Motorway Driving Question

DCFC79

The main thing is your alive, use it as a learning experience.

Iceweasel

The A (or is it M) 666.

That clears a lot up - so OK you are excused - up to a point.

Your sat-nav was possibly the reason you moved right a bit early.

Unless there was a good reason, 50mph was a bit slow.

And yes the P plates might help on the motorway - but there are always impatient people around.

Good luck for the future and with your IAM course.

Sorry if my post appeared harsh.

You may find this site interesting as the junction is question is pretty rubbish:

http://pathetic.org.uk/secretive/a666m/

Noctu

Noble_Viking wrote: »

She moves, and another driver does the same which was behind her, followed by another, all women drivers

You've mentioned the fact that they were female several times in this thread. Just wondering what that has got to do with anything?

AnnieO1234

I hate that junction, but you clearly weren't keeping up with the rest of the traffic. I disagree with the suggestion you should have stayed left, but you were far too cautious, you may as well have slung the hazards on and crawled in first gear.

Xxx

esuhl

Sounds to me like your driving was absolutely fine, and you just got the usual bunch of lunatic motorists who see driving as a competitive dual to the death.

You can imagine what it must be like off the motorway when these idiots try the same illegal and reckless manoeuvres around cyclists and pedestrians.

You also often get people drive right up to your bumper if they want you to pull over. The safest way of dealing with these people is to take your foot off the accelerator when they get too close. This reduces the risk of injury should there be a collision, and encourages them to keep back (or illegally overtake on the inside).

Car_54

esuhl wrote: »

Sounds to me like your driving was absolutely fine, and you just got the usual bunch of lunatic motorists who see driving as a competitive dual to the death.

You can imagine what it must be like off the motorway when these idiots try the same illegal and reckless manoeuvres around cyclists and pedestrians.

You also often get people drive right up to your bumper if they want you to pull over. The safest way of dealing with these people is to take your foot off the accelerator when they get too close. This reduces the risk of injury should there be a collision, and encourages them to keep back (or illegally overtake on the inside).

1. It wasn't "absolutely fine". It was dangerously slow.

2. Far from being the "safest way", taking your foot off the gas without warning in front of a tail-gater is suicidal. If you're going to slow down, touch the brakes to warn them. In the OP's circumstances, slowing down would simply compound her problem.

3. How does this reduce the risk of injury?

4. Overtaking on the inside is not illegal.

takman

Noble_Viking wrote: »

I am afraid I disagree. Having come from a 40mph road (East Lancs) in which I was doing approx. 35mph because of the traffic build up, as I approached the M61 I was beginning to increase my speed before the three idiots behind me clearly coming from the same road decided to act the way they did. There was zero traffic behind me as I entered the M61!

So the question I ask is what mph where they doing on the East Lancs? My guess is they were not sticking to the speed limit restrictions. I guess driving with a mobile phone in one hand is a good idea as well when driving at speed on a motorway.

For everyone who replied, I plan to get some more experience on this route and do a few more practice runs on my own when it is a little bit quieter. I was also raise the issue with my IAM instructor when I meet them later this month.

If the speed limit on the road is 70mph and the conditions are good then 50mph is far too slow to be going!. To accelerate from 40 to 70 at a resonance pace only takes around 10 seconds so there is no excuse!.
There will always be aggressive drivers on the road who want everyone to move out the way and bully them. But to get three cars in a row undertake you then it shows you were in the wrong and definitely going too slow.

Alter_ego

Noble_Viking wrote: »

It was an observation whilst on the road and since it was factual, relevant to the thread I believe. Why do you have an issue with me mentioning the three impatient female drivers who clearly abused the use of their horns and lights on a motorway by trying to intimidate me?

Taken from The Highway Code

Rule 112

The horn. Use only while your vehicle is moving and you need to warn other road users of your presence. Never sound your horn aggressively. You MUST NOT use your horn

• while stationary on the road
• when driving in a built-up area between the hours of 11.30 pm and 7.00 am

except when another road user poses a danger.

Rule 110

Flashing headlights. Only flash your headlights to let other road users know that you are there. Do not flash your headlights to convey any other message or intimidate other road users.

These three female drivers did the above as a way of intimation, not just to warn me of their presence. I have mirrors so I can clearly see them behind me. If they had given me a chance to gain speed having just got on to the M61, I would have done so, but they didn't, they seemed to think 70mph + was a better idea. I also forgot to mention one of them had a mobile phone to her ear!

Whether they had been male or female I still would have mentioned it.

Quit while you're ahead! The drivers flashing etc were warning you of their presence

RavingMad

I use that road on occasion but haven't had to use it during rush hour for a while. The east lancs coming away from Manchester is stop/start but once off that and onto the stretch in question, the traffic flows quite well and there's no need to be going as slow as 50 mph, especially in the right lane.

You should try and stay left and let the faster traffic move past you on the right. If you're in the right hand lane from the outset, then I'm not surprised that you've upset a few drivers; that part of the motorway is quite long and there's no need to be in the right hand lane until much further on.

Unfortunately, timing the move to the right will have to come from experience. People rushing to get home tend not to be the most patient. Perhaps you stick on your P plates so that other drivers can give you a bit more consideration?

Also, unless you can see traffic up ahead is slowing, all you're doing by driving at 50mph in anticipation of traffic, is creating a traffic wave behind you.

almillar

You'll learn a lot in the IAM about keeping up with traffic flow and managing your gaps (drive at the speed limit unless you have a reason not to). You should have been driving at a speed that allowed you to stop in the distance you can see. On a motorway, that's usually very far, and very fast. If you've just left a traffic jam, get right back up to speed - you're changing road in this case - one may be blocked and one may be completely clear. Don't be afraid of that accelerator pedal.
You were too slow on this occasion and probably held those drivers up for SEVERAL SECONDS. You shouldn't drive slowly 'in case' there's a jam, you should slow down when you see it.