliproad in order to wait for traffic to clear as it it were a normal junction (and I have seen this cause an accident before where a woman stopped dead & a BMW-guy behind got a bit too personal), or try to play at fast & the furious and rudely cut-in.

Some sliproads are just so short that even if you slow down to a crawl, you still aren't guaranteed to find a break in that left-hand lane to merge into before you get to the end, so no matter what the highway code says, some give & take must be allowed or it just becomes chaos.



Thankfully the last vehicle in the procession was a fully armoured-up Police camera-van (you know, anti-aircraft radar on top, steel cages over the windscreen etc..) who kindly moved over, so I gave him a big nice wave to say cheers.

He was then followed in the middle lane by a convoy of similar police vans, must have been at least 12-15 of them, & when all the other cars noticed them it became the most civilised 15mi or so I've ever ridden on the motorway :T

VfM4meplse

If it's any consolation, I have no intention of driving in this weather. Snow and ice scare me sh*tless and after several near misses I refuse to drive with my heart in my mouth.

banger9365

TrickyWicky wrote: »

As for lorry drivers.. the english ones are normally ok but the foreign ones are ar$£wipes. Round these parts they refuse to move into the middle lane when you're trying to merge onto the motorway, most are usually on the phone etc. Then at night they're usually crawling around here looking for a place to park up and congest the place.

i like that ,safest thing to do is match the motorway speed using the slip road and fall in behind the lorry ,so we do not have to move ,
remember the slip road is a GIVE WAY not right off way :eek: shock horror no right off way

mikey72

At least I got to use my snow tyres. They've been on 3 months now.

Obukit

mikey72 wrote: »

And you'd seriously stop on a motorway slip road?

I've never had to because, even on the M25 in rush hour there is always a gap if you time it right, even for my 20ft long vehicle. But if I misjudged my speed and it was that or drive into the side of a car? Yes, I would stop.

(In fact, the M25 in rush hour is particularly easy as no-one ever drives in lane 1, they all drive in lanes 3/4 nose to tail at 60mph )

mildred1978

TrickyWicky wrote: »

No. Besides, how do you know I'm not in Scotland or Wales? :T



.

Then why use "English" when you mean "British"?

TrickyWicky

Obukit, I really appreciate you understanding my local motorway junctions so I thought I'd just confirm your understanding below in blue.

Obukit wrote: »

If you pay attention to the rest of the drivers next time you'll realise that most adjust their speed so that they slot into a gap.

I agree because when you're going down the slip road with a ton of trees on the right you can so clearly see whats coming along the motorway and so can the other drivers who adjust their speed. Clearly I've paid no attention to the fact that on short slip roads you don't have much time to adjust your speed. I really don't know how I was so silly.

If there is no gap (or, more likely, you've judged your speed poorly) then you stop and wait for a safe gap to join in, just like any other give way line.

Next time it happens and I'm at the point of no return doing 55 - 60, I'll remember to perform an emergency stop with the other cars behind me that were also blocked in.

The lorry driver you are berating probably has no idea you are there because lorries have much less visibility then cars and anything in diagonals behind the cab is difficult to see or judge properly.

I'm sure you're right. When your busy on the phone speaking to your wife or booking your prostitute for the night I guess their obligation to drive with due care and ATTENTION is temporarily waived correct?

Speaking as someone who drives large vehicles every day, a lot of the time if you move over people then pull into the gap and trundle along matching your speed

I'd be surprised if anyone is dumb enough to do that near an incoming slip road. We all know that incoming slip roads mean incoming traffic.

, or worse speed up and undertake you. That means you're either stuck in the middle lane, or you have to take a chance pulling back in after the undertake as large vehicles can't check their blind spots.

OR can't get off the phone.

So, in summary, a considerate way to drive...

a) Don't expect people to move over, it's YOUR obligation to find the gap.

Glad you pointed that one out as I hadn't figured it out with all the other responses. Maybe you (and others like banger) should read the rest of the replies before reading the first one and just hitting quick reply or the reply button. Being bashed, bashed and bashed again becomes a bit tiresome when you've already admitted your understanding was wrong.

b) If they do move over, ease back so they can pull back into the inside lane. Overtake after they've pulled back in, never undertake.

Could you tell that to the bloke in one of the numerous BMWs we have around here which is usually up your backside hooting and flashing at you go get out of his way?